Customer Reviews

Football For Dummies

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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.

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

I cover high school sports and received my first football assignment the past year. While I've always been a football fan as far back as I can remember, I've never played the game and could never understand the Xs and Os like those who play or played the game. My first game I covered, I was lost. I needed a source to go to that I wouldn't be embarrassed to ask what must seem the most obvious of questions, especially when it comes to things I'd need to use for scorekeeping, recognizing penalties, and the location and purpose of the players. This book was the answer. I feel much better versed in football, even though I thought I already understood the game sufficiently. This book is a credit to the "Dummies" series. Kudos to the "Dummies" for including Football in their many subjects.

The first 220 of this book's 400 pages will save the bacon of any football newbie who wants to follow the game without embarassment: they describe the rules of the game, the various positions, various forms of offensive and defensive plays. Did you know the difference between a 4-3 and a 3-4 defense? If not, this book will tell you. Keep the book with you as you watch the game on TV and soon you too will know what penalty the ref is calling from his hand signals alone, and you will know why to expect a pass when the announcer says "they're lined up in I-formation." The circles and triangles and arrows of football diagrams may start to make sense.

But if you read that sentence and found yourself saying "geez lady any dummy knows those things already," then you are not the Dummy for whom the book is written. You know too much for the front half of this book. You might, however, be interested in Chapter 13 and on, which seem geared to a different audience altogether. They offer advice on how you as a player might train in the off-season, how the draft proceeds, etc. This seems more attuned to the interest of players and intense fans, who are probably not the right audience for this book.

Moroever, this part seems a little musty and out-of-date...for example, it suggests keeping fantasy football statistics manually, but does not seem aware of the possibility of following a fantasy team on-line.

In short, I'm happy to have this book, but the good stuff up front is padded with stuff not meant for newbie readers and stuff that was written in the last millenium and carelessly updated. Keep the first half only next to the remote control; you will be quite satisfied.

I've been a football fan for over 25 years and enjoy the game a great deal. So picking up a Dummies book seems a little embarrasing considering that I should know everything about the game. However I learned awhile ago that the only dummies are the ones who assume they know it all. I've read a few on different subjects and learned quite a bit to even impress so called experts on many subjects, so I though what the heck I might pick up a little more knowledge right? In this book Howie has something for everyone. As an avid fan I enjoyed covering the basics and learning a lot more about the finer points of the game. It is put in a simple and informative way and Howie shows little biased in his opinion even though he was a defensive star. Now I truly understand the game from a whole new perspective. Of course this book won't make you a head coach but I'm positive it will enhance your viewing experience. Now when I pick up an NFL preview magazine or watch the upcoming reports on TV I get even more pumped for the season. This book was definetly a great buy and it will sure come in handy when the girlfriend asks what a 'nickleback' is. It sure is easier to pass along the book than to have to explain. Even though thanks to Howie I finally undersatnd what it is myself. Great book!

This book is so badly written, I wonder if it was even proof-read before it went to print. The section on safeties starts out talking about impetus - a pretty technical topic - before it even describes what a safety is. And most of that section (as well as so many, many other sections) is either outright wrong, technically correct while missing the point, or written so confusingly as to be misleading or useless. Reading the NFL rulebook is actually clearer. And that is just one section. The section on passes has a diagram with the corner route listed, but the corner route is never discussed in the text. And there is no overview of the game; if it mentions that each play has 22 players, 11 on the defense and 11 on the offense, it is only in the section describing penalties. If this were a book intended for people who wanted to learn about football and didn't know anything about it, they would end up almost as confused as they started.

Much of the book is actually geared towards people who are learning more about NFL, college, and even high school football with an eye toward the future. Coaching and playing tips are given throughout the book. Since I don't play football, I can't judge the value of advice given to a quarterback by a former defensive end. And since I was looking for a guide to decode the jargon on tv while I watched the game, all of this is useless to me. Every section that I needed was there, but they were written so badly that even if I could trust that it was correct (and you can't), I wouldn't be able to figure out what it was saying.

I've been a fan of football for years, but there are a lot of ins and outs you simply cannot learn from television and radio.

Howie Long (assuming he did in fact write this book) sets it up as a book for women wanting to understand why their husbands, boyfriends, etc. are so tied up in the game of football. Whatever. Its still a thorough read on the game, from the basics to the coaching strategy. Long is very detailed about each player's responsibilities, and the varied setups used most often on offense and defense (he also explains what the offense and defense are, in case you don't know that much yet). He has chapters devoted exclusively to college football and the NFL, and talks a little about high school football as well. There's also a chapter on conditioning and fitness for the game, and a chapter on fantasy football for the seriously hardcore.

Truly, Howie Long leaves no stone unturned here. Once you've read this book, you will understand this complex sport through and through. The only part of football he left out was the cheerleaders, but hopefully the XFL will take care of that.

I coach football both youth and amateur. I am always look for new information on football. I found the "Dummies" book a little bit better than the "idiots" book. Why? The "Dummies" book is about football in general and the "Idiot" book leans towards NFL football. Someone new to football may want to read this book if they will be watching any other level of football other than the NFL.

I knew NOTHING about football and had never really cared to learn. When I got married my husband tried to explain things to me but what he didnt realize was I knew NOTHING and so the things he was telling me didnt make much sense. From reading this very simple and straight forward book I learned what a first down was and suddenly it all just clicked and I started to understand what was going on! After reading this book I can now sit and watch a game with my husband and now the things he tells me make sense and I am learning more depth now that I have a basic concept from reading this book!
I am totally satisfied and highly recommend this book to anyone wanting the basics.