One Dream: The NFL [Hardcover]

Woody Falgoux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

This is the dream that is born in the hearts and minds of every boy that throws his first pass or scores his first touchdown. The New Orleans Saints have asked the dreamers to show them how deeply they love this game by competing against millionaire leviathans with every ounce of will they can muster. If they leave everything they have on the field, the dream might continue. If not, the dream will be gone.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In One Dream: The NFL, Woody Falgoux follows 10 unsigned rookies through New Orleans Saints training camp as they battle heavy odds to make the team. For those who were not drafted, practicing with the pros in the sweltering Louisiana heat provides an opportunity to show you can hit, run, or do whatever else needed to stand out. Everyone knows a number of players will be axed throughout the grueling process (only 8 percent of unsigned rookies get contracts), so every drill and scrimmage matters, and each precious down played in a preseason game offers a fresh chance to be noticed by the staff. Some get plenty of chances; others seem outcast from the beginning.

Falgoux has a gift for storytelling, and the book unfolds with style and grace. In describing the frustration of one of the collegiate-stars-but-unsigned- nobodies at a scrimmage shortly before the first preseason game, he writes:

He's a young man staring at Goliath, a man who's a little frustrated because he can't really whack people out here, even though he's just whacked [a running back]. He knows tomorrow he'll have the chance to whack 'em all. Finally, he'll really do, whether one calls it violence or vindication or victory, what he does best.

The coaching staff must make its choices, whether random, planned, fair, or bizarre. One Dream offers a memorable look at a pro team's camp and the perspiration and aspirations of 10 young players trying to make the choices easier. Strongly recommended. --Michael Ferch

Review

"...a good book about a group of guys that seasoned reporters frequently ignore." -- Mary Foster - The Associated Press - August 10, 2001

"Despite the backdrop, it's not really a sports story, or a Saints story. It's a story of the human spirit." -- Marty Mule' The Times Picayune, Sept. 2, 2001

"Falgoux's use of phrases is... vivid, and he lets the reader see the compelling, human side of these gladiators." -- George Morris, Baton Rouge's The Advocate, August 19, 2001

"If you ever wanted to understand the very essence of professional football...this is a book you should read." -- Les Carpenter, Seattle Times, December 2, 2001

"It's a brutal process that Woody Falgoux humanizes beyond the meat-market mentality we read each day in the newspapers." -- Tom Hoffarth, Los Angeles Daily News

"Masterful storytelling... ... before you know it, the reader becomes the '11th man' in training camp." -- Michael Kim, ESPN

"One Dream: The NFL is a quick, easy and wonderful read." -- Dave Lagarde, The New Orleans Times-Picayune

"This is not just a football book. It reminds me of a mystery without all the cloak and dagger." -- Ken Friedlander, KLRZ-FM, August 4, 2001

"Woody Falgoux chose a different path to tell a different kind of story." -- Steve Wiseman, The SunHerald - July 27, 2001

"Woody Falgoux does an extremely good job of humanizing what at times is a very dehumanzing sport." -- Mike Detillier, NFL Analyst and author of M&D Draft Report

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Stockard James; First Edition edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585360325
• ISBN-13: 978-1585360321
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beatification on the Bayou, September 5, 2001

By 

Roger K. Ward (Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Dream: The NFL (Hardcover)

In Roman Catholicism, the first step toward sainthood is Papal beatification. In football, the first step in being proclaimed a saint, a New Orleans Saint, is surviving the cutthroat, dog-eat-dog abyss that is NFL training camp. After reading Woody Falgoux's One Dream The NFL, one wonders which is the easier path to Canonization- the martyrdom and miracles demanded of the Catholic Church or the blood, sweat, determination, and physical prowess required of a training camp located smack-dab in the middle of the mosquito-ridden Dantesque inferno that is southern Louisiana. Upon conclusion of the book, one is unsure.
In Dream, Falgoux chronicles the lives of 10 young men of varied backgrounds, each possessing a love for their sport and dreams of NFL riches and Hall of Fame glory, as they venture forth into the excruciatingly demanding world of New Orleans Saints training camp in Thibodaux, Louisiana. As unsigned rookies, the ten "heros" know that their chances of surviving training camp and making the final roster are slim to none. Yet, their all-consuming desire to be among the elite few who have played in the NFL outweighs the physical and emotional trauma required to become professional football players. It is this highly personal passion for the game and unrelenting drive to succeed that Dream captures so remarkably. Written in a laid-back, journalist style, Dream intertwines the stories of these ten men into a single, powerful, and gripping tale that allows the reader to live his own NFL dream vicariously through these ten men. Indeed, the reader is swept into the story as if he too were on the practice field, seeking to prove himself to coaches who have the power to alter his destiny, more often than not on a whim. In sum, this is a masterfully written book that begs a sequel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What every NFL fan wants to know, January 2, 2002

By 

Clay E. Simpson (Searcy, Arkansas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Dream: The NFL (Hardcover)

This book is precisely what every NFL fan wants to know about what it takes to make a professional football team's roster. Woody does an excellent job at grabing your attention within the very first pages and holding it to the very end. If you are a fan of the NFL, this is a must read and Woody will have you turning each page anxiously awaiting the fates of the players struggling to make the Saints team. This book is masterfully written and you will find yourself rooting for the underdogs. Woody is a gifted story teller and makes you feel like you are sitting along side him at the Saints training camp. At times, I was rooting for Woody himself as he describes the difficulties the media encounters from the Saints organization during training camp. I highly recommend this book and only hope Woody has his second book in the works.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hard Road to the NFL, December 16, 2001

By 

R. Spell "raspell" (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Dream: The NFL (Hardcover)

Woody had a great premise for a book, let's follow undrafted rookie free agents through training camp showing the emotional highs and lows of who makes the team. Since his favorite team is the New Orleans Saints, the story starts in a small humidity oppressed Louisiana town that is the sight of training camp. Woody does a great job getting to know the players and attempting to know management and how decisions are made. It's clear very early that the NFL and the Saints don't know what to make of this book and seem to have some concern that it will be a hatchet job.

But Woody writes like a true Saints fan who wants to know the players and what it's like to try to make a team. The deck is really stacked against these guys as they must beat out returning players and drafted rookies. Woody gives great examples of the many undrafted free agents who went on to become quality NFL players. But this year's group doesn't appear to have an immediate star and some of the players start dropping immediately. Some of the rookies have great practices followed by weak practices. Some have minor injuries that limit their already limited playing time. And some are trying to fill positions where there are no real spots.

It makes for an interesting read from the early cuts to the few that make it right to the final cut. Woody does a good job of showing the fears, insecurities and sacrifices these players make trying to fulfill their dream. Read this book if you are a fan of football.