Title/Author:
“4th and Goal Every
Day: Alabama’s Relentless Pursuit of Perfection” by Phil Savage
Tags:
Football
(American), college, coaching, Alabama
Publish date:
August
29, 2017
Length:
336
pages
Rating:
3 of
5 stars (good)
Review:
With the recent long run of success by the Alabama Crimson Tide football
program, this book looked like the perfect source of information on why the
Tide has been the most successful it had been since the days of Paul “Bear”
Bryant. The author, Phil Savage,
certainly has the pedigree to write about this.
His long career in football as a coach, scout and general manager, as
well as his current position as a radio analyst for the Crimson Tide certainly
places him in a position to intimately know the workings of the football team.
The reader will learn about Coach Nick Saban (for whom the author worked as
an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns) and his involvement of every
aspect of the football program. From recruiting
to practice to film sessions to game day, the reader will be given a guided
tour inside the program, learning about it from coaches, players (both current
and former) and Savage himself as he has been connected to Alabama football
since he was a very young fan.
My reservation about the book is that Savage’s style of taking the reader
on this tour comes across to me as arrogant and elitist. Throughout the book, Savage reminds the
reader of Alabama’s recent string of championship and near-championship seasons
and whatever part of the program is being discussed, well, it is just the best
way to approach the task. For a
comparison, living in an area where there are a lot of New York Yankee fans,
this sounds much like them – we are successful and we will constantly remind
you. There is no argument that Alabama
has been the best college football program for the last decade. I was just hoping to learn why it was, not to
have this fact be constantly repeated through the book.
Despite my misgivings about this writing style, I do give the book a
passing grade for the insight, the knowledge and the details that Savage shares
with the readers. This book is one that
every Crimson Tide fan will want to read – but Auburn Tiger fans may want to
think twice before buying.
I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley
in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying
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