Tales from the Patriots Sideline

by Michael Felger

Book Overview

Some of the most entertaining stories from one of the most remarkable franchises in sports are told in this revealing look at the Super Bowlchampion New England Patriots. While the team’s owner,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158261525X
• ISBN13: 9781582615257
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Must for Any Patriots Fan

This book tells the story of the New England (or Boston as they originally were) Patriots. It has lots of facts,interviews & pictures from throughout the history of this now successful franchise told by people in the media who have access to all things Patriots it makes a good read if you want to know more about the team & the people involved with it get this book.

A Great Read

A great book for people who are interested in the beginnings and early history of the Patriots. At times the team and the ownership seemed like a comedy of errors. I gained a better appreciation for what the team has had to overcome-power struggles between the players and the Sullivan family, and running on a shoestring budget at times. Good for the casual fan who is interested how the team came to be, and football fanatics who are looking for insight into that period. Eagerly awaiting for Mr. Felger's next book.

Fun Book

This is a great book for all Patriots fans. For us fans in Connecticut, the chapter "The Hartford Patriots" still stings, but at least the author acknowledges the possible move...as most Patriots history sources seem to erase it. Most interesting was the chapter "Eason vs. Grogan." I had no idea how much of a whimp Eason really was (even though he slid like a girl not to be touched after a run)...to the point of telling management if they activate him, he won't play. Even Steve Grogan, the quinticential NFL nice guy, is quoted saying Eason was not tough enough for the league. Every Patriot fan will enjoy this book. And you have to love the countless pictures of the best logo ever, Pat Patriot!

Nostalgic, a Lot of it Bad

Michael Felger provides a mini-history of the New England Patriots through a series of chapters, ordered mostly chronologically, that details many of the woes, and a few of the highlights, of this historically inept team. Being a Patriots fan, this was a very nostalgic book. Unfortunately, many of the memories are bad ones. While this is not an in-depth detailed team history, Felger hits all the key events. The book is organized into a series of very readable chapters that cover many of the laughable and the few laudable stories in the team's history. There is a very consistent theme that runs throughout the book. The New England Patriots have historically been a comically bad team, primarily because of four interrelated aspects - cash strapped or inept ownership, poor organizational structure, poor coaching, and poor quarterbacks. The recent success of the team, on the other hand, is a result of the opposite - excellent ownership, excellent organizational structure, excellent coaching, and a good quarterback. The first couple of chapters in the book cover the team's founding and early history as the Sullivans struggled to field competitive teams. It's a wonder the team didn't fold within the first few years of its existence. William Sullivan bought the Patriots franchise in 1959, joining the new American Football League, which competed, unevenly, with the well-established National Football League. From its inception the organization was very cash strapped, which at times lead to tragi-comic episodes of penny pinching. One story related in the book is how the team was told not to get under the covers at a hotel where they were resting before a game because it would cost extra money. Moreover, they played in poor stadiums and eventually their home stadium was one of the more miserly in the league. Sullivan isn't viewed as necessarily a terrible owner, he just never had the cash to compete evenly with other teams. In fact, under the Sullivans, the team eventually became one of the better teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, Sullivan's son Pat, through a terrible investment, ran the family's business into the ground, forcing the family to sell the Patriots. The team went through some very lousy owners until it was eventually bought by current owner Robert Kraft, who has resurrected the franchise into a model sports organization. The book moves quickly to what may have been the best Patriots team ever - even better than the Super Bowl winning teams - the 1976 New England Patriots. This team certainly featured some of the best individual players in team history, including Hall of Fame guard John Hannah, Sam "Bam" Cunningham at tailback, Leon Gray (T), Russ Francis (TE), Hall of Fame cornerback Michael Haynes, Steve Nelson (LB), Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton (DE), and of course QB Steve Grogan. This is the team that should have won the Super Bowl but for an egregiously bad roughing the passer penalty on Ray Hamilton in their first round p

Felger Got Bingo!

This is the book that the late Will McDonough never got around to writing. Felger is no McDonough, and he doesn't waste his time trying to fill McDonough's shoes, but he does do a fine job of relating the hilariously pathetic history of the Patriots franchise. The Pats are the best run organization in the NFL, the woeful tale of their past makes their current success all the more remarkable. A very funny read, with many inside tidbits that will be news to even the most die-hard of Patriots fans.