Ruffians: A Novel

by Tim Green

From the moment he signs his big contract with the NFL, Clay Blackwell's talents plunge him into a realm of ruthlessness, lawlessness and a conspiracy that makes playing for the Ruffians of Birmingham, Alabama, the most dangerous job a man could have.

Genres: Fiction, Sports

298 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and a dozen suspense novels, including Exact Revenge and Kingdom Come. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round NFL draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors. Tim has worked as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and as an NFL commentator for National Public Radio, among other broadcast experience. He lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York. Football Genius is his first novel for young readers. For more updates, visit www.facebook.com/authortimgreen

Reviews

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember Tim Green when he played for Syracuse and then Atlanta. Being from Syracuse, I’m a big Orange fan. Bob Costas hit the nail on the head when he said, of Green, “One is considered fortunate to be blessed with either brain or brawn. Tim Green has been blessed with both.” This is the first book I’ve read by Green. It’s a fantastic book about football as a rookie in the NFL. So many thoughts went through my head when I was reading. How much of this book was autobiographic? I hope almost none of it. OK, I hope only the good things. Reading this book, I can see this actually happening to a great NFL player. That’s why I wondered if some of it isn’t based on Green’s experiences. If you are a big football fan, better yet, if you have played the game, this is a really great book for you. It’s a little bit Hollywood at the end, but it isn’t too unrealistic. I think I’m going to read another book by Green. I’m impressed!

[Red Heaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out with some glaring grammatical errors, and I was thinking the quality of the writing was going to be poor for the whole book. It actually picked up as the story got going, and for the main part it's a gripping read as Clay faces various pressures of being not just an NFL player, but a first round draft pick, with impossible expectations to live up to.

I thought the ridiculously over-the-top head coach was JUST this side of being too unbelievable. It's hard to see why all the other coaches would stand by and let him abuse them and the players so much. We know that the one coach is scared of not getting another job, but still...

One drawback to the book is that the football scenes, while done well, are full of jargon familiar to coaches, players and hardcore fans of the game, but will be difficult for an average NFL fan like myself, or a non-fan, to understand.

Also, the ending is a little bit rushed and incomplete. With Green having set up certain conflicts and tensions, I was expecting a better, and more satisfying conclusion.

I read the Kindle version, which is riddled with typos. Some are amusing - Mel Kiper becomes Mel Kipper. But at one point there's a flurry of them:

"It was always easier to crush a flayer's morale than it was to raise it, and that was how le ran players off. He simply crushed their morale. That was what he would do with Clay Blackwell. He mew Blackwell's type."

I suspect the paperback version was scanned into a computer program to convert to Kindle text, and no one bothered to check the results too closely.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not Tim Green’s best work but I believe it was his first book. I have read a lot of his work and he is still one of my favorite authors but I can definitely see how much his writing has improved since 1993. I still enjoyed this one but not as much as his later work. I also hope there was nothing even close to real life with his experience in the NFL.

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Heavy on football jargon. Rampant steroid use and ugly viciousness...wrapped up in less than 10 paragraphs in the last chapter...like the author was as tired of it as I was.

[Ronny Funderburk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the storyline and couldn't put it down until I was done!

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

""

[Reed Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope this isn't the true NFL.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable story about an ill-fated fictional NFL team that finally begins to win games after a maverick owner hires a do-anything-to-win coach. Soon nearly all the players are on the juice. The main character, a superstar in his own right, resists the pressure to take Steroids and the coach benches him until he finally gives in.

Interesting fictional journey into the "what-ifs." Although the main character is clearly autobiographical in many, many ways, nothing else about this book appears true. Still, if anyone knows enough about football to write such a novel, it's Tim Green.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first book Tim Green wrote. If it was the first book of his I read, I wouldn't have bothered with the rest! It is pure football without murder, mayhem, blackmail etc.. I'm just not a football type of gal! It did have the steroids aspect, but otherwise it was football, football and more football!

[Michael]

Great book by an excelloent author.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but not too gripping. A lot of football play by play. Good for its insight into pro football. I would give it a 3 starts.

[Jim Moffett · Rating 3 out of 5]

11-10

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inside look at football & the use of steroids. Pretty scary stuff what coaches expect of players.