The Blind Side

So I’m a little late to the party, seeing as the book came out in 2006, but I just finished reading Michael Lewis’ The Blind Side, a book about many things which tells the story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher, who started his first game on the left side of the line Sunday. That’s not only the same weekend I started reading the book, but Oher and I have nearly identical names (his last name rhymes with mine); we’re basically the same guy, right?

In The Blind Side as in the outstanding Moneyball, Lewis combines fantastic reporting and storytelling to touch on a ton of fascinating topics, and in this case they include race, opportunity, and pro football. Like Moneyball, this book changes the way I think about things. In The Blind Side Lewis discusses the rise of the left tackle, sure, but also touches on the careers of players and coaches who changed the game in that direction, like Lawrence Taylor and Bill Walsh. In other words, he talks about the real stars of my childhood, back when football’s legends were actually heroes. (He even drops a very passing reference to John Elway, or specifically to the salaries of his offensive linemen). I found those sections of the book a pleasure to read, particularly the discussions about Walsh, his offense, and the effect it had on the quarterbacks who played for him.

One more point I don’t want to pass by: there is an absolutely poignant quote in the section discussing former 49ers lineman John Ayers that is not only beautiful, but captures why I will always gravitate towards team sports over individual ones. If you like football, and you haven’t already, you have to read this book.