Review of "Run To Daylight!" By Vince Lombardi with W. C. Heinz

Review of

Run To Daylight! By Vince Lombardi with W. C. Heinz

Four out of five stars

 This book is a chronicle of one week in the life of a coach in the NFL. The team is the Green Bay Packers, the head coach is the legendary Vince Lombardi and there is a game against an unnamed opponent the upcoming Sunday. While there are workouts and practices, much more time is spent in discussion sections and film analysis. There is obsession to detail, repetition, criticism, concerns over illness and injury and uncertainty over the weather at game time.

 Even the legendary Lombardi experienced doubts and uncertainty as he put his coaches and players through a sequence of physical and mental exercises designed to get them ready to face a specific opponent. Lombardi goes to great lengths to never mention the name of that team or the names of any of the opposing players.

 While there are insights into the coaching mindset, much of it is the essential tedium of preparing for a game. Spotting strengths, weaknesses and tendencies through lengthy and exhausting analysis, putting all aside in the quest for the next win. The football action is encapsulated into a brief recapitulation of the game, which is in many ways an afterthought.