Blindsided: Why the Left Tackle is Overrated and Other Contrarian Football Thoughts (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: dynasty team, scientific football, linemen inducted, Hall of Fame, Super Bowl, New York Giants (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Joyner, a columnist for ESPN the Magazine, uses statistics, game footage and his own formulas to settle pro-football arguments ranging from whether it takes an elite running back to win the Super Bowl to whether the storied 1985 Chicago Bears defense is the best ever. Zealous football fans will appreciate the theories and extensively researched, sometimes surprising, conclusions. Joyner peppers his analysis and opinions with football history and a sense of humor. The league-owned NFL Films, Joyner writes, is the propaganda arm of an effective socialist regime. Though he clearly loves the game, Joyner isn't awed by the macho, myth-making empire that is the NFL, taking the league to task over its blackout system and shabby customer treatment. In the end, this is a rich mix of statistical insight and thoughtful, clear-headed criticism. (Aug.)
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Review

Statistical analysis has become a popular sports category. Joyner cites pioneering baseball statistical guru Bill James as the muse for his own gridiron research. Known as the "Football Scientist" for his self-published statistical annuals and his work on the subscriber-side of ESPN's web site, Joyner here makes a play for a broader audience. His iconoclastic essays address questions such as the true value of the left tackle position, whether coaches have a ten-year shelf life, and who the best Hall of Fame candidates are. The results are a vigorous and novel look at the game and its history. While his arguments here are supported by data, he offers fewer hard-core figures than in his annuals. Recommended for all libraries. (Library Journal, September 1, 2008)

Joyner, a columnist for ESPN the Magazine, uses statistics, game footage and his own formulas to settle pro-football arguments ranging from whether it takes an elite running back to win the Super Bowl to whether the storied 1985 Chicago Bears defense is the best ever. Zealous football fans will appreciate the theories and extensively researched, sometimes surprising, conclusions. Joyner peppers his analysis and opinions with football history and a sense of humor. The league-owned NFL Films, Joyner writes, is “the propaganda arm of an effective socialist regime.” Though he clearly loves the game, Joyner isn't awed by the macho, myth-making empire that is the NFL, taking the league to task over its blackout system and shabby customer treatment. In the end, this is a rich mix of statistical insight and thoughtful, clear-headed criticism. (Aug.) (Publishers Weekly, June 2008)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (August 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470124091
• ISBN-13: 978-0470124093
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #336,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but Shallow, November 6, 2008

By	Jean Sansterre (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews

Let me preface this review with a warning; I am pretty into stats and the like, and this review is written from that point of view.

This is a book that is designed to answer rhetorical questions: is the left tackle as important as people say, what was the best defense ever, and so on. There are two kinds of books with this goal: books that attempt to solve these problems with statistical reasoning, and books that attempt to tease the problems out simply by talking about them and applying their perspective. The first I am very interested in, the second I care very little about. The book masquerades as the first, but ends up being far more the second, with the author bringing up stats initially, but always abandoning them for self-indulgent rambles.

For example, there is a chapter inquiring which is the best defense ever. It is clear from the phrasing used that the author has long believed that the best defense is not the 85 Bears, but instead the mid-70s Steelers, and has written the chapter to make that case. He admits at the beginning of the chapter that he loved the Steelers as a child. His initial point is that the Steelers allowed fewer points than the Bears. And that concludes his statistical analysis. No reference to the fact that the 70s had fewer points scored generally than the 80s (thus skewing the numbers), no inquiry as to whether or not Chicago played a schedule with better offenses. He then goes on to compare the teams position by position in a subjective 'who is better' style, and predictably, the Steelers come out far ahead by his reckoning. No mention is made of the 46 defense, the fact that the Bears defense was anchored by a system, not by a player, which would adjust such evaluations somewhat. This chapter is representative of the book as a whole, because it opens with stats, applies far too little rigor with them, and then ends with opinionated pontification, reasoned though it may be.

This book is not worth reading for a stat-head because of its cursory reasoning and sloppy deduction. For a more general football fan who merely wants to read opinions... you could do worse. This book in many ways reads less like a book and more like several blog entries, driveby opinions that never fully delve into the heart of the matter. From a wit like Bill Simmons such reading is a pleasure, but KC Joyner lacks the chops to sustain his readers purely with his force of personality.

This is a mediocre work, lacking in any real originality or value. If you enjoy reading about football, you may well enjoy this book. If you're looking for something more, look elsewhere.

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Overall, But Also Some Worthless Junk, October 30, 2009

By	Kathleen Bailey - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

KC Joyner provides some interesting information through this book, but then has 22 pages of utter garbage. In one part he creates categories to put coaches in, which enabled me to better understand coaches' philosophies. In another he showed how teams that compile good records through playing bad teams generally fail in the playoffs-The Arizona Cardinals were a wild exception. In yet one more, he shows that the majority of the time teams that win Super Bowls don't have elite running backs. However, the first 200 pages of information were ruined by a 22 page rant at the end of the book where he attempts to claim that the NFL is socialist.

Apparently, KC Joyner does not know the definition of socialism that is given by dictionaries, encyclopedias, or socialists themselves, which is "a social system or theory where the means of production is owned or controlled by the workers." Although the author doesn't use the common definition for socialism, he never bothers to explain which definition he uses. KC Joyner, who is a libertarian, makes a list of things he doesn't like about the NFL and then proceeds to label these things socialist. For instance, he describes the fact that the NFL Players Association doesn't act in the best interest of its players as socialist, a social theory which is based on treating workers fairly. In another example, KC uses the term Big Brother to describe the NFL commissioner as if the term was invented to describe something socialist-The term was invented by a socialist, George Orwell, to describe the worst type of fascist regime he could think up.

So, if you want to read an interesting book, pick it up, but don't forget that there are a very ignorant 22 pages that should have been left out. At least you can currently find the book on Amazon for eleven cents.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Way to Look at the NFL, October 5, 2008

By	D. Sims (Midwest USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a wide-ranging collection of football information and analysis by one of the leaders in football statistical analysis. The topics covered include a very intriguing study of left tackles and their effectiveness in relationship to other offensive linemen. I am not going to be giving anything away when I tell you he concludes that they are both overrated and overpaid. The analysis though is interesting as to the causes for this phenomena and effect this has on teams in general.
The book also looks at football dynasties, various aspects of the Hall of Fame, and the history and business case of the NFL. The difference though is that KC backs up most of his work with some actual value-based analysis. You may not always like his conclusions but he can actually produce calculable values as a basis for what he has to say. There is plenty of room to debate the measures he has chosen but that is one of the fascinations of the book; it is thought provoking. This is also ostensibly the purpose of the book, which carries the subtitle ...Contrarian Football Thoughts.

Joyner is one of several football writers trying to develop a more comprehensive statistical analysis framework for football, similar to what Bill James did for baseball. Improvement of football analysis is certainly desirable but it rates to be a much more complex matter in football than almost any other sport. The complexity of a play in football is amazing and breaking it down is almost impossible since a play has component plays within it, e.g. route options, blocking adjustments. This book though starts the process of applying analysis against some long held tenets of the game to prove or disprove so-called conventional wisdom. It is a worthwhile start in that direction.