It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness

It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness

Author: Seth Wickersham

Publisher: Liveright Publishing

Published: 2021-10-12

Total Pages: 457

ISBN-13: 163149824X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NOW WITH A NEW EPILOGUE ON THE 2021 SEASON AND TOM BRADY’S BRIEF RETIREMENT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR National Sports Media Association • Book of the Year Kirkus Reviews • Best Nonfiction of the Year “Seth Wickersham has managed to do the impossible: he has pulled off the definitive document of the Belichick/Brady dynasty.” —Bill Simmons, The Ringer The explosive, long-awaited account of the making of the greatest dynasty in football history—from the acclaimed ESPN reporter who has been there from the very beginning. Over two unbelievable decades, the New England Patriots were not only the NFL’s most dominant team, but also—and by far—the most secretive. How did they achieve and sustain greatness—and what were the costs? In It's Better to Be Feared, Seth Wickersham, one of the country’s finest long form and investigative sportswriters, tells the full, behind-the-scenes story of the Patriots, capturing the brilliance, ambition, and vanity that powered and ultimately unraveled them. Based on hundreds of interviews conducted since 2001, Wickersham’s chronicle is packed with revelations, taking us deep into Bill Belichick’s tactical ingenuity and Tom Brady’s unique mentality while also reporting on their divergent paths in 2020, including Brady’s run to the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raucous, unvarnished, and definitive, It’s Better to Be Feared is an instant classic of American sportswriting in the tradition of Michael Lewis, David Maraniss, and David Halberstam.


The New England Patriots Playbook

The New England Patriots Playbook

Author: Sean Glennon

Publisher: Triumph Books

Published: 2015-09-01

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 163319387X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Patriots have won the most Super Bowls this century with victories in four years, and this is a compendium of their best plays This book does not disappoint as the ultimate collector's item for Patriots fans. It chronicles the most famous moments in the New England Patriots' history, including Jim Nance's 1966 Sports Illustrated cover; the team taking advantage of turnovers in the 1986 playoffs to make it to Super Bowl XX; and the incredible run through the 2002 playoffs against the Raiders, the Steelers, and the Rams. It also examines Willie McGinest's sacking of Peyton Manning in 2004 and Rodney Harrison's six interceptions in the 2005 playoffs. The descriptions of each play are accompanied with game information and quotes from participants, players, and observers with firsthand accounts.


"Then Belichick Said to Brady. . ."

Author: Jim Donaldson

Publisher: Triumph Books

Published: 2009-09-01

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 161749013X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Written for every sports fan who follows the Patriots, this account goes behind the scenes to peek into the private world of the players, coaches, and decision makers—all while eavesdropping on their personal conversations. From the New England locker room to the sidelines and inside the huddle, the book includes comments about Raymond Berry, Gino Cappelletti, John Hannah, and Bill Parcels, among others, allowing readers to relive the highlights and the celebrations.


Fanaticus

Fanaticus

Author: Justine Gubar

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2015-06-04

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1442228938

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 2011, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Oakland Raiders in a preseason matchup that would become a seminal moment for fan violence. During the game, seventy fans were ejected from the stadium, one person was beaten unconscious in the men’s room, and two men were shot in the parking lot after the game. This is hardly an isolated incident. At any given game, fans get kicked out and arrested for acting out. In the spring of 2014 alone, soccer headlines screamed of a fan killed in Brazil, a supporter who punched a police horse in England, and three fans shot in Italy. But why do fans resort to such violence? What drives them to abandon societal norms and act out in unimaginable ways? Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan explores the roots of extreme fanaticism, from organized thuggery to digital hate speech. Justine Gubar divulges outrageous and often shocking incidents, including first-hand accounts from both the transgressors and victims. Gubar reaches back into ancient times, providing a history of fan violence throughout the ages before delving into events of misbehavior, violence, and hatred in the United States and around the world. She revisits several notorious riots and tragedies throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America in order to understand mayhem on a global scale. In addition, Gubar investigates the sports leagues and the security and beverage industries so as to explain the roots of fan misbehavior and to dispel common myths that are often invoked to understand the madness. Featuring original interviews with European football hooligans, rioting college students, stadium security experts, and many others, Fanaticus provides a rare window into what drives human behavior. Together, these voices create the fullest picture of modern fan violence ever written.


Drive for Five

Drive for Five

Author: Christopher Price

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2017-09-05

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 125016706X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Drive for Five presents the behind-the-scenes look at the legendary 2016 New England Patriots season from the rocky start to the Super Bowl finish by award-winning sportswriter Christopher Price. Foreword by Patriots safety Devin McCourty Afterword by Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater There are certain moments that simply transcend sports. They become larger than life and bigger than anyone ever thought possible, leaping off the field, the court, or the diamond and into the annals of not only history, but the very fabric of the American milieu. We all just witnessed such a moment on February 5th, 2017, when the New England Patriots battled back from the largest deficit in Super Bowl history to once again become world champions and secure Tom Brady’s legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time. Amid a season of controversy, turmoil, and the most tumultuous political climate of our lifetime, the Patriots won. In spite of becoming entangled in the national spotlight on several occasions, the Patriots won. And in spite of being faced with any number of circumstances that would sink almost every other franchise in the NFL, the Patriots won. The season began with the fallout around Deflategate and losing their MVP-caliber quarterback for the first four games of the season, but honestly, the Deflategate saga was just a small part of it all. This is the story of how the Patriots rallied together as a team to surpass their obstacles on and off the football field and how that led to a remarkable run to the title – and the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Complete with player interviews, behind-the-scenes stories never told before, and content provided by Patriots players themselves, Drive for Five provides a unique level of insight and access to the story behind the legendary New England Patriots’ 2016 season.


When the Lions Roared

When the Lions Roared

Author: Bill Contz

Publisher: Triumph Books

Published: 2017-09-01

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1633198545

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The 1982 Penn State national championship team was not only one of Joe Paterno’s best, it was one of the best teams college football has ever seen. In When the Lions Roared, Bill Contz, one of the squad's offensive tackles, details that special season and the experience of playing for a legendary coach. Featuring dozens of interviews with former players, this book provides anecdotes from the epic contests of that season while also proving statistically why this Nittany Lions team stands up against all of the talented teams that came before and after. Also featuring a foreword and reflections by Todd Blackledge, Penn State's 1982 starting quarterback, this is an essential read for Nittany Lions faithful.


The Men on Magic Carpets

The Men on Magic Carpets

Author: Ed Hawkins

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-04-04

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1472942620

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'An absolute gem. Funny, incredible and brilliantly reported, in Ed Hawkins the sports world has its own Jon Ronson.' - Will Storr The bizarre true story about the cosmic side of sports. Ever wondered if the mind tricks used by Luke Skywalker or his Star Wars brethren were real? Ed Hawkins did. A Jedi-wannabe and sports nut, he pondered: what if a coach or athlete had tried to harness such mysterious powers? They would be unstoppable. This set Ed off on an extraordinary adventure across the West Coast of America in search of a superhuman sports star. He discovers cosmic thinkers who, back in their 1960s heyday, believed that through the power of thought alone a superhuman could be created: one that could see into the future, slow down time and control minds. So successful were their tactics that they attracted the attention of the US government. Meanwhile in Russia their Soviet counterparts were employing equally bewildering brain power. Their goal? To win the Cold War. And so from the 1970s and into the Eighties the underground free-thinking movement became a fully-funded state secret in an 'inner space race' between the US and the Soviet Union. Both sides attempting to create the perfect human killing machine. It worked. Sort of. Instead of building a super soldier, the mystics from both sides came together to preach peace and love to their political paymasters. After the thaw, the search for the superhuman sports star began again and continues to this day. In The Men on Magic Carpets Ed goes deep into a secret network of supernatural sages and is told about a mysterious American football coach who made it to the top by teaching his players The Force. But can he be found? Will he admit to what he truly believes? And how does our intrepid author cope with his own brush with the Dark Side as the shadowy military once again attempt to use the mystical powers for ill?


Placekicking in the NFL

Placekicking in the NFL

Author: Rick Gonsalves

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2013-11-21

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 0786448792

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

" NFL placekicking has quite a history, from the dropkick, to the placekick, to kicking barefoot, to soccer style kicking. Each style of kicking is analyzed through statistics to show its effectiveness for field goals and extra points. Also discussed is the use of artificial turf and the development of domed stadiums and their effects on placekicking accuracy"--