A Few Seconds of Panic

It's a good read. 8/17/26 dwm

This 2008 book was sent to me recently and I just finished it. 

A Few Seconds of Panic by Stefan Fatsis is interesting. Here Fatsis sets out to learn a specific skill and become good enough to blend in. 

A reporter for the Wall Street Journal and a writer for The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Atlantic, and Slate, he went through channels at the NFL seeking a team willing to give him an opportunity. The Denver Broncos gave him a chance.

He chose to become a kicker because it was the position that was closest to his measurements. At five foot eight and 160 pounds, he was the same height and just ten pounds lighter than the two smallest placekickers in the NFL.

Fatsis shares how he developed his kicking technique. The reporter in him, went beyond that, sharing stories from the locker room and the day to day worry that it might be your last day as a player.

Beyond the locker room, he gets both sides of the story by interviewing the head coach and other members of the staff. It's worth your time as you prepare for the season.

Fatsis put out a book before this story with a book on Scrabble - I'm reading it next.