Pro football is a game of choreographed chaos, blurred brush strokes across a bright green canvas. It is 22 athletes springing into action in the performance of 22 distinct tasks. A center snaps the ball, a tackle blocks an end, a linebacker charges, and a guard pulls, while a quarterback pivots to hand the football to a running back, who feints and darts. And in a thunderclap, the separate parts converge. Pro football is a game of adrenaline and emotion, a battle of wills and might. It gives us heroes and goats, joy and despair, broad smiles and damp eyes. It tests players' nerves, unveils their strengths, and sometimes, exposes their shortcomings. And pro football does one other thing better than any other sport. It produces the most captivating photographic images of any game. You still can find Vince Lombardi frozen in time, eyes forward and hands clasped, as his grim-faced Green Bay Packers take the field before the 1966 NFL Championship Game. Walter Payton is caught forever in mid-flight, hurdling a sprawled defender, while scanning the defense for a chance to get more yardage. Johnny Unitas remains permanently poised in 1958, arm cocked and receiver targeted, as the New York Giants try to break through his protection. And Jack Lambert, snarling, glares out from a caged helmet, teeth missing, eyes ablaze. Photographers have prowled through pro football sidelines for nearly as long as the game has been played, each in search of a moment to be preserved for future generations. Only the names of the players and the sites of the games have changed. Photographers have captured the unadulterated joy of John Elway, finally a victor after three Super Bowl defeats...the utter exhaustion of Kellen Winslow, too tired to celebrate, after a victory in one of football's most celebrated games...and the anguished pain of Y.A. Tittle, bloody and battered in 1964, after a demoralizing loss during a wrenching 2-10-2 season. The frozen moments here have been chosen from 80 NFL seasons. In many cases, they have outlived the principals showcased in the scene. They explain again and again why America fell in love with this most American of games. Pro football is a spectacle in which majestic grace collides headlong with brutal force. It is smiles and frowns, exchanging positions over the course of 60 warlike minutes. It is teammates and opponents, stars and nonstars, performing and reacting on stage under the spotlight of sometimes-unimaginable pressure. And all of it has been captured on film, preserved, and retained for those who would like to take a long, loving look at the soul of the game.
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Football lends itself to still photography. Photos freeze football's chaos, allowing the viewer to examine the details. Photos also catch the game's great moments: Johnny Unitas reaching back to throw in the 1958 championship game; Barry Sanders defying gravity as he changes directions to avoid a tackle; Muhsin Muhammad at full extension crossing the goal line, ball first. Best Shots: The Greatest NFL Photography of the Century celebrates both the players and the photographers--Al Messerschmidt, Michael Zagaris, and Tony Tomsic, to name a few--who captured them. Some of these Best Shots offer glimpses behind the scenes--Joe Montana gathering his thoughts before Super Bowl XXXII, George Halas celebrating with his Bears after beating the Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship game--while others depict the game's highs and its lows--John Elway's horsey grin upon winning his second straight Super Bowl; Y.A. Tittle, head bloodied and bowed, after yet another loss. With a foreword by Broadway Joe Namath (himself caught injured on the bench, sulking in a fur coat and sunglasses), Best Shots is a wonderful look at the NFL's history--and a great gift for any football fan. --Sunny Delaney
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One stunning photo after another. Artistic and powerful.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Best Shots: The Greatest NFL Photography of the Century (Hardcover)
This incredible book goes way beyond just being a collection of great football photos. It is a visual tour de force--a page-by-page exhibition of what great action photography is all about. When you get it, find a quiet place with no distractions to fully savor each page. You'll appreciate the strategic rhythm and pace that leads you through this compelling visual story of the power, emotion, history, and athletic grace of NFL football. If you're looking to instantly increase the value of your coffe table, try putting a copy of BEST SHOTS on it.
34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"'Best Shots' One-Word Review: WOW!",
By A Customer
This review is from: Best Shots: The Greatest NFL Photography of the Century (Hardcover)
The best book about football I have seen in over ten years. If you are a serious football fan than you can't afford to be without 'Best Shots'.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vivid, Bone-Rattling, Gut-Sucking Shots of Great NFL Action!,
By Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 100 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Best Shots: The Greatest NFL Photography of the Century (Hardcover)
Every NFL fan should be lucky enough to have this book. It is clearly a classic and deserves many more than five stars.This book contains over 100 photographs from the NFL, mostly since 1958. They are very well reproduced, and the captions are excellent for putting the images in context. The book is improved by a foreword by Joe Namath in which he discusses his favorite photographs in the book and an introduction by Tom Barnidge, the editor, in which he explains the special opportunities and challenges of photographing the NFL. Almost all of the teams are represented in the book. Some are obviously more represented than others because of their greater past success and longer franchise histories. Part of the book's appeal is seeing some of your favorite players from your team during heroic moments. Packers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Giants, Bears, Rams, Bronco and 49er fans will be the most pleased. At another level, the book is about remembering many of the highlights of the NFL . . . ones that you may have seen on television, or (if you are lucky) in person. The images are concentrated in the last ten years so that younger fans will not feel left out. But fans who are over 50 will think that this volume was made just for them. Fans of all ages will be fascinated by the photographs from the 1930s and 1940s with the old-style helmets, fans huddled under straw bales, and less active play. The variety of photographs is superb. Every aspect of the game is covered, from training camp to accepting congratulations at the end of the Super Bowl. You have offense, defense, special teams, and even referees finding themselves in the middle of the action (during plays and breaking up fights). You also have celebrations in the end zone, complaints to officials, and impending disaster (such as the photograph of half the Cowboy team about to land on one player) If you are like me, the most special part of the book comes in the fine detail that you cannot see as a spectator at the stadium or on television. I was totally arrested by the expressions on the players' faces, as they were sacked, smashed, grabbed by the face mask, and annihilated. Even more remarkable was to see the amazing athletic feats (a jump pass by Jack Kemp, Lynn Swann catching a pass fully stretched out, and Barry Sanders making an incredible cut) at the players' eye level. Some of the famous shots that I remember are in the book, like Namath after winning Super Bowl III, a bloodied Y.A. Title on his knees in defeat in 1964, Bart Starr scoring behind Jerry Kramer, and John Elway in victory after the Super Bowl win. But most of the photographs were new to me. That made reading the book a process of discovery as well as a reminiscence. Many of the color photographs extend over two pages, and were carefully selected so that the key aspects of the action are not lost in the crease. Only three things could have made this book even better -- more photographs, larger pages, and commentaries by the players about the images they appear in. Perhaps if we buy enough books, there will be another edition to add those attractive elements. Until then, this book is the perfect antidote to football-less days and evenings. After you have finished enjoying the book, I suggest that you consider starting a collection of your own favorite sports photographs. I began doing this a number of years ago. Most prints are not overly expensive, and the pleasure they bring is amazing. Give 'em a good shot!
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