Masterfully blending thought provoking analysis with engrossing storytelling, The Art of Smart Football examines football’s most innovative and enduring strategies and ideas, through the lens of the sport’s best coaches and players. The Art of Smart Football is an eye-opening, fascinating and accessible contribution to our understanding of America’s favorite sport. The Art of Smart Football features analysis of football’s top strategists and schemes, including: Pete Carroll’s aggressive defense Chip Kelly’s spread offense and new-school methods The roots of Bill Belichick’s defensive genius Gus Malzahn’s up-tempo offense The strategies Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers use to shred defenses Art Briles and Baylor’s wide open attack Nick Saban’s defensive evolution The book also includes explorations of the newest trends in football, including ““packaged plays”” that combine runs and passes into one play, ““pattern match”” defenses that blend man-to-man and zone pass coverages, how defenses are responding to the spread offense, and much more. Praise for The Essential Smart Football : ““Can’t recommend it highly enough.”” – Boston Globe ““A book that you need to buy if you’re a football fan with a pulse.”” – Bill Barnwell, Grantland ““I’m a better coach after reading this book. A must have in every coach’s library!”” – Dub Maddox, Offensive Coordinator, Jenks High School, Jenks, Oklahoma (12x Oklahoma State champions) ““Amazing how much football knowledge Brown, a lawyer and sportswriter, packs into 139 pages… Often, many of you ask me for a good, educational football book to read, now I’ll tell you to buy The Essential Smart Football, for one simple reason: It’s going to make you and dads in this world a lot smarter about football.”” – Peter King, Sports Illustrated’s The MMQB ““Accessibly erudite””. – New York Magazine ““Must-have for any football fan.”” – Dan Shanoff, USA Today
