Football For Dummies [Paperback]

Howie Long (Author), John Czarnecki (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Computer/Tech) | Publication Date: 1998

Get in on all the play-by-play action of professional and college football. Eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end, award-winning TV commentator, and action-adventure movie star Howie Long takes you into the huddle and onto the playing field with Football For Dummies, a complete look at all the plays, positions, and penalties of the game, along with plenty of game-day insight and playing-field strategies.

Baseball may be America's favorite pastime, says Howie, but football is America's passion. From the first kickoff of the preseason to the final seconds of the Super Bowl, you'll have a greater understanding of the game after you've read Football For Dummies. From the basics of the game (Are footballs really covered with pigskin? And what's a gridiron," anyway?) to offensive and defensive plays, armchair quarterbacks, and the art of staying fit, Long tells all. Plus, check out Howie's Part of Tens, with his hits on the ten greatest coaches, offensive and defensive players, and teams of all time -- along with a "Dream Team" roster and complete "Football Speak" glossary.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

At last, the Dummies series is tackling football. Former Raider all-pro defensive end and current Fox TV analyst Howie Long calls the signals, and if he doesn't always go deep--he's got a lot of ground to cover--at least he connects. With all its X's and O's, football is a complicated sport, and Long works hard to smooth the way: "Once you break through that initial fear of being overwhelmed by football and what you don't understand," he counsels, "I know everything else about the game, like dominoes, will fall into place." In his role as guide, Long plays those dominoes, from peewees to the pros to the fantasy leagues, explaining positions, analyzing offenses and defenses, and detailing strategies. As with all Dummies guides, the fun part is the "Part of Tens," the series of top-10 lists that dig in for the final chapter. He scores big with his inclusions of John Hannah and Hugh McElhenny among the greatest offensive players ever, but should be penalized for overemphasizing tight ends and forgetting the electricity that wide receivers bring to the game. This, of course, reflects a defensive end's natural bias; since they muck it up more with the hulkier tight ends, they simply let the speedballs fly by. --Jeff Silverman

From the Back Cover

"Howie's book has got it all!" Jimmy Johnson, Former Head Coach, Miami Dolphins Praise for Football for Dummies "Full of insights, strategies, and me!" — Terry Bradshaw, FOX NFL Commentator and Former NFL Quarterback "Howie's passion and enthusiasm for football comes through on every page!" — John Elway, Quarterback, MVP, Super Bowl XXXIII "Football For Dummies has all the answers and more!" — Bill Cowher, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

Your playbook for positions, rules, and penalties

Decipher the Xs and Os — from the Zone Blitz to the Run-and-Shoot You won't have to fumble around for expert football advice using this friendly guide. Tackle the intricacies of the game with these tips on everything from plays and strategies to youth teams and fantasy football leagues. Whether you're a player, fan, parent, or coach, you'll find these pointers from one of football's greats invaluable.

Discover how to: Decipher football terms and lingo Understand basic run formations Interpret referee signals Understand defense and offense Gear up with pads, shoes, and more Get in game shape

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Product Details

• Paperback: 407 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1st edition (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764550543
• ISBN-13: 978-0764550546
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

215 of 218 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Satisfying, January 20, 2000

By 

G. Remelius "Gremel" (Keedysville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Football For Dummies (Paperback)

The only thing I knew about football was from watching it on TV. I picked up enough information to enjoy the game, but occassionally I got perplexed by commentator remarks and wished I knew what they were talking about. So I bought the "Idiot's Guide to Football", learned a lot more, but still felt unfulfilled. Then I broke down and bought another book, the "Dummies" version, and got exactly what I wanted. This book covers much more detail and doesn't talk down to you. The Idiot's version, while trying to be humorous, succeeds only in insulting your intelligence. If one were to absorb all that is contained in "Football for Dummies", you may not get any calls for head coaching jobs, but you'll certainly better understand the jargon and the meaning behind a lot of the decisions that are made during and before a game. It even covers team motivation, player training and diet, fantasy leagues, the draft, game scheduling, high school and college football information, and a fairly large football- speak section that covers more ground that most other glossaries I've seen. This book contains everything you need know about football to understand and enjoy the game.

162 of 168 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lifesaver!, October 29, 2002

By 

Sara (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Football For Dummies (Paperback)

I used to HATE football, mostly because I just didn't understand what was so exciting about watching a bunch of guys chase an oblong-shaped ball and pile on top of each other every time the whistle blew. But, after a life of sitting through high school football games as a marching band member, after attending a Division I college where football was a big deal, and after having a boyfriend who lived and breathed the sport, I finally decided to learn about football and understand what the all hype was about.

I'd like to say that, after reading "Football for Dummies," I finally get it.

Football is one of those sports you have to understand in order to appreciate. This book is a great starting point for those who know absolutely nothing about the sport. Howie Long (the cute guy from the Radio Shack commercials) explains every aspect of the game clearly and with great enthusiasm. His passion for the sport comes right off the page, and you can't help but feeling the same. Howie touches ALL the bases...from the rules to terms, positions, plays, penalties, referee hand signals, the history of football, uniforms, coaches, even fantasy football. He leaves no stone unturned.

The book opened my eyes to America's most popular sport. Now when I watch a game, I actually ENJOY it. It managed to erase my prejudices against the sport and instill a new love for it. And believe me, that was no small task. This book demystifies a complex, yet fascinating, sport.

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but pretty confusing, January 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Football For Dummies (Paperback)

I'm English, my girlfriend is American and mad about football. I know absolutely nothing about the football so I thought I better find out about it. The book started off very promisingly outlining the basics, what football is, what the field looks like and what the players wear. I found all this very helpful. Then it went onto rules and positions and I got a little lost. There was just too much information to take on and the layout of the book wasn't consistent in my mind, the information seemed to jump around a bit and you would read something then a little later you would read something else that made it make sense. Then there were the diagrams! Now I'm not stupid but I couldn't make out what they were trying to tell me, all these lines, circles, triangles and letters just confused me! The "Football Speak" section was very good though, just what you need if you want to understand what commentators are going on about. Overall a good book, I know more than I did, but it can get quite complicated