A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL

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A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 861 ratings · 146 reviews

Drawing on rare access to an NFL team�s players, coaches and facilities, the author of The New York Times bestseller Word Freak trains to become a professional-caliber placekicker. As he sharpens his skills, he gains surprising insight into the daunting challenges�physical, psychological, and intellectual�that pro athletes must master

In Word Freak, Stefan Fatsis infiltrate...more Drawing on rare access to an NFL team�s players, coaches and facilities, the author of The New York Times bestseller Word Freak trains to become a professional-caliber placekicker. As he sharpens his skills, he gains surprising insight into the daunting challenges�physical, psychological, and intellectual�that pro athletes must master

In Word Freak, Stefan Fatsis infiltrated the insular world of competitive Scrabble® players, ultimately achieving �expert� status (comparable to a grandmaster ranking in chess). Now he infiltrates a strikingly different subculture�pro football. After more than a year spent working out with a strength coach and polishing his craft with a gurulike kicking coach, Fatsis molded his fortyish body into one that could stand up�barely�to the rigors of NFL training. And over three months in 2006, he became a Denver Bronco. He trained with the team and lived with the players. He was given a locker and uniforms emblazoned with #9. He was expected to perform all the drills and regimens required of other kickers. He was unlike his teammates in some ways�most notably, his livelihood was not on the line as theirs was. But he became remarkably like them in many ways: He risked crippling injury just as they did, he endured the hazing that befalls all rookies, he gorged on 4,000 daily calories, he slogged through two-a-day practices in blistering heat. Not since George Plimpton�s stint as a Detroit Lion more than forty years ago has a writer tunneled so deeply into the NFL.

At first, the players tolerated Fatsis, or treated him like a mascot, but over time they began to think of him as one of them. And he began to think like one of them. Like the other Broncos�like all elite athletes�he learned to perfect a motion through thousands of repetitions, to play through pain, to silence the crowd�s roar, to banish self-doubt.

While Fatsis honed his mind and drove his body past exhaustion, he communed with every classic athletic type�the affable alpha male, the overpaid brat, the youthful phenom, the savvy veteran�and a welter of bracingly atypical players as well: a fullback who invokes Aristotle, a quarterback who embraces yoga, a tight end who takes creative writing classes in the off-season. Fatsis also witnessed the hidden machinery of a top-flight football franchise, from the God-is-in-the-details strategizing of legendary coach Mike Shanahan to the icy calculation with which the front office makes or breaks careers.

With wry candor and hard-won empathy, A Few Seconds of Panic unveils the mind of the modern pro athlete and the workings of a storied sports franchise as no book ever has before.(less)

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published July 3rd 2008 by Penguin Press HC, The

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Mar 02, 2009 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book describes the author's adventures and time spent with the Denver Broncos. He joins them during spring training, as a kicker -- with no real sports experience.

The book gives a true insider view into the workings of a modern American Football team. The author spoke to players (of different positions), coaches, and management. It's extremely interesting to see how a play, a game, and the sport as a whole is viewed from different perspectives. The most interesting viewpoint is from the non...more

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Mar 02, 2009 Ryann Murphy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Since I rarely read nonfiction books, when I do I expect them to be real winners just like this true story of a 43-year-old sportswriter who decides to experience the life of an NFL football player by going through Broncos training camp as a field goal kicker. Not only was it the story of one man's attempt to be a professional athlete, it was also an inside look at the players and management of professional football.

Just like when I read a book that was a year in the life of the Professional Bul...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Ryan Mishap rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports

Another foray in my attempts to understand why spectator sports are such a large part of modern life here in the U.S. Fatsis didn't want to just be a spectator, though, but to follow in the footsteps of George plimpton and actually play for an NFL team, at least through training camp. The Denver Broncos gave him his wish.
I got this book mainly because of what lefty sportswriter David Zirin said about it: about how the players are desperate for healthy human interactions in the face of a dehuma...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Seth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I guess the word to describe this type of book is "participatory journalism" - not my term, but I think it fits. Stefan Fatsis decides he wants to go behind the scenes in the NFL and document his experience. The first thing he has to do is find a team willing to indulge him, and he's surprised when Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos agree to let him come to camp as a kicker. The book describes the training the author put himself through on his own time to make himself a credible placekicker, a...more I guess the word to describe this type of book is "participatory journalism" - not my term, but I think it fits. Stefan Fatsis decides he wants to go behind the scenes in the NFL and document his experience. The first thing he has to do is find a team willing to indulge him, and he's surprised when Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos agree to let him come to camp as a kicker. The book describes the training the author put himself through on his own time to make himself a credible placekicker, and then his time in training camp with the Broncos during the summer of 2006.

He talks about his own personal triumphs and embarrassments as he attempts to master the skill. At one point, Shanahan offered to modify the team's practice schedule if Fatsis could connect on a field goal - with the entire team watching. He aptly describes the pressure of being on the spot and of course concludes that being an NFL kicker is not as easy as it looks on TV.

He also describes his interactions with his Bronco teammates, including the incumbent Broncos kicker, Jason Elam, and many other lesser-known figures who are just fighting for a roster spot.

I found the book to be a pretty good eye-opener as far as the nature of the NFL players. Most players aren't superstars, and many view it as what it is - a really well-paying job. Not all of them necessarily love everything about the game, and many of them resent the coaches and management. But because they are blessed with the skills to play at the professional level, they work hard to succeed.

I didn't necessarily appreciate the author's need to spell out every f-word uttered by a player and then add a few of his own in the commentary. Okay, we get it, I don't think anyone was under the impression that NFL players use clean language.

As a fan of the Denver Broncos, I enjoyed the peek behind the curtain of the 2006 season, the year Jake Plummer was replaced as starting quarterback by a young rookie named Jay Cutler. But I think most NFL fans would find it an interesting read.(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this chronicle of the writer's training camp with the Denver Broncos as a place kicker. It's explicitly a follow-up to George Plimpton's Paper Lion experiment of an earlier generation.

The Broncos coach at the time was current Redskins' coach Mike Shanahan, but with that exception I had no particular interest in any of the individual players or the team. It's recent enough that I've heard of lots of them and knew they were a good but not terrific team. Since it's preseason, though,...more

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Nov 16, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd had this in my reading list for a while, and honestly dove into it only because it seemed to be of modest length, and it's currently football season. I remember hearing the book review on NPR a long time ago when the book was released and thinking, "Oh, he's just cribbing from Plimpton!" I was pleasantly surprised and engaged at Fatsis' narrative of his quixotic attempt to mold himself into something approaching an NFL kicker. Fatsis sucks you in with his candid, eye-opening picture of an NF...more I'd had this in my reading list for a while, and honestly dove into it only because it seemed to be of modest length, and it's currently football season. I remember hearing the book review on NPR a long time ago when the book was released and thinking, "Oh, he's just cribbing from Plimpton!" I was pleasantly surprised and engaged at Fatsis' narrative of his quixotic attempt to mold himself into something approaching an NFL kicker. Fatsis sucks you in with his candid, eye-opening picture of an NFL locker room and its players. After a short time, by suffering alongside the players with two-a-days, rigid dawn to dusk schedules, and the constant physical demands, Fatsis managed to blend in with all the other eager rookies and hired hands trying to win a spot on the roster in camp. Moreover, he earned the respect of many veterans on the team. As he says in an epiphinous moment, he became a Bronco - not just some journalist hanging out in the locker room. Through his own determination (and the cooperation of the Broncos coaching staff), Fatsis not only gives you a terrific look at the inner workings of a modern NFL franchise, but what it is like to be (or aspire to be) a real NFL player. Plenty of books can detail the lives of NFL superstars, but I found it far more fascinating to see how life played out for the largely anonymous rookies and journeymen who found their way into Broncos training camp. All those who are prone to over-glamorizing the sport would do well to read this book and find out just how the vast majority of NFL players are treated - like disposable, de-humanized cogs to be plugged in and out (and in and out and in and out again) as the situation dictates. At times it seemed like I was peering at the inner workings of management in a Chinese garment factory instead of a modern American multi-million dollar entertainment business.

But not all the book is swept up such documentation and analysis - quite a lot of it (and some of the most engaging bits) deal with Fatsis' personal struggle to train, to learn his small bit of the offense, to force his middle-aged body to put up with the rigors of an NFL training camp. He successfully draws you in so well that you cheer at his few triumphs and wince at the all too often failings as camp wears on into the pre-season. The mental toughness that he develops is interesting. His quest reveals well how many players are physically gifted enough to play in the NFL, but few have the smarts and mental toughness to really make it long-term. And, as a player informs him after he spectacularly fails a kick under pressure with the whole team watching, "Now you really know what it is like to play in the NFL." We're all too often judged or remembered more for our failures instead of our successes. Or, as Jason Elam puts it, "you're only as good as your last kick." Fatsis' sometimes funny, sometimes ironic, but always honest exploration of his own desires to play, alongside that of his teammates are some of the best parts of the book. I had expected to be a little jaded with the sports psychology bits, but they were quite thought provoking.

All in all, this is a great read. Recommended for sports fans and non sports fans alike.(less)

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Apr 19, 2011 Simon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Enjoyed this. Likeable sports journo Stefan Fatsis spent a summer as a kicker at the Denver Broncos training camp and got suprisingly close to the players and management, and this is his account. A couple of things in particular struck me.

Firstly, just how short and insecure the typical NFL playing career is - about 3.5 seasons on average- with most players never making the truly big money and many facing severe orthopaedic problems and therefore big medical bills in later life as a result of t...more

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Jun 05, 2010 Dan Solomon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm being stingy with the stars because I don't want y'all to think that I give every book about football that I read a perfect score. That said, I loved this book a whole lot. Fatsis is a really insightful and smart writer who constantly questions himself, but never navel-gazes, and the memoir/journalism is a perfect format for him. He writes about himself, sure, and the private coaching he received to become a training camp-worthy kicker, but in doing so, he also tells us the story of what it...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is something like a remake of a movie - Fatsis decided that George Plimpton's idea to participate in a professional football training camp and write up the experience was such a good idea that he would update it. Like Plimpton, he had a fair amount of trouble finding a team that would agree, but eventually he spent all of training camp and most of the pre-season with the Denver Broncos, as a (pretend) aspiring place kicker.

For some reason I find place kickers interesting, so this helped wit...more

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Jan 16, 2010 Tung rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Fatsis is a professional writer and journalist whose first book Word Freak (a documentary about the subculture of competitive Scrabble, professional Scrabble players, and Fatsis’ attempt at succeeding at competitive Scrabble) I enjoyed. A Few Seconds of Panic follows the Word Freak mold: put yourself in the shoes of the people you are covering in order to better understand their mindset and their world. Fatsis joins the Denver Broncos in 2006 as a kicker and spends preseason camp and training ca...more Fatsis is a professional writer and journalist whose first book Word Freak (a documentary about the subculture of competitive Scrabble, professional Scrabble players, and Fatsis’ attempt at succeeding at competitive Scrabble) I enjoyed. A Few Seconds of Panic follows the Word Freak mold: put yourself in the shoes of the people you are covering in order to better understand their mindset and their world. Fatsis joins the Denver Broncos in 2006 as a kicker and spends preseason camp and training camp learning the ins and outs of kicking field goals, and in the process gives us a first-hand account of what life is like as a marginal NFL-player. Fatsis succeeds in his endeavor, as I found the book very engaging and informative. From the idea of the book (inspired by Plimpton’s Paper Lion) to initial efforts to learn the basics (hiring a local professional kicking instructor) to training camp to leaving the team right before the start of the real season, Fatsis was able to draw me into his personal journey. He fills the book with character profiles of both the famous (Jake Plummer) to the anonymous (practice squad players and fourth-string kickers). He does a sound job of conveying the harsh reality of an NFL training camp – both the physical demands and the mental demands (the stress of competing with others for a job, the fear of being cut, the way NFL coaches and front office personnel make the players feel like disposable widgets, etc). Fatsis draws the reader in so well that during one scene where he is asked to kick a field goal in front of the whole Broncos team, I was personally invested in whether or not he was going to make the field goal. In Word Freak, I felt like he put himself too much as the central figure of the book; in A Few Seconds of Panic, that isn’t so much as true – football as a game and as a business is clearly the central figure. Great balance in his writing, a good mix of both personal insight and objective observation, and engaging writing – everything you want in a non-fiction read. Highly recommended. (less)

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Aug 25, 2009 Ned rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Similar to his book 'Word Freak' where Stefan Fatsis immersed himself in the world of scrabble for a year to become an expert player, this time he takes his 43-year old soccer playing body into an NFL training camp as a kicker with the idea he will psuedocompete for a real kicking job.

Just like in word freak, the author does an excellent job of entering a world foreign to his journalist background, but it is pretty obvious from the beginning that his 'football kicking' journey will end up more d...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fatsis' book Word Freak documented his attempt to break into the highest echelons of professional Scrabble competition (wonderful read!). However, that book really succeeded in revealing the very personal trials and tribulations of the folks who have made Scrabble their entire life -- A Few Seconds of Panic succeeds in the same way. Fasis' modern take on Plimpton's Paper Tiger (Fatsis is trying to become a kicker for an NFL team) is fairly interesting and fun, but the real value in this book is...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sports fans, NFL fans in particular, and Denver Broncos fans especially

Recommended to Jason by: Mara Bliss bought this for me for Christmas 2008

Shelves: non-fiction, sports, denver-broncos, nfl

This is a absolute must read for any Denver Broncos fan. I'd go so far to say that you cannot be a self-respecting Denver Broncos fan if you have not or will not read this book. To be more encompassing, anyone who's a football fan should read it. The book is very well written, with just enough depth to be interesting, but it doesn't get bogged down. It's an easy and quick read. I fully admit that I'm highly biased in my opinion of the book. It takes place during the 2006 season, and I know every...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Amblingbooks.com marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, sports-recreation

In Word Freak, Stefan Fatsis infiltrated the insular world of competitive Scrabble players, ultimately achieving expert status (comparable to a grandmaster ranking in chess). Now he infiltrates a strikingly different subculture-pro football. After more than a year spent working out with a strength coach and polishing his craft with a gurulike kicking coach, Fatsis molded his fortyish body into one that could stand up--barely--to the rigors of NFL training. And over three months in 2006, he becam...more

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Sep 04, 2009 Evanston Public Library added it

Stefan Fatsis is a more gifted writer than football player, and armchair quarterbacks will enjoy this account of his many failures and few successes as a placekicker for the Denver Broncos. Game-day pressures faced by an NFL pro pale in comparison with behind-the-scenes emotional, interpersonal, and (in surprisingly many cases) financial pressures, and Fatsis does as good job of explaining them all. I don't care as much for his lengthy descriptions of the pressures he himself felt as he prepped...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

In 2005 author and sportswriter Stefan Fatsis decided to emulate writer George Plimpton’s achievement in attending the training camp with the 1963 Detroit Lions. He did so in 2006 with the Denver Broncos; and I very much enjoyed reading this, his book about his experience in the NFL.

Fatsis had already determined that his best option, given his age, size, and experience, would be as a kicker. When he arrived at his first mini-camp (after intensive kicking training with a private coach), the playe...more

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Sep 09, 2008 A. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, football

Fantastic story about a sportswriter who spent three months with the Denver Broncos organization, as a kicker. Hilarious, true, and often heartbreakingly sad about the realities of professional football as a career.

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Dec 07, 2010 Sean Saxe rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Few Seconds of Panic provides an interesting foray by an outsider into the world of professional football. The perception of the NFL and its players is carefully monitored and presented by the league, the individual teams, and the players association, but reading about the mundane and repetitive training camp of a pro team and the effect it has on the players provides the reader with an unexpectedly humanistic view of the league. The same people who are portrayed as menacing, hard hitting mach...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Beth A rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great peek into the inner workings of an NFL football team (Denver Broncos). I have a much greater appreciation for the politics that dictate player issues. I can't imagine living one's worklife never knowing if or when you'd be cut. And, those two-a-day training camp workouts sound brutal. I was amazed at how the author went above and beyond the role of a journalist and actually did a fairly good job kicking field goals in mini and training camp....at 43! The author's work ethic resulted in tru...more

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May 01, 2012 Malin Friess rated it 4 of 5 stars

(This review was originally posted to the wrong book)

I had a good friend who was a sports fanatic. His biggest dream was to rub shoulders with professionals players in the locker room and see what they were like. Incidentally this friend became a sports writer for a small newspaper (Deseret News) and was given all access pass to courtside and the locker room of the Utah Jazz. At first this friend told me he was entranced by these superstar athletes; their size, athleticism, persona. But then aft...more (This review was originally posted to the wrong book)

I had a good friend who was a sports fanatic. His biggest dream was to rub shoulders with professionals players in the locker room and see what they were like. Incidentally this friend became a sports writer for a small newspaper (Deseret News) and was given all access pass to courtside and the locker room of the Utah Jazz. At first this friend told me he was entranced by these superstar athletes; their size, athleticism, persona. But then after he heard the foul language (Not Stockton or Malone), the crude jokes, the disregard for women, the trash talking...amazement for his previous heroes was lost..as well as perhaps some of the sports writers innocence.
Steven Fatsis a 5 foot 8 inch 170 pound Greek writer (Word Freak) convinces the Denver Broncos to allow him to try out for Field Goal Kicker and be part of the team (not just a reporter) through 2 a days and the preseason. He is given a locker, jersey #9, and plenty of hazing (one for his size, two for his position, and three because he caries a notepad to record every moment).
At times I felt like Fatsis was like my friend who was first overwhelmed by these sports celebrities..soon to find out many were lazy, selfish, greedy, crude, etc. Why read about these athletes that make millions..while many struggle to pay for their kids at 95 dollars a pop to get in to see one Broncos Game..(this was well before Tim Tebow)...think Jake the Snake Plummer days at Quarterback.
The interesting thing about the NFL is the frequency that players get cut...the average NFL player lasts 3 years. Many don't enjoy football anymore (would you really enjoy being an NFL offensive Lineman)..but it pays the bills..and their bodies may only last 5 years until their knees give out. They are pragmatic..and see it as a business. At times I felt compassion for these players who wanted a good life for their families..and just a few years in the league before they cut. I had never saw this side of the NFL (we mostly hear about the Terrell Owens, and Peyton Mannings).

I give this book 4 stars..not 5 stars. Word Freak (about competitive scrabble players) gets 5 stars. In the end I find world champion scrabble players who memorize dictionaries and can score 600 points in one game more fascinating than NFL athletes. By the end of the book Fatsis could kick a 45 yard field goal and was signing a few autographs for ball boys.(less)

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Jul 28, 2010 Shawn Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars

An entertaining and detailed look into the real life of the NFL's players. Throughout the book, Fatsis convincingly drives home that media coverage of the NFL presents a story that is very little like the actual experience of its participants. If you want the real deal - especially about QBs, Ks and Ps - this is the book for you. (It's a bit short in discussing other positions.)
It's also an inspiring story of someone who takes on a tremendous physical challenge and works his way to an ending he...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports

Pretty good look at what goes on during an NFL training camp and the preseason. It was interesting how players look at the game that they play compared to how the fans react to it. It was kind of sad how teams go through players the way that do.

One interesting statement that he made is that when a game is over, if a player thinks that he gave as much effort as he could, then he is generally satisfied even if his team lost. For them, when the game is over it is over. However, the fans, talk show...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was surprised by how interesting I found this book. I don't care much about football. I read this only on the strong recommendation of a friend. Aside from the football angles, which are indeed interesting, it's cool to delve deep into a foreign work culture. For example, Fatsis describes one guy who gets fired by the Denver Bronocs, hired by another team, fired again, and re-hired by the Broncos, all in less than 24 hours. No one says "sorry about all that" or "that was weird." They player is...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Julianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the second Stefan Fatsis book I read in a row (the first being Word Freak). I enjoyed this one more than Word Freak, mostly because I have more interest in football than competitive Scrabble. The focus on lesser known players on the bubble of being cut every year was really interesting, as most casual sports fans only ever hear about the superstars. It definitely gave me new insight into how the NFL works which was pretty cool--I know wouldn't be able to handle the intense pressure and...more

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Aug 15, 2009 Dkmoorhead rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stefan Fatsis is a good writer, a better journalist, and possesses an uncanny self-awareness. That's what makes this something better than a facile, glib piece of participatory journalism. He's aware of his own place in the narrative, and comments on it freely, which nicely puts into perspective his biases and point of view.

Of course, he's also incredibly lucky. To get access to a team...any team, like he gets, and to have the cast of characters he does, and to have them (for the most part) be c...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Tim added it

I appreciated that Fatsis both saw and treated the players as human. Not the sob stories that fill half the Olympics, not the aggrandizement that the NFL sells, nor the critical debasement that you get with much of the media, but as human beings. Fatsis enters the NFL, and is accepted to a large part as a team member by the players of the Denver Broncos. Exposes us to the reality of life in the NFL, and the enormous pressures and risks faced by the players, as well as the decision making process...more

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May 08, 2013 Scott Foshee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports, nonfiction

I have been fascinated with football kickers ever since I stumbled upon a copy of the book "Kicking the Football Soccer Style" by Pete Gogolak that somehow found its way into the library of my junior high school in the coal fields of southern West Virginia. I spent countless hours studying its pages. Lacking a tee, I used one of my mother's plastic measuring cups to set up game winning kicks in the back yard with my battered green Nerf football. Good times. Fortysomething sportswriter and author...more I have been fascinated with football kickers ever since I stumbled upon a copy of the book "Kicking the Football Soccer Style" by Pete Gogolak that somehow found its way into the library of my junior high school in the coal fields of southern West Virginia. I spent countless hours studying its pages. Lacking a tee, I used one of my mother's plastic measuring cups to set up game winning kicks in the back yard with my battered green Nerf football. Good times. Fortysomething sportswriter and author Stephan Fatsis makes the fantasy come true in "A Few Seconds of Panic" and kicks alongside Jason Elam during a Denver Broncos' training camp, emulating George Plimpton who first embedded himself as their "last string quarterback" with the Detroit Lions in 1962 and wrote about it in the classic "Paper Lion."

I reviewed Paper Lion, which was enjoyable largely because of its novelty and humor. Plimpton was the first journalist to embed himself with an NFL team, and his self-deprecating humor shone through. Also, Plimpton had the incomparable Alex Karras and his hysterical stories for material. More than 40 years have passed and sportswriter Stefan Fatsis is the first since Plimpton to go behind the scenes and document the NFL of today as a player. Much has changed.

Football is supposed to be fun, but the NFL of today comes across largely as a grim business. As a Denver Bronco, Fatsis encounters firsthand the adversarial relationship between players and management. The 1990's brought free agency to the NFL, which benefited players financially by enabling them to switch teams, selling their talents to the highest bidder. An NFL career is short, and players scramble to make as much money as they can in their few top earning years as a professional athlete. As Fatsis points out, the problem lies in the fact that since "players were less loyal to teams, so teams were less loyal to players." The result has been that players are loyal only to the team who pays them the most, and teams use players like meat, often using them only to secure a win (or to motivate other players to win by threatening the starters' jobs) and ruthlessly discarding them when no longer needed.

Fatsis learning to kick is fun, and it is interesting meeting the players in the locker room and getting to know them. We see firsthand the cold ruthlessness of Mike Shanahan. Chad Mustard is a great Scrabble player (a fact which Fatsis uses to plug his book on competitive Scrabble, Word Freak). We watch as punter Todd Sauerbrun intimidates his competition in training camp and becomes a cancer in the locker room. All-time great kicker Jason Elam talks about his hunting exploits and Christian mission work. We also see how the tragic murder of cornerback Darrent Williams mere hours after the last game of the season effects the team. Far from passionate collegiate athletes, most of the pros presented here are just doing a job, trying to provide for their families, and trying not to get hurt in the process.

The "everyman" angle in this book is fun up to a point, but it seems a bit self-serving after a while. The book also highlights a problem with participatory journalism. As a journalist, Fatsis is hesitant to bite the hand that feeds him. One of the biggest problems faced by the NFL today involves reported rampant drug use. The author broaches the subject only briefly, limiting his observations to Todd Sauerbrun's 4 game suspension for ephedra use.

The book feels light. Fatsis doesn't dig too deeply, and as a result it seems that he is not giving us the full story on the team that allowed him this rare access.(less)

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Sep 07, 2010 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

I picked this up because I'm a big college and pro football fan and also a big lover of memoirs. I thought I couldn't go wrong, and I couldn't pass up the chance to get an inside glimpse of what it's really like to be an NFL player--not just the top-name players like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but a nameless lineman who works hard and gets beat up week in and week out.

I have to say this book didn't live up to my (perhaps too high) expectations. The author, Stefan Fatsis, gets in shape to be...more I picked this up because I'm a big college and pro football fan and also a big lover of memoirs. I thought I couldn't go wrong, and I couldn't pass up the chance to get an inside glimpse of what it's really like to be an NFL player--not just the top-name players like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but a nameless lineman who works hard and gets beat up week in and week out.

I have to say this book didn't live up to my (perhaps too high) expectations. The author, Stefan Fatsis, gets in shape to be a placekicker and convinces the NFL and the Denver Broncos to let him be part of the team for training camp, although the NFL won't let him kick in a (meaningless) pre-season game. The story is a hybrid of his personal story--40+yr old man fulfills dream of playing in NFL--and a look into the culture of the NFL and its teams. I found the tone almost too earnest as Fatsis struggles at times with his own personal limitations, even though it's a microcosm of the struggle that all players have to stay healthy, play through pain, and perform at the top of their game all the time.

Perhaps I didn't like it because it left me disillusioned about the NFL. I knew going into the book that it is a business, but the way the players are treated is demeaning to them both as people and as athletes. Perhaps one of the Broncos players put it best, when he said (paraphrasing) that in college, the coaches tried to build up the players and make them the best players they could be, while in the NFL the coaches just suck the players dry. I can't help but think that Jake Plummer (former QB for the Broncos) made the smartest decision by retiring when they traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and having nothing more to do with football. He has other things in life he wants to accomplish. The players who can keep that perspective end up doing ok, but the ones who have nothing other than football to fall back on are in tough shape mentally as they deteriorate physically. The average pro career is over by age 27 or 28. I was also surprised that regular players don't make as much money as I thought they did.(less)

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Oct 07, 2009 Mahlon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Football fans, especially Broncos fans

Recommended to Mahlon by: Amazon

In his book A Few Seconds of Panic, Stefan Fatsis set out to update George Plimpton's 1966 classic Paper Lion for the modern-era NFL. He decided to try and suit up as a kicker, because at 5ft.-8in., and 43 years old, it's the one position he thought he could pull off realistically. He called every NFL team, and was eventually invited to training camp by the Denver Broncos. Despite his lobbying, he was told by the NFL that he was welcome to dress for the preseason games, but would not be permitte...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: football fans.

Shelves: nonfiction

In A Few Seconds of Panic, Stefan Fatsis recalls his experiences as he trained for and then participated in the Denver Broncos training camp in 2006. Throughout the book, Fatsis provides readers with a detailed look inside the day-to-day operation of an NFL franchise. Throughout the training camp, he gets to know players, their training regimens, and their stress in trying to make an NFL team.

If this sounds familiar, the book is similar to George Plimpton's Paper Lion, and Fatsis credits Plimpt...more

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