The two books that I read, On Rocky Top by Clay Travis, and Blood Sweat and Chalk by Tim Layden had similar common themes. Both focus on the history of football (and the transformation of teams and formations). One is focused on the college atmosphere, and the other is directed more towards the development of the NFL. The books both utilize some of the same examples, one being quarterback Tim Tebow and his ability to run the spread offense. In On Rocky Top, Clay Travis states, “His team is led by quarterback Tim Tebow, God’s answer to the question, “What is 21st-century physical perfection on the football field?” Tim Layden in Blood Sweat and Chalk writes about what Urban Meyer did with the spread offense in Florida, and how he revolutionized the NCAA.
On Rocky Top explains how as a Tennessee fan, you either hate Florida or Alabama. It’s just a matter of when you were born, whether you witnessed your team being killed by the Gators, or Crimson Tide. And if you were a dedicated fan in the mid to late 90’s you probably witnessed Tennessee losing to Gators, but not just losing to another team, losing to themselves. Even with legendary quarterback Peyton Manning in 1994 missing a wide open receiver for a touchdown. This highlights one common thing in the mind of a fan. Patience. Which is common in any professional sport, however in football it’s a tad more intertwined in the common everyday game. When you create a new formation it’s not immediately going to take effect. Patience is the key; because once it does work everyone thinks you are a genius.As years go by most sports are affected by the change in technology. The days of you getting in trouble and people finding out a week later in the Sunday paper are long gone. Now when something happens all of a sudden people find out in less than an hour on any of the ESPN family of networks. In a way this could mess with your head a little bit, because as an athlete now you are expected to not make any mistakes because you have a commitment that is larger than life itself it seems. Along with media changing things, there are now also a lot of sports websites that keep you updated with things as small as a player getting a bruise on their left calf. As Clay Travis says in his writings in On Rocky Top “With their second by second updates, excessive reactions, and meltdowns, the Volquest message boards offer a searing look into the heart of the fan base”. In football change also comes with change in things like offenses and defenses, such as the Tampa 2, which was created by the Buccaneer’s in the early 2000’s and lead the 2006 Indianapolis Colts to a Lombardi trophy. Things that change in football are often because on one play, something different happened so everyone starts doing it. Then next thing you know “Change”.
To go along with change, you first need something to change. Such as a formation, offense or defense. In Blood Sweat and Chalk the story goes into detail about how Bill Walsh changed the way you play offense, with his West Coast style of an offense. This formation aloud the quarterback to get a quick drop back scan for his first option that would be running a post or corner route, such as a TE or a TE/WR hybrid. After this the quarterback looks to his 4-15 yard route that should be running underneath (Jerry Rice) and this aloud for the offense to minimize “wasted “downs. Mainly because if you didn’t have an option down the field or near the 1st down marker, the quarterback more than likely will have the check down route open. But the key to this offense is YAC, yards after catch. The offense must have players that can turn a 5 yard pass into a 20 yard gain. This is why the 49ers ran this offense with such perfection.
These two books were both great, both would be an overall of an A- or higher. However On Rocky Top gave the reader a better view from a fans perspective and allows you to think “hey, I’m pretty sure I have said that before.” Which makes the book a lot more interesting, plus On Rocky Top had more of a format to the writing so it created a better overall flow. Aside from that these books overlapped very nicely and allow the reader to realize what the most innovative ideas have been over time. Such as Tim Tebow and the spread offense or Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense or as some people call it the Cincinnati offense. Also the way you can really see how media affects a teamup close really makes you see how much players and coaches really hate Sportscenter at times. Not all change in football is good but when you apply it over time, and keep patience in the back of your mind, the advantage usually leans you way.
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