Friday, July 26, 2013

Book review and Giveaway: Robert Griffin III Athlete, Leader, Believer by Ted Kluck

Brad new, this book is slated to be available around August 6th, 2013. This book is currently available at amazon.com here for less than $20.00 on pre-order only, but I am also raffling off a copy of the book. Requirements:
  1. subscribe to the blog
  2. post a comment which athlete (living or dead) inspires you - 1 entry to the raffle
  3. for an extra entry - post a comment which sport you like - 1 entry to the raffle
Deadline is Noon EDT on August 10, 2013. I will notify the winner by email and you will have until 5PM EDT Monday August 12th 2013 to respond. If no response is received by 5PM, I will select another winner.
Good luck!!
Please note: Giveaway is for the hardcover book!



Ted Kluck has made a name for himself by covering various sport-related topics in his books, from boxing through college football. But he also incorporates Christian themes into his book, if a book, such as the "Why We're Not Emergent" is not solely focused on church and religious subjects. In this book, Ted Kluck tackles one of the most enigmatic figures to enter college and pro-football in years, Robert Griffin III. With a foreword by Jim Kelly, Hall of Fame quarterback, this book describes the rise of Robert Griffin in the competitive college football machinery to become a franchise player for the Washington Redkins in the NFL.

The book starts off by mentioning some of the more well known draft busts that were blamed on over eager fathers, coaching their sons from a young ago to be an NFL quarterback and the sons that suffered burn out way too early and never lived up to the hoped-for NFL career. Kluck draws an important distinction between these players and Griffin because Griffin wants to be challenged and wants to be driven by his father. He wants to be the best and sees his father's input as help rather than a must. Moving from describing the style of running quarterback that Griffin represents and the history of draft day, with its uncertainty about what is the best pick for the team, Kluck then goes into a more detailed analysis of the role that Griffin has to play within the Redkins franchise, while also carefully analyzing the potential and limitations of Griffin.

The book concludes with an analysis of the quality of quarterbacks from various draft years and then moves into a quite significant appendix that will be loved and appreciated by every NFL fan. Kluck ranks the current quarterbacks into tiers based on potential and proven record. But also includes a glossary of football terms that every reader, especially those less familiar with football but fascinated by Griffin's story, will appreciate. The latter part of the book is exemplifying how adept of a sports writer Kluck is. His love of analyzing sports and delving into the details of a players potential are details that will make this book relevant for years.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free book through booksneeze. The opinions expressed in this post are solely my own and have not been influenced by any third party.


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