Description:
In One Dream: The NFL, Woody Falgoux follows 10 unsigned rookies through New Orleans Saints training camp as they battle heavy odds to make the team. For those who were not drafted, practicing with the pros in the sweltering Louisiana heat provides an opportunity to show you can hit, run, or do whatever else needed to stand out. Everyone knows a number of players will be axed throughout the grueling process (only 8 percent of unsigned rookies get contracts), so every drill and scrimmage matters, and each precious down played in a preseason game offers a fresh chance to be noticed by the staff. Some get plenty of chances; others seem outcast from the beginning. Falgoux has a gift for storytelling, and the book unfolds with style and grace. In describing the frustration of one of the collegiate-stars-but-unsigned- nobodies at a scrimmage shortly before the first preseason game, he writes: He's a young man staring at Goliath, a man who's a little frustrated because he can't really whack people out here, even though he's just whacked [a running back]. He knows tomorrow he'll have the chance to whack 'em all. Finally, he'll really do, whether one calls it violence or vindication or victory, what he does best. The coaching staff must make its choices, whether random, planned, fair, or bizarre. One Dream offers a memorable look at a pro team's camp and the perspiration and aspirations of 10 young players trying to make the choices easier. Strongly recommended. --Michael Ferch
| 
