Customer Reviews

War Without Death: A Year of Extreme Competition in Pro Football's NFC East

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you were a serious fan of an team in the NFC East during the 2006 season, you probably know most of what is in there already or could have guessed it pretty easily. There are only a few behind the scenes glimpses, and generally they are focused on the owners in the NFC East and the rest of the owners at the labor negotiations, although not Jeff Lurie as much as the others. I didn't think "war without death" would include labor negotiations so I began skipping those dull chapters. The game descriptions are all very routine, exactly like an AP story in a distant city (example: "Garcia threw a 75 yard touchdown pass to Stallworth, Westbrook ran for a 49 year touchdown") - no discussion of how the play was structured, or executed, or strategy going into the game. There is some discussion of personnel decisions, mostly of the Redskins' free agent strategy, which is pretty funny since they were mostly busts, but the author does not go back and interview their decision makers to find out what they think now about their bad decisions. There is a little discussion of the Eagles 2006 draft strategy but really not much of that and hardly any discussion of any other team's. So "War Without Death" is also "war without very much strategy, tactics or details of combat". So if you have a desire to relive the season and don't have the old newspapers laying around, I guess this is a good book to buy. Otherwise, I'd look for something else.

As a life-long fan of NFL football, the title of this book was an instant draw as the NFC East has perhaps some of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports. Legendary owners such as Wellington Mara, Jeff Lurie, and Jerry Jones, and the enigmatic Mr. Snyder of the Washington Redskins, make for a collection of characters unmatched in any league.

This book read like little more than a collection of the writer's newspaper columns. He wrote as if he were afraid that if he broke a big story in the book, it would have compromised his access in the coming season.

Still, the reader gets some glimpses into some of the machinations of the NFL; TV revenues, labor negotiations, drafts, player contracts, training camps, and combines. But no juicy, human interest stories that make the players, owners, coaches, et. al. any more real than they are on game day.

Maske missed a golden opportunity to provide a valuable addition to the body of sports literature. The NFC East deserved better, and so do its fans.

Few divisions in all of sports are as storied as the National Football League's NFC East Division. The Dallas Cowboys. The New York (football) Giants. The Washington Redskins. The Philadelphia Eagles. Together they own a quarter of the NFL's Super Bowl championships (ten) and have been the team of many legendary football players. The competition in the division is highly regarded as the toughest not only in the NFL, but in all of sports. Mark Maske took the opportunity to chronicle a year in the life of the NFC East in the book, War Without Death.

War Without Death: A Year of Extreme Competition in Pro Football's NFC East is exactly what the title says it is. The storyline of the 2006 calendar year for the NFC East is divided into three sections. And instead of giving you just the game recaps from the NFL season, the reader is put right in the thick of things from the coach's office, to the owner's box, to the draft rooms, and the player's homes. You start off right in Oakland at the end of the 2005 NFL season, where the New York Giants had clinched the 2005 NFC East division in January. Stories of the legendary Mara family, owners of the Giants, are told and signify how special things were in the organization, as well as documenting the emotions of the Cowboys, Redskins, and Eagles.

Maske tells the story more from the angle of the owners of the clubs than anyone else. Dan Snyder comes off as a rich man who is looking for his next buck. Jerry Jones comes off as a man wanting his Cowboys to be "America's Team". John Mara comes off as a man who wants to respect the history of the Giants and NFL, as well as wanting to ensure the Giants mean something in the league. And Jeffery Lurie comes off as the owner who wants to be successful but wants to do it smartly, rather than being the over spender. Each personality is represented just as they appear to be in real life.

The three sections of the book are "The Planning", "The Build Up", and "The Payoff". Each section progresses through the year starting with the end of the 2005 season. In the first section the reader learns what each club is thinking coming off the end of the 2005 NFL season, coaching changes, free agents, and looking forward to the draft. "The Build Up" is all about the second half of the off season as the reader learns how the draft unfolds, the legacies of the owners and general managers that are defined by free agency and drafts, and the wonderful world of training camps.
"The Payoff" takes the reader through the up and down 2006 season, all of the division lead changes, the national exposure games, and the eventual playoff match-ups.

There are so many plot lines that are followed through out the entire book. One to pay attention too is the story of Adam Archuleta, a free agent who decided to sign with the Redskins for more money as opposed to going to Chicago, where he could play in a system that better suited him and was close to his old home. Archuleta tells Maske just how feels as he makes the decision and how his feelings turn bitter as the season unfolds. By the end you want to feel sorry for Archuleta, but at the same time you may feel like saying "Told ya so!"

Among the other story lines that are detailed more accurately and without bias is the Terrell Owens sage, which moved form Philadelphia to Dallas. Owens' image issues, coach Parcels battles, and overdose episode are discussed, as well as his road from Philadelphia to Dallas. Also detailed throughout the book is what happens above the club level.

A owners' meetings are discussed in an important year for the NFL. A new collective bargaining agreement was put in place, as was a new commissioner. Stadium deals are passed, coaches are scrutinized, and players are revived and dismantled.

Every topic thinkable is covered in War Without Death. I bought it a while ago and finally finished it over the weekend. If you are a football fan, especially of either of the NFC East teams, this is a must read when you get a chance. You will undoubtedly come away with a higher appreciation for the inner workings of the NFL and its teams, owners, general managers, coaches, and players.

Having lived in Australia most my life and being a huge NFL fan, I try and keep up with what's going on as much as I can through TV, the internet and books. I bought this book with much anticipation always being fascinated by hearing and reading about how much rivalry there is in this division. I imagined it to such soccer rivalries as Korea vs Japan, Rangers Celtic and Manchester United vs City (maybe no US reader knows what I'm talking about!!) After having read the book, I feel that it isn't well written at all, it feels like a lot of newspaper articles all put together then edited to make it read as smooth as possible. No real insight or emotion, nothing that you couldn't read from Wikipedia or Sports Illustrated. I cannot stress how poorly written this book is. If you're looking for a football book, The Blind Side is a must read. Even Rich Eisen's book was at least entertaining. Give this a miss.

One of the better books on pro football that I've read. While it's true, little of the information is new to those who followed the NFC during the 2006 season, it's still a great read for the memories and the little stuff. I like how it bounced back and forth between individual team issues at particular times i.e. the draft, free agency, particular games on their schedule to whole league issues -- the labour agreement and revenue sharing.

It allowed the reader to get into the season without getting bogged down in too many details that would made it too dense of a read. I like the discussion of the salary cap -- especially how the players' salaries are counted against the cap and how there is wiggle room within the cap to make moves. Interesting to see Parcells' take on TO and Vanderjagt - yes the author didn't like Dallas but with Dallas playing at the Meadowlands, I got *my* Parcells from the days of him here with LT, Simms, etc.

Interesting to see how frequently some of these issues come up and now a year + into Goodell's tenure as commissioner and with the recent death of Upshaw.

The author calls this a book, but as another reviewer said, it reads like a collection of newspaper articles. I had been looking forward to reading this book for a long time, but it was a major disappointment. There's no depth, no insight, and really no reason to read it.

Beginning with the title and throughout the accounts, the book lacks a focus regarding the NFC East. What was the author's desired outcome? What should readers gain about the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins?

Pro: In depth coverage of the owners, contract negotiations, and search for new commissioner.

Con: Little insight into the high pressured world of coaches and players in context of winning and losing games. Read Next Man Up by John Feinstein for a substantive view into the professional game of football.

If your interest is on off season trades and contracts you will love this book. Maske must have spent much time with the owners and top execs of the teams as he offers enormous details on their deals and candid thoughts. Almost 2/3rds of the book deals with off- and pre-season issues. One the NFL season begins, Maske continues providing insights into the inner workings of the executives and owners. Coaches are included, but mostly dealing with administrative issues, and less of strategy and coaching games. Game coverage are brief summaries that give little more than if someone watched the games themselves. I know, having seen many of them. John Feinstein, Maske's acknowledged mentor, is more satisfying in his sports books. Read Next Man Up as an example of what Maske could have achieved. War Without Death is a contradictory title that reflects a book that promises much but delivers below expectations.

Nothing Earth shattering here- Two thirds of the book deals with labor negotiations...about a third with the season and VERY LITTLE inside info- It's not a horrible read- just not all that great.

As an avid reader of the Washington Post, Mark Maske's "NFL Insider" is one of the most interesting, lively and to the point columns. While the book delves into behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts, it is Mark's personal profiles that are the most interesting to read. His writing conveys a particularly human touch to the NFL's bigger than life characters and that definitely comes shining through in this book. Interesting reading!