Customer Reviews

Finding the Winning Edge

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In his book, Bill Walsh goes through football from A to Z. Everything, and I mean everything that you would ever want to know about football, from offensive and defensive philosophy to the role of the "head of football relations" to what to tell a team after a disappointing season is covered. Every serious coach has heard of Bill Walsh and understands the role his innovative offensive philosophy plays in modern football. Now read his exact ideas for yourself.

Walsh's previous book, Building a Champion, was sort of a topical, overview, easy-read version of this book. In this one, Walsh fleshes out ALL of the details of all of his philosophies on how to run a football organization from management to players. He outlines the job descriptions of everyone in the organization from the GM down to the office secretaries. He covers every esoteric subject like Who should drive a prospective player back to the airport after interviewing with the team. There's also tons of real (as opposed to administrative) football here. He describes what to look for when evaluating players. How to construct offensive and defensive game plans, and plenty more. This book is a NFL Head Coach's blueprint, bible, and handbook. However, there's plenty here for the fanatic knowledge-hungry fan to take their understanding of the game up several notches. Not for the "only casually" interested.

This is, without a doubt, the most complete and detailed book on coaching football. Although written for the professional level of the game, it is applicable to every level and has valuable lessons for every of the game.

I don't really think this is a good general management book, however, as some people have mentioned above. Although the ideas it contains can be applied to general management, they are strictly defined in terms of football in this book. Somebody who is not a football coach would not be able to sit through it all.

But for football coaches, this is the ULTIMATE book.

Bill Walsh along with Brian Billick and James A. Peterson have written an amazing book which is destined to become the standard by which all fooball coaches run their football programs. This is a reference book where you can find anything and everything. From how to conduct yourself as a head coach and understanding the role, developing and organizing your staff, designing a winning game plan and preparing to win against any type of opponent, making right decisions and overcoming mental barriers, dealing with the media, to evaluating and developing players, dealing and handling different types of players. It also has samples of team lectures, practice shedules, workout criteria for all positions, and assistants job descriptions. There are over 130 play schemes beautifully designed and explained. Among many other aspects of football. This book is a must have for all coaches at any level.

I have seldom seen anyone as detailed, as thorough, or as organized as Bill Walsh. This book should be a measuring stick for every coach, administrator, general manager, owner, or businessman. Walsh provides readers with virtually every situation a coach could experience. It is the most complete football book I have ever seen. The Genius leaves nothing out.

This is a definitive study of building a football franchise from the ground floor, even before there are desks and chairs in the executive offices.

The application is vast, since it can be explored at a variety of levels; those studying sports management, fans of the game who want an insider's perspective or those involved in the sport at any amateur/professional position.

I joke with people that the management of new Cleveland Browns needed copies of the book as owner Al Lerner launched that franchise in the 1990s. But all kidding aside, this gives the reader a comprehensive understanding on what it takes to get a team onto the field on Sunday afternoon and the foundation required before those cleats even hit the stadium turf.

The famous NFL coach explains how to go about recruiting, building and administering a winning team. It took me a while to be able to get a copy of this from Melbourne Sports Books, as the AFL coaches kept buying them.

A master who has built more than one team, and come up with new systems and adaptations of playing styles to suit changing conditions, or to give him, as he says, the Winning Edge.

Coach Walsh gives great details on every aspect it takes to run an NFL team, from ownership to the coaches secretary. Most of the football details (90%) focus on offense, with very little left over for defense. Some of the details of executive positions for NFL teams do not apply to anything but the NFL (dealing with the salary cap etc.) but are very wordy.

Simply put, everyone should own this book. Bill Walsh's book is insightful, inspiring, comprehensive, and can easily be applied to any business or sport.

When football is thought of, no doubt Bill Walsh is among the first to come to mind just as Jesus is to the Holy Bible. If you want to know how the mastermind himself engineered all of those big wins and the plays that helped him execute the west coast offense to perfection, then no doubt you have found the holy grail in books.