Inside the Helmet: Hard Knocks, Pulling Together, and Triumph as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior [Paperback]

Michael Strahan (Author), Jay Glazer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2008

Following a magical season that ended in Super Bowl glory, one of the NFL’s biggest stars delivers a no-holds-barred, hardhitting hitting account of life in the league.

Michael Strahan is one of the NFL’s most talented players, and he is also one of the game’s most vocal personalities. In Inside the Helmet, Strahan exposes all of the pressure, pain, and glory of life in the NFL, venturing into territory no previous football author has had the nerve to tread.

Bringing the reader right into the middle of the action, Strahan recounts exhilarating victories and reveals the hair-raising details of the ruthless grit required for every win. He gives an honest account of the brutality on the field and the myriad injuries from which he continues to suffer. He describes the relationships among teammates (including an account of his well publicized feuding with Tiki Barber), the practical jokes players use to preserve their sanity and the violent blow-ups that occur when the pressure gets too intense, and the challenges of taking orders from head coach Tom Coughlin and his squadron of assistant coaches.

Strahan also writes about dealing with the relentless media coverage, rabid and demanding fans, and the struggle to live up to a multimillion-dollar salary.

Finally, in two new chapters for the paperback edition, Strahan writes about the ups and downs of a truly sensational 2007 season that saw the Giants overcome the odds to win the Super Bowl. For the millions of rabid NFL fans, Inside the Helmet is an all-access pass into the huddle, the locker room, and the minds of the warriors on the field.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A candid look at life in the NFL.”
—Newsday

About the Author

In his fifteen-year career with the New York Giants, Michael Strahan has been named to the Pro Bowl seven times. In 2001, he was named Defensive Player of the Year, setting the NFL single-season record for sacks, with 22.5, and now leads all active players with 141.5. He is a frequent guest on television sports programs and late-night talk shows. Jay Glazer appears on Fox NFL Sunday, serves as a sideline reporter for NFL Games.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; Reprint edition (June 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592403972
• ISBN-13: 978-1592403974
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,153,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I would never want to be a football player, November 12, 2007

By 

silent_archimedes - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Helmet: My Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior (Hardcover)

This book is for those football fans, especially Giants fans, that want to read what a star football player thinks and what he goes through. It's not a book that you should expect to break any new ground in inside sports writing (like Jim Bouton's Ball Four), or have tremendous insights that knock you off the couch. It shouldn't be. I wanted to read this book because I wanted to know what goes through a football player's mind. All we see and read about in sports is through the eyes of the media. Even if the thoughts Strahan talks about are obvious or sometimes embellished, its nice to know that that is what Strahan really thinks and goes through. I like how each chapter clearly discusses an aspect of his football life, ... like all the things they worry about, all the boring things they go through, all the short and long term health effects, the lack of privacy, the lack of independence, the rookie life, the emotional ups and downs of wins and losses. It was also interesting to read about his thoughs on other players and the player relationships. Not every chapter is great, but I think it's to show that football life is not so glamorous. The chapter on what players go through with the football playbook might be boring, but it's precisely the point.

What I took from this book was that I would never want to be a football player. To go through everything he goes through for the money, the three hours on Sunday and the chance for a ring? No thanks. As I am reading this book while the Giants are losing to Dallas, I can't help but think that Strahan knows he is on the doorsteps of retirement, with mixed feelings.

Read the book for what it's for, a fun read about life in football from a football player's mind. If you go in like that, you'll enjoy the book!

(Background: I'm a huge Giants fan, a Strahan fan, and I usually don't read sports books. But after reading this book, I will definitely be reading more sports books)

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book that explains the game and lifestyle in great detail., February 22, 2011

By 

yungbull2010 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inside the Helmet: My Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior (Hardcover)

He gets into great detail when explaining the ups and downs of the game, personal life, and the lifestyle of an NFL athlete.

4.0 out of 5 stars Superman Strahan., September 15, 2008

By 

Bruce D. Mazur "Transplanted from New York." (Bay Point Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inside the Helmet: Hard Knocks, Pulling Together, and Triumph as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior (Paperback)

Wow this guy was an all pro for the SuperBowl champ Giants for years.Great story if you're a New York Giants fan.Love football.?? Love New York, you'll love this book.