Mike Silver's “The Why Is Everything” Is The Greatest NFL Football Book Ever Written

Mike Silver's “The Why Is Everything” Is The Greatest NFL Football Book Ever Written

“The Why Is Everything”, the book written by my long-time friend, The Athletic NFL Reporter and fellow Cal Alum Mike Silver, is simply the greatest book about the league ever written. Here’s why. If you’re any true fan of the National Football League, and by that, I mean not just football, but the NFL way of football and the people who comprise its rich and glorious history, then you’re keenly aware of those who have come to set the tone for an era. For you and me, names like Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Knoll, George Halas, Don Shula, Al Davis, Bill Walsh, Bud Grant, Tony Dungy, Don Coryell, Buddy Ryan, Dick Vermeil, Mike Shanahan, and Jimmy Johnson immediately conjure up the names of football innovations they’re known for. Each man can be matched to his creation in order: The Run To Daylight, Multiple Offense & Flex Defense, Pinch Defense, T-Formation, Negative Influence Blocking, Slot Formations, Ball Control Passing, Roll-Out Passing, Tampa 2 Defense, Air Coryell Passing Attack, 46 Defense, Greatest Show On Turf, Zone Blocking, and the Speed-Based 4-3. And if we admit it, thinking of each innovation brings our mind to thoughts of some of the most memorable events in NFL History. For those NFL Fans of a certain age, they remember how the Dallas Cowboys confounded the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII, by opening with a running game featuring Tony Dorsett that was on its way to an early touchdown, only to be halted by Coach Tom Landry’s to this day inexplicable call of a double-reverse flea flicker play that never happened because Drew Pearson fumbled the handoff before the ball could be pitched back to Roger Staubach for a surprise pass. Somewhere, some NFL Fans are still debating whether Landry should have just fed the ball to Dorsett. That event, and many more, mark the NFL of the 1960s through the turn of the 21st Century. But by the second decade of the 21st Century, the NFL was dominated by a man not known for a schematic innovation, but for taking plays others created and using them against you in a way designed only to be used against your team. Bill Belichick famously coached the New England Patriots in such a way that he had approaches against specific teams that were used once and never again. But while it might seem there were no real innovators during the early 20th Century, a young group of thinkers were growing and as a direct result of the kind of football game planning approach that Belichick popularized. And that’s where Mike Silver’s book “The Why Is Everything” picks up, and why I say it's the greatest NFL Book ever written: in introducing us to these young coaches, Silver successfully fills in a giant gap in written NFL History. It answers the question “Who are the ones who have shaped the game, today?” And more importantly, it explains why. In “The Why Is Everything” Mike Silver writes: “Their [Kyle Shanahan and his assistants] influence can be felt in so many ways, from the proliferation of outside zone–based attacks, to the tightening of traditional wide receiver splits, to the way coaches position themselves on the sidelines, to the expanding group of coaches who’ve decided to blow off the league’s annual scouting combine.” Mike Shanahan’s son San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is the ring-leader of coaches you’ve heard of because they are running some of the most successful teams in this 21st Century NFL: Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniels, Rasheed Morris, Brandon Staley, and Kevin O’Connell. And we’re often introduced to coaches with ties to the legends of the past, like Nathaniel Hackett, whose father Paul Hackett was Bill Walsh’s offensive coordinator during the glory years of what’s called The West Coast Offense but should be referred to for what it really is: The Bill Walsh Offense. Mike’s book “The Why Is Everything” is the greatest ever written about the NFL because it constantly peppers in football strategy and tactics into a story about the hiring or firing of one of the coaches, and in such a way that you say “I recall hearing about that, but I did not know the details”. It’s a rich book of men and moments and their meaning that you will find yourself reading, and referencing, as the 2025 NFL Season progresses. Go and get it! 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://ift.tt/LtbYhT3
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp1BtqnQF0s