The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks

Description

With unparalleled access to the recruits, coaches, and gurus shaping football's future, Bruce Feldman has written a modern-day tale about the making of the next superstars in the game's most important position the quarterback. In the world of modern football, with NFL teams worth more than a billion dollars, no position defines a franchise like the quarterback. The QB is the story of a year in the making of those star players, and of the most significant year in QB development in sport's history... with the meteoric rise of various quarterback gurus finally coming to light. George Whitfield, profiled in the New Yorker and called the "Quarterback Whisperer," gets a regular spot on ESPN's College GameDay, Trent Dilfer, former Super Bowl quarterback, starts his own qb business, Steve Clarkson, another qb maker, gets profiled on 60 minutes, among many others. It is also the year 5'10" Russell Wilson wins the Super Bowl and for the first time in over 60 years a sub-6-foot QB, Johnny Manziel, gets drafted in the first round, forcing NFL power brokers to re-examine how they look at the position-and the game. To tell the story of all that goes on to create the perfect quarterback, bestselling author Bruce Feldman gained unique access to "Johnny Football" (that's Johnny Manziel), George Whitfield and many other players in what has become a specialized and high-stakes business. In the past decade the boom of the private quarterback-coach business, with its pageant-world-for-boys vibe, has changed the position and the game. The QB tells the story of the interlocking paths of the most fascinating characters involved in this secretive world, examining how advanced analysis has taken root in football. Manziel's portrait is the most intimate look at him yet, detailing all his talents and antics. His guru is a man who has come to be known for making QBs--George Whitfield, unparalleled in the business. And then there is Trent Dilfer, the quarterback who never could get to the superstar level, despite winning the Super Bowl. He is the Salieri to Manziel's Mozart. There is the computer/brain analysis company trying to quantify how playmakers think, the biomechanics expert who saved Drew Brees's career, and many more fascinating behind-the-scenes looks into this world. Never before has the game so relied on the development of the quarterback. In The QB, the stories of these men illustrate how high the stakes of the quarterback's game really are, taking readers on a compelling journey into the heart of America's beloved game.

BRUCE FELDMAN is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of Swing Your Sword, and he is the FOX Sports senior college football columnist, giving him unparalleled access to the new generation of quarterback gurus.

"Whether it's your NFL team or your fantasy team, nothing will make or break the franchise like picking your quarterback. In The QB, Bruce Feldman offers unprecedented, and at times counterintuitive, insight into what to look for in the NFL QB of the future." -Matthew Berry, ESPN Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst and New York Times best-selling author of Fantasy Life "From Pop Warner all the way to the NFL, football has never been more 'Quarterback-centric' than it is today, and the player under center has never had more responsibility-or scrutiny. Bruce Feldman's ingenious book delves deeper into all aspects of the position than has ever been explored before. It's enlightening, illuminating, and shows how some outside-the-box thinking can change the game." -Charles Davis, NFL Network Draft Analyst & FOX Sports College Football Commentator "Bruce Feldman knows his way around football and locker rooms as well as anyone I know. His understanding of the intricacies of the sports and of reporting is why a book like this one is a wonderful read." -John Feinstein, best-selling author of Next Man Up and A Good Walk Spoiled "One of the most brilliant writers in the business, Bruce Feldman offers a remarkable look at the making of a quarterback in The QB. This book also provides a fascinating glimpse into the human nature of some of the game's biggest names, and will inform and entertain both the hardcore and casual football fan. It's Feldman's best book yet." -Brett McMurphy, ESPN College Football Insider "Bruce Feldman has an uncanny ability to show in rich detail the guts of the real world of football. When this game consumes you it's easy to notice the rare insider who finds the angles others can hardly see. That's Bruce!" -Joe Tessitore, ESPN play-by-play commentator, host of the SEC Network's SEC Nation "There are lots of sports reporters but very few great reporters who happen to cover sports... Bruce Feldman has proven to be one of the latter. His deep dives on recruiting and the University of Miami broke new ground and gave deeper understand to fans of all stripes. His book examining the rising importance of the modern quarterback will do the same." -Chuck Todd, NBC News "[A] detailed, technical breakdown of the modern QB with juicy inside stuff on Johnny Football, Trent Dilfer and the world of gurus." -Sports Illustrated "[A] great Christmas gift for the football fans in your life... another great read from [Feldman]." -Pat Forde, Yahoo! Sports "The QB, for me as a functioning footballaholic, is like crack.... It's an absolutely fascinating book. I can't recommend it enough." -Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports "The book is very well written and...[a] fast-paced read." -Bookverdict.com