The four teams in the NFC East have won 10 Super Bowls, and Maske, a sports columnist for the Washington Post
, offers an up-close look at these storied franchises throughout 2006. Legendary Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs struggles in his second stint with the team; controversial receiver Terrell Owens tries to make nice with his new employer, the Dallas Cowboys; the New York Giants surge and then struggle under disciplinarian coach Tom Coughlin and young quarterback Eli Manning; and the Philadelphia Eagles adjust to a slow start and a season-ending injury of their star, quarterback Donovan McNabb. The book excels when Maske profiles key characters—such as Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells or Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. Too often, however, Maske offers breezy accounts of games and interviews. He looks at how running an NFL team has become a major endeavor, and while his extensive (if not overwhelming) coverage of the collective bargaining agreement shows how the league has become a big business, it takes away from the stories of a new generation of driven men with limited time, limited earning potentials and big dreams of winning a Super Bowl. That kind of personal touch is missing far too often in this ambitious but anticlimatic book. Photos not seen by PW
. (Aug.)
