Figuring it was time to start picking books out of the BOTTOM of the pile for those needing reviews instead of the top, I read this one on Tom Brady's first season in Tampa Bay and it was about what I expected - which meant it was good. Here is my review of "A Season in the Sun."
Title/Author: “A Season in the Sun: Bruce Arians, Tom Brady and the Inside Story
of the Making of a Champion” by Lars Anderson
Rating: 4 of
5 stars (very good)
Review: There were few people who expected Tom Brady to leave the New England
Patriots, but after the 2019-20 NFL season, there were some indications were
shown that his time with the Patriots and their head coach Bill Belichick were
coming to an end. How the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
convinced Brady to sign with them and then lead them to their second Super Bowl
championship is described in this very good book by Lars Anderson.
Unlike many books that are about one particular season (no matter
the sport), this one doesn’t spend a lot of time with game-by-game accounts nor
does it spend a great deal of time discussing other issues of the time such as
social issues or politics. Given that
this book was about a season (2020) during a global pandemic, one would expect
that more of this would be discussed, but Anderson sticks with strictly matters
affecting the Buccaneers, Brady or head coach Bruce Arians. If the pandemic is
mentioned, it is how it affects the football team, such as not being able to
conduct face-to-face meetings. The best
of these references is a well-known story in which Brady goes to the wrong house
soon after signing to pick up the Tampa Bay playbook from the offensive coordinator
Byron Leftwich.
Most of the text in this book would be considered character-driven
if this were a fictional novel as there are plenty of stories and information
about people. The main two characters
are in the subtitle – Tom Brady and Bruce Arians. Readers who did not know a
lot about the personalities of these two men will get to know them well by the
end of the book. Anderson also does a
terrific job of telling the reader how the relationship between quarterback and
head coach evolved, including Brady’s relationships with his teammates and his
other coaches. Leftwich was a
quarterback who faced Brady several times in his career, but that was put aside
and Brady made sure to listen and learn from his offensive coordinator.
The 2020 season for Tampa Bay is reviewed and important games are
described in detail. Of course, these
include the victories in the playoffs and Super Bowl, but also some key defeats
as well, such as the 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints that left the
Buccaneers at 7-5 and in danger of missing the playoffs. From there, the reader is taken on a great
ride of success and hard work to achieve the ultimate goal for any football
team. It should be noted that Brady is
praised by many, friends and opponents alike, for the amount of work he did
during that season. It didn’t matter
that he already had six championships, he made sure to put in the work he felt
was needed to get his seventh and first one outside of New England. This is a book that pro football fans will
enjoy no matter their rooting interest or even their admiration or loathing of
Tom Brady.
I wish to thank William Morrow and Custom House for providing a
copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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