Product Description

For all of its pageantry, a football game is a violent go-minute turf war.

Bounded not only by the league s rules, players adhere to and enforce an unwritten honor system known simply as The Code. As mysterious as it is sacred, the code prescribes an internal system of justice known only to those within the sport itself. Until now...

Ross Bernstein, best-selling author of The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL and The Code: Baseball s Unwritten Rules and Its Ignore-at-Your-Own-Risk Code of Conduct, offers an unprecedented glimpse of football s unspoken rules regarding sportsmanship, retaliation, and intimidation. The result of more than 100 interviews with some of the biggest names in the game, The Code is a systematic description of every major unwritten rule in the game today from excessive end-zone celebrations, trash talking, and going after the quarterback, to using stickum and silicone, sign-stealing, and the use of perform-enhancing drugs.

Along the way you ll read about some of the most memorable violations of the code including Dexter Manley s profanity-laced trash-talking episode that was too graphic for NFL Films highlights; the bench-clearing brawl between the Vikings and Chargers that inspired the league s rules on fighting; and Spygate, the most notorious example of on-field espionage in the league s history.

For the first time, get the complete, no-holds-barred truth about the implicit rules of football directly from the players, coaches, and referees who live their professional lives by the code.

The Code to me was about how the game policed itself and about how the players protected one another...That self-policing out on the field is really important, otherwise nefarious players might take advantage of certain situations...I wouldn t say I ever tried to hurt anyone who cheap-shotted me. I would make sure that he got the proper attention though, fro my teammates. Steve Young, 15-Year NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback

I was under a pile on time during a game against the Giants and was trying to rip the ball out of Dave Meggett s hand. All I could get was a finger though, so I just yanked it as hard as I could and cracked it like a chicken bone. It just snapped. Then I heard him scream. I saw it was an opportunity, and I took it. It wasn t personal, it was just football under the pile, I suppose. Bill Romanowski, 16-Year NFL Linebacker

Trash talking to me was a tactic. I used to take a lot of time researching my opponents...I wanted to intimidate him and drive him nuts...Eventually he was going to miss a key block or do something that would allow either myself or one of my teammates to capitalize on that. It was a game. What a rush. John Randle, 14-Year NFL Defensive Tackle

The Code is an indispensable guide to the inner workings of football s internal system of justice and sportsmanship, all described by the men who have enforced it. You ll never watch a game the same way again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27263 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 246 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781600781759
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

repetitive
The book has amazing potential to give outsiders and fans the inside look to the sport that now dominates our fall weekends. Unfortuantely, the book is mainly 6 or 7 pages of interesting insight regurgitated over 200 or so pages. The insight of the players is interesting but again its really all rehash. How many times can 3 players from every era say what happened under a pile and it be continually interesting? One of the subplots of the book is the erosion of these codes in todays game due to inflated salaries, league mandates, and increasing television coverage. An interesting concept of a book with just a lot of fluff. This is the most apparent in the beginning with 2 forwards by former players who are quoted ehavily throughout the book, a preface, and then a introduction. I would recommned The Dark Side of the Game" by Tim Green for a much more insightful and daring look into the world of Professional Football.

Interesting -
"The Football Code" is an interesting summary of interviews with numerous players about the 'unwritten' code of conduct within the game - covering retaliation, intimidation, trash talking, running up the score, sign-stealing, steroid use, referee baiting, etc. However, the best part of the book was the introductions by Jerome Bettis and Ahmad Rashad.

Bettis begins by stating that retaliation is a big part of the game, and you have to be smart about how you go about it. You have to wait for the right opportunity, otherwise you could take a costly penalty and really hurt your team. Sometimes you could get a guy back on the next play, other guys have had to wait for years. With all of the camera angles today, you can't afford to do just anything - players can get fined $25 - 50,000, or suspended for a game. That's a lot of money, and has cleaned up a lot of the dirty stuff.

Bettis continues, telling us that intimidation is a big part of the game as well. Trash talking is a form of intimidation. Steroids, however, have no place in football, according to Bettis - its cheating and others could get hurt. Another part of the code is not talking bad about your teammates. Finally, Bettis believes real players play hurt - they don't want to let their teammates down.

Rashad's introduction reinforced some of what Bettis said, and then went on from there. Cold weather, he says, was the Viking's biggest intimidator when he played there. Tricks of the trade include siliconing jerseys, using the home plate in the Viking's football/baseball stadium to disorient the defensive players, and making cuts on the painted yardage line (greater traction in really cold weather). The funniest part of the book was Rashad's story of Viking rookie hazing - making them ride with Jim Marshall from Minneapolis to Mankato for practice; Marshall reportedly scared them so bad they didn't want to go back with him.

Berstein goes on to tell us that 'the code' is not just about avoiding actions that might end an opponent's career (vs. just trying to send him to the bench) - it's also about not running up the score late in the game, excessive celebrations, etc.

Comments about sign-stealing from players and coaches mostly indicated it was of little concern, especially since it was hard to do correctly and at most they'd play another team only twice in a season. Regardless, some coaches were notoriously paranoid (eg. George Allen), probably because they did it themselves. On the other hand, there seemed to be a bit of consensus that 'Spygate' (Giants in 2007) taping of signals went too far.

Handling referees was another particularly interesting section. Some, like Jerry Glanville, had no reticence about charging out there to tell the referees what they thought; Glanville even passed on his secret for not getting tossed out. Bud Grant, on the other hand, said he never bothered with talking to referees - it was a waste of time and a distraction. Randy Moss of the Vikings provided what must have been a hilarious 'bad' example of communicating with referees at the time - picking up a water bottle from the scorer's table and drenching the referee who he felt had blown a call involving Moss ($40,000 fine).

"The Football Code" closes with examples and statements about the need for better player pensions and medical care for the old-timers. Worse yet, a 9/29/2009 article in the New York Times reported the NFL had found dementia rates in former players 30-49 at 19X the normal levels. Help is well-deserved indeed!

ABOUT THE BOOK, from the its author Ross Bernstein
Football is, and always has been, a sport steeped in a culture of violence, intimidation and brutality. Players have learned, however, to navigate through its mazes and labyrinths of physical contact by adhering to an honor code of sportsmanship known simply as "The Code." As mysterious as it is sacred, the Code is an unwritten set of rules that has been handed down from generation to generation. While the Code has been around since the early days of the game's inception, it remains a very taboo subject shrouded in secrecy. In fact, many players are simply unwilling to talk about it on the record.. until now that is.

Under the specter of penalties, fines and suspensions, players have to use stealth when retaliating against dirty players out on the field. Sure, bench clearing brawls will occur from time to time, but most of the revenge that goes on is behind the scenes. Patience must be exercised when settling old scores and the veterans will wait until the time is right to exact the justice they feel fits the crime. While the game has changed immensely over the years, one thing remains the same -- the players still police themselves. They know that if they break the rules of the Code, then there will be hell to pay. You see, football is all about respect and disrespect, and if a teammate is cheap-shotted, blind-sided or is chopped at the knees, then the wheels of retaliation will be set into motion. Players must be accountable for their actions, the Code says so.

The Code is not just about head-slaps, verbal taunting and the many unseen horrors that can occur under the pile though. It is also about running up the score late on a team, excessive celebrations, head-hunting after interceptions, bounties, eye-gouging and rookie initiations. There is a fine line between cheating and gamesmanship and the players and coaches have always been on the lookout for an edge. The old adage "if you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin" has always applied out on the gridiron and includes things such as stick-um, siliconed jerseys, cold showers, and of course, steroids. And let's not forget all of the espionage that goes on both on and off the field as well. Everything from "Spy-Gate" to dummy playbooks to lip-reading is fair game, unless that is, you get caught.

Lastly, the issue playing hurt is firmly addressed in the book -- a viral topic that evoked great emotion from the players, especially the ones who feel betrayed by the league as well as their own union with regards to being taken care of in terms of pensions and medical treatment. They are the walking wounded and finally have a platform to be heard. The "Gridiron Greats" portion of the book may change the way you see the game forever.

To fully understand the significance and history behind the Code, Ross Bernstein, the best-selling author of more than 40 sports books, including the "Hockey Code" and "Baseball Code," interviewed more than 100 current and former NFL players, coaches, referees, front office employees and media personalities for this highly anticipated sequel. Their insight and memories provide a truly fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how these modern day gladiators tackle the subjects of respect, accountability, ethics, pride and honor. They explain why various "rules" are expected among players and what tactics are used during games. Extensive quotes are featured in the book and readers will be shocked and amazed at just how much information is actually revealed. The players all agree, this is a without a doubt a must-read for sports fans who want the inside scoop on a topic so rarely discussed.