As we all know, an excellent quarterback knows how to pull out a victory at the end.
Now we know that an excellent book about quarterbacks can also pull out a complete victory at the end as well.
The book in question is "American Kings," by ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham, who turns something of a question mark into an exclamation point with his second book on an aspect of the National Football League. The first book was also excellent, as it reviewed the dynasty of the New England Patriots in impressive detail.
The subtitle of this effort gives us a clue about the direction of the book, but only a clue. "A Biography of a Quarterback" can mean different things to different people, since it's a little vague. But essentially it deals with the concept of supply and demand when it comes to that particular position in sports.
The NFL has 32 teams, and it seems like at least half of them seem to be unsatisfied with their quarterbacks at a given moment. A few draft new candidates each spring, while others go searching for a free agent who can turn into "the guy." Sometimes the search works, and sometimes it doesn't. For example, the Buffalo Bills went more than a decade without having that franchise quarterback, and for most of that time they were on the outside looking in at the playoffs. Then they drafted Josh Allen, who surprised almost everyone by turning into a Most Valuable Player. Another example - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned to Baker Mayfield after he had been let go by Cleveland and Carolina, and it's been a relatively happy relationship so far.
As William Goldman once famously said about Hollywood, "Nobody knows nothing." Such is the case with identifying quarterbacks. (Footnote: It's also true about head coaches in pro sports, as no one is sure where the next great one is coming from. Maybe that's Wickersham's next book.) It's surprisingly difficult to find someone, anyone, among all those players on college and pro rosters, who can do a good job running an offense in the NFL.
The book, then, takes off on how the quarterback became the most important position in American sports. Wickersham starts the book on something of a personal note, as he put a great deal of effort into becoming a high school quarterback - only to be moved to another position, breaking his heart for eternity in the process. It's hard to say that this information is necessary, but it does explain the author's zest for the subject. And from there we're off on a journey, joining with names who are familiar to many - John Elway, Warren Moon, Johnny Unitas, Steve Young, and so on. Others come up in passing (sorry) as well.
Some others who have a chance at such status are covered too. Caleb Williams was a first overall draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2024. Arch Manning, a third-generation talent in America's top quarterback family, landed at the University of Texas. Then there's Colin Hurley, a high school phenom whose career has taken some surprising detours even after the book's publication.
It's a little scattershot in its approach in the early going, so patience is needed. But in Chapter Two, we get an idea where we are headed. Somewhat oddly, the conversation starts with a name out of the distant past: Bob Waterfield. After starring for UCLA during the World War II years, he arrived with the Cleveland Rams in 1945 and led them to a title as a rookie. The team soon moved to Los Angeles, and Waterfield continued his Hall of Fame career there. Along the way, he eventually added a wife to the equation - but not just any wife. Jane Russell was Hollywood's biggest sex symbol at the time. That did wonders for the amount of glamour attached to the quarterback position. From there we learn about Y.A. Tittle, a great passer who didn't quite win the biggest game of the year, and Unitas, who did, and Joe Namath, whose personality and charisma were even more influential than his arm. Namath only won one biggest game of the year, but it was more than enough.
With that base set, the book moves smoothly back to the main subjects, and we more or less stay there for the rest of the book - and gets better by the page. Wickersham obviously put in lots of research and interview time for this, and he explores some areas that usually go untouched. Are there common bonds between the best of them? Do they all have fathers with an excess amount of drive, or just most of them? What could Elway do with his life as an encore after the slow road to a pair of Super Bowl victories? How did Moon process the concept of being the first African-American quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? What's it like for young quarterbacks today as college and pros search for The Next One?
All good questions, and the answers sometimes can vary by the person. But they certainly are worth asking. "American Kings" offers an excellent look at an occupation that has little equal in glamour - even among movie stars or millionaires. Almost everyone, it seems, wants to be that person to throw a winning touchdown pass in the final seconds.
Five stars
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