The Paolantonio Report

ESPN national correspondent Sal Paolantonio--who reports for SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, and Monday Night Football--examines the legends, the myths, and the most overhyped moments of America's most popular game. With award-winning football writer Reuben Frank, Paolantonio goes behind the highlights, the drama, and the numbers to set some things straight. For example, the pass from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark, known as "the Catch"--overrated. It's not even in the top 10 moments in NFL history. And Chuck Bednarik, the Eagles linebacker who knocked out Frank Gifford? He wasn't that fearsome, and he was considered slow and a poor tackler. How about the 1985 Chicago Bears? Overrated. What did they do before or since? Joe Namath? He's the eternal poster child for the NFL image, but he's one of numerous players throughout the history of professional football whose reputation and image don't live up to what he actually accomplished. On the other hand, take cornerback Ken Riley. He intercepted more passes than almost everybody who played the game, but he was never selected to a Pro Bowl team. The Paolantonio Report analyzes the most underrated and overrated quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, defensive backs, defensive linemen, offensive linemen, linebackers, and specialists. There are also chapters about coaches, teams, offensive and defensive units, Hall of Famers, and Super Bowls--with plenty of fun sidebars peppered throughout each chapter. Using an analytical approach that considers decades of stats, trends, and historical data, The Paolantonio Report is certain to settle many arguments. However, it's just as certain to start many more.