Football for Dummies, Second Edition [Paperback]

Howie Long (Author), John Czarnecki (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback) | Publication Date: June 2, 2003

Are you one of the millions of people across America are intrigued by professional football – and all types and levels of football? Perhaps you have a friends or a number of friends who have made the football season a ritual, from the last weekend in August until Super Bowl Sunday at the end of January. To be a part of that experience, you need to have a working knowledge of the game.

Football For Dummies, 2nd Edition, can provide you with that knowledge and help you relate to the passionate football fans in your life. On the surface, football may seem to be a very complicated game. The game becomes far less intimidating once you begin to understand the fundamentals of the game. After you break through that initial fear of being overwhelmed by football and what you don't understand, everything else about the game will fall into place, like dominoes. Get ready to find answers to all your football questions, such as:

• Why do they call it the "gridiron" anyway?
• Is the ball really made of pigskin, or is that an inside joke?
• Why do you get six points for a touchdown but only three points for a field goal?
• Does it really matter how all those guys line up on the field?
• Does it really mean something when the officials do those funny signals with their arms, or are they just bored out there?

If you don't know a touchdown from a touchback or an interference penalty from an interception, then this book is for you. You'll find easy-to-understand explanations of these topics and more:

• The football season
• Rules and regulations
• Keys to successful offensive line play
• Defense tactics and strategies
• Coaches, general managers, and other important folks
• Youth leagues and high school football
• Why people love college football
• Fantasy leagues
• Conditioning, training, and diet

Authors Howie Long – Emmy-award-winning football commentator and eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end – and John Czarnecki – editorial consultant for CBS NFL Today and Fox NFL Sunday – have teamed up to bring you the ultimate fan's guide to football. This second edition of Football For Dummies has been updated to cover new teams, stadiums, and players.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

"Howie’s book has got it all!"
—Jimmy Johnson, former head coach, Miami Dolphins

Updated to cover new teams, stadiums, and players

The ultimate fan’s guide to football – whether you’re a player or spectator

Want to know more about football? Tackle the game with Howie Long as he delivers the complete scoop on rules, regulations, plays, positions, penalties, and more! Stay on the ball with expert advice on training, conditioning, and equipment, and meet today’s hottest players and coaches. You’ll decipher the Xs and Os with diagrams that make it a snap!

Praise for Football For Dummies

"Howie’s passion and enthusiasm for football come through on every page."
–John Elway, former quarterback, Denver Broncos

"[Howie’s] knowledge and insight into the game of football ring through loud and clear!"
–Boomer Esiason, former All-Star quarterback and NFL Commentator

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (June 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764539361
• ISBN-13: 978-0764539367
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,698 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