Rating: 
Summary: A very honest book about NFL football by a former player.
Review: "When I meet people for the first time, and they learn that I played for eight years in the NFL, their eyes glaze over with that far away look of a person dreaming about what he'll do if he wins the lottery." With these lines, Tim Green begins his autobiography. I must offer Mr. Green my heartiest congratulations because it takes a lot for this history major to buy an autobiography in hard cover. The last one I did buy was Lewis Puller Jr's moving Pulitzer Prize winning autobiography, "Fortunate Son" before it won a Pulitzer PRize. Bottom line: iit akes a lot to convince me to buy a book, written by a livng person about themselves. .. such as the book being interesting enough to have read about half of it in the bookstore. With his fourth book, Tim Green, a former defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons, has written an amazingly funny, refreshingly honest book about life in the "Big Time " of football. This is a book for fan (Both rab id & non), and non fan alike, irregardless of sex. It details the highs, lows, follies and foibles of football, both on and off the field, explaining such mysteries as what players really say on the field to one another after, ("Hi Ttim, how are you?... Good Brett, how about you?... Good."), racism ("Whenever a team travels anywhere, two large buses are needed to move them. It's not uncommon for one bus to be predominatly filled with blacks, and the other with whites.") what players eat (anything edible that's not moving fast enough to get away.) what it's like to play at the Meadowlands, ("football in a can"), right on down to what football players wear under their uniforms, ("The hard facts are that protective cups, as they are known, are as uncommon in the NFL as painted toenails.") Guess that's why there are no Dennis Rodman's in football. This is not howerver, a book for stuffed shirts, especially those in the NFL who are more used to the game of football being treated with the awe and admiration usually reserved for a WWII documentary of aircraft carrier warfare in the Pacific or the Battle of the Atlantic in WWII. IF your're such a stuffed shirt you certaily won't want this book since it's not a hagiography. IT is definitely not a Steve Sabol film with it's glowing commentaries and beautifully filmed sequences. Far from it, this book is real, funny, and sad in places, such as in it's description of former players having to start all over agian trying to get along on the average person's salaary after years of having had credit cards with $50,000 limits, huge bank accounts and being spoiled and fawned over. In short, it manages to transform football from the usual two dimensional cutout sport seen on weekend TV into a three dimensional sport which can live on after the TV has been turned off. Most fans probably never thought about the constant pain that it takes to play this sport, or what happens t players after the fame and money are gone. They probably don't consider what Deion Sanders is like after the cameras and kleig lights are turned off, the effect of stingers or how to shake hands with an NFL player. Bassically this is the sort of book that tells it like it is and makes fans think of thinkgs they normally woudln't they way a good book should. It's the sort of book the NFL needs and it should not cause either the NFl or FOXTV which has a long term contract to broaddcst nfl games to either blacklist or fire Time Green. While this book has been called ane xpose, I for one disagree with the characterization. The term expose is more appropirately applied to the Inspector General's report on the goings on at the now infamous "Tailhook" convention that the Navy had in Las Vegas. When this report was published it changed the way the Navy addressed a lot of things, especially it's relationshiops between the sexes and the participation of women in combat slots in air warfare. This book while no haiography will not measurably change anything. And as for Tim Green, while he may never be Ernest Hemingway, this is an exceedingly well written book. (Sorry Big Guy... to many compound sentences, forget those commas, find a war, try for Alexandre Dumas,.... even better yet... Tim Green!) This book remind us that football is a game, big time entertainment, an even bigger business and something few people rarely even thing aoubt... a really physically demanding job. And he even managed to stay away from mentioning the cheerleaders. Enough T&A!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My only problems. with the book... too short and he never addressed the issue of the "meaningless pension plan".
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING, REALISTIC, AND A REAL EYE OPENER!!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! The chapters are very short but extremely descriptive. It covers every aspect of the game after the x's and o's. I read this book in its entirity in less than three days, the most I have read in a very long time!! Excellent book!
Rating: 
Summary: Surprising and eye-opening, a fine overview
Review: I had hoped that Tim Green would've addressed some of the really dark topics of the game such as organized crime influence, throwing games, etc. But the subjects he hits on were very informative and give some good insight as to what it's like to play football in the NFL. He paints a good picture of all the ups and downs of playing and gives fair warnings to all young players fortunate to rise to the pro level. Alot of his opinions are colorful and relevant and the book is very readable with many short chapters each packed with unique information. This is a must read for anyone who loves the game.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Effort
Review: I used to enjoy Tim Green's commentaries on NPR and broadcasts on Fox (I believe he's a college coach, now) so I did enjoy this work. By breaking his ideas into non-chronological topics, it flows well - you can read this over a series of weeks and not lose anything. As some of the commentators have noted, one can read man of his insights elsewhere - but for the average fan wanting to know what it's like, this is probably the best place to start. Also as others have noted, he does seem a bit protective of the league. As he was employed by Fox at the time, I'd like to know if he'd do anything different now that he is not. He does take some stands that many readers will take exception with (myself included). Among them are: * NFLers aren't more apt to commit crime than the public at large * NFLers have as tough a time as you to get a (non-groupie) date * Soccer causes many more injuries than pro football * The whole NFL pre-season could be conducted in 1/3 the time. Yet he also points out how being eliminated in the playoffs can be a tremendous relief for many players, the differences in mindset between the offense and the defense and how players and their money are soon parted. In short - the perfect NFL insider book probably has yet to be written. This would make for a good start.
Rating:
Summary: interesting reading for NFL fans
Review: If you follow the NFL or pro sports in general, you'll enjoy reading this book. There are no major revelations here - it does confirm some of what is speculated in terms of bending the rules with equipment, athletes pushing their bodies to the limit and then some, and players taking a range of medications to block pain and stay on the field. The best parts of the book give a glimpse of life in the NFL. Written before the HBO series on training camp, Green's book describes how tough the summer ritual can be and what it is like from week to week. He writes in a straightforward style and the chapters are arranged topically. Green wrote this nonfiction book before his series of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: interesting reading for NFL fans
Review: If you follow the NFL or pro sports in general, you'll enjoy reading this book. There are no major revelations here - it does confirm some of what is speculated in terms of bending the rules with equipment, athletes pushing their bodies to the limit and then some, and players taking a range of medications to block pain and stay on the field. The best parts of the book give a glimpse of life in the NFL. Written before the HBO series on training camp, Green's book describes how tough the summer ritual can be and what it is like from week to week. He writes in a straightforward style and the chapters are arranged topically. Green wrote this nonfiction book before his series of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read, Engrossing Inside Look At The NFL
Review: In his book, The Dark Side of The Game, Tim Green disproves the stereotype that all NFL jocks are as dumb as a stump. Green's book is engrossing, I just could not put it down. Each chapter is short (2 to 3 pages), covering a different topic in the life of an NFL player, including topics such as training camp, sleeping during team meetings, playing with pain, drug usage, and an insight to players from the perspective of a player. Green, player turned broadcaster, has seen the game from both sides of the field, and understands (and explains) why players hate the media and vise versa. This is not your typical "My Story" as told by a former player to a writer. Rather, this is an excellent book giving a rare and fair look at the inside of the NFL. Any fan of the game of football should love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read, Engrossing Inside Look At The NFL
Review: In his book, The Dark Side of The Game, Tim Green disproves the stereotype that all NFL jocks are as dumb as a stump. Green's book is engrossing, I just could not put it down. Each chapter is short (2 to 3 pages), covering a different topic in the life of an NFL player, including topics such as training camp, sleeping during team meetings, playing with pain, drug usage, and an insight to players from the perspective of a player. Green, player turned broadcaster, has seen the game from both sides of the field, and understands (and explains) why players hate the media and vise versa. This is not your typical "My Story" as told by a former player to a writer. Rather, this is an excellent book giving a rare and fair look at the inside of the NFL. Any fan of the game of football should love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Tim Green
Review: On-line Book Review I read the book The Dark Side of the Game, by Tim Green. I think it was a very good book. It was about things that happen in football that most people don't know about. Like the dark things. I guess that's where they get the title from. The book is put into about 30 chapters that have to do with different subjects. Some are about drugs, some are about how hard it is and some are about the fame and popularity. Tim Green used to play in the National Football League. That is where he got all of the ideas for the book. He has written a number of books, some of the titles are, The Red Zone, Titians, Ruffians, and Double Reverse, just to name a few. I have read about five of his books and this one is probably my favorite. Well there isn't anything else to say except that this is probably the best book that I have read.
Rating:
Summary: The Dark Side of the Game
Review: The book "the Dark Side of the Game" was about the reality of the NFL and what athletes you see on TV have to go through every year, season, and day. It's a good book to read if you're a regular Fottball viewer, or just love the game. It goes into detail about trainning camp, physicals, and intervews. "Explains life in the NFL with out exageration" says Deion Sanders. It goes into great detail and brings you one step closer to the game, explaining strugglea with drugs, injuries, and women. There is even a chapter on how to shake a Football player's hand, saying that the way is not to show them your pwoer in grip, but to give a nice hand shake, for the hands of the NFL athletes are swollen and bruised all season. A new respect for the NFL athletes will be gained after reading this book, for the stories and conditions explained in the book are like none other. "If my boys were to not want to touch a football, i would be perfectly happy." says Green, knowing the game and the things that the players put up with, this quote is one to think about. Is the NFL really everybodys dream? Or just another dream that they'll be happy not pursuing?
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