The Paolantonio Report

Description

Provides analysis of football teams, players, coaches, and moments that the author believes are overrated or underrated throughout the history of the National Football League. When the New England Patriots pulled the shocking draft-day trade for Randy Moss, they got one of the most overrated wide receivers in NFL history. Yes, that's right - overrated. The recond-setting 1985 Chicago Bears may be one of the most celebrated collections of superstars and oddballs in all of American sports, but it is also the most overrated Super Bowl team of all time. The worst Super Bowl ever? That would be Super Bowl XLI, played in rain-soaked Miami in February 2007. Welcome to The Paolantonio Report. Enter at your own risk. Written by award-winning writer and broadcaster Sal Paolantonio - a national correspondent at ESPN who covers pro football for SportsCenter and Sunday and Monday NFL Countdown - The Paolantonio Report is guaranteed to challenge some of your long-held beliefs about America's most popular game.^ In collaboration with award-winning writer Reuben Frank, who contributes regularly to SI.com, Paolantonio pulls back the curtain to reveal a news perspective on some of the most overhyped aspects of the greatest sports empire on the planet. In this book, nothing is sacred. Read the tale of two quarterbacks - one a Hall of Famer who is the eternal poster child for the modern game, the other who will be enshrined in Canton soon after retirement. Both have been outrageously deified and vastly overrated. You want blasphemy? It's here. Len Dawson is compared to Joe Montana. Michael Vick to Brett Favre. Maybe Marv Levy shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. Certainly not Dan Fouts. And why not Bob Hayes? This is Monday morning Quarterbacking: Extreme Edition. But much more. You want unique insight? It's here. It was an often overlooked interception return for a touchdown by a defensive end that kick-started a pro football renaissance in New York in the 1980s.^ Why did the Minnesota Vikings lose all those Super Bowls with all that talent? Tom Brady didn't start the championship dynasty in New England - a field goal did. You want a fresh look at certain indelible, cinematic moments in NFL history? That's here, too. Dwight Clark's "Catch": it's overrated and misnamed. And don't blame Scott Norwood for losing Super Bowl XXV; it wasn't his fault. One of the most underrated and overlooked moments in NFL history? The day Vince Lombardi was allowed to leave the team he always wanted to coach in the town he truly loved. The Paolantonio Report analyzes the most underrated and overrated quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, defensive backs, defensive linemen, offensive linemen, linebackers, and specialists. There are also chapters about the most underrated and overrated coaches, teams, offensive and defensive units, Hall of Famers, and Super Bowls. The Paolantonio Report considers decades of stats, trends, and historical data.^ And fantasy football freaks, don't put this book back on the shelf. There is plenty of statistical analysis here to keep you engaged and, hopefully, outraged. The Paolantonio Report is certain to start many arguments and settle many more. Let the debate begin! -- from dust jacket.

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