Author | Stefan Fatsis |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Sportswriting |
Published | 2008 |
Publication place | United States |
A Few Seconds of Panic is a nonfiction first-person narrative by Stefan Fatsis, published in 2008. The book chronicles Fatsis, a professional 43-year-old sportswriter working for The Wall Street Journal , and his attempt to play in the National Football League. [1] Along the way, he relates the personal stories and struggles that professional football players face in the league. [2] After some setbacks, Fatsis eventually finds some success as a backup placekicker for the Denver Broncos. [3] [4] [5] The book's title comes from Jason Elam's description of being a kicker as "hours and hours of boredom surrounded by a few seconds of panic." [6]
A Few Seconds of Panic has been compared to George Plimpton's Paper Lion , a 1966 book wherein the author joins the Detroit Lions as a backup quarterback. [7] [8] [9]
Thomas John Dempsey was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. Unlike the "soccer style" approach which was becoming more and more widely used during his career, Dempsey's kicking style was the then-standard straight-toe style. With the Saints in 1970, he made a 63-yard field goal, setting an NFL record which stood for over 40 years.
Jason Elam is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Denver Broncos. He was selected by Denver in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft and played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons.
Paper Lion is a 1966 non-fiction book by American author George Plimpton.
Michael Edward Shanahan is an American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he led the team to two consecutive Super Bowl victories in XXXII and XXXIII; along with being the first Super Bowl championships in team history, they were the seventh team to win consecutive Super Bowls in NFL history. His head coaching career spanned a total of twenty seasons and also included stints with the Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins. He is the father of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Jason S. Campbell is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. Campbell also played for the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals. After his playing career, he became an analyst for Auburn Sports Network.
Paul T. Ernster is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football in Northern Arizona.
Jason Andrew Frasor is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, and had a 4.08 ERA in 63 games. He also played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves.
Bradlee Van Pelt is a former American football quarterback and safety. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft, and was also a member of the Houston Texans, Bergamo Lions in Italy and Leicester Falcons England. Van Pelt played college football at Michigan State and Colorado State.
Micah J. Knorr is a former American football punter. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State.
Jay Christopher Cutler is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is the franchise leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, attempts, and completions.
Patrick James Alexander is a former American football center. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Syracuse.
Preston Thomas Parsons is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Northern Arizona.
Stefan Fatsis is an American author and journalist. He regularly appears as a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered daily radio news program and as a panelist on Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is a former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
Thomas Verducci is an American sportswriter who writes for Sports Illustrated and its online magazine SI.com. He writes primarily about baseball. He is also a reporter and commentator for Fox Major League Baseball and MLB Network.
Brian Edward Bohanon is an American former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five teams in a span of seven seasons from 1990 through 2001.
Dirk Von Hayhurst is an American author and broadcaster, and formerly a professional baseball pitcher. Hayhurst played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres in 2008 and for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009. Following the end of his playing career, Hayhurst wrote four books about his experiences in professional baseball.
Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterbacks (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the National Football League (NFL).
Paul Woodside is an American football placekicker who played college football at West Virginia University where he earned first-team All-America honors and set numerous placekicking and scoring records. In 2008, Woodside was featured in the book A Few Seconds of Panic by Stefan Fatsis.
The Broncos–Raiders rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. Both teams compete in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Since the American Football League was established in 1960, the Broncos and Raiders are the most frequent Monday Night Football matchup in league history with 20. The Broncos and the Raiders have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger, the AFC West.
The Broncos–Chiefs rivalry is a rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League's AFC West division. Since the American Football League was established in 1960, the Broncos and the Chiefs have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger, the AFC West. For years, the rivalry has featured two of the best home-field advantages in the league. CBS ranked this rivalry as the No. 4 NFL rivalry of the 1990s in 2020. The Chiefs and the Broncos are the farthest teams from a division rival, and the Broncos are the farthest from any other team at all.