52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 14: "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis writes that Lawrence Taylor, linebacker for the New York Giants from 1981-1993, and widely considered football's greatest defensive player ever, fundamentally changed the game of football:

The game of football evolved and here was one cause of its evolution, a new kind of athlete doing a new kind of thing.  All by himself, Lawrence Taylor altered the environment and forced                   opposing coaches and players to adapt.

The reason for this was Taylor's size, strength, and speed, and his ability to sac a quarterback from the right - the vulnerable blind side.  The way opposing coaches and teams adapted was to look for offensive tackles with compensatory size & speed.  After the NFL opened the door to free agency, such players, already a rare commodity, also became a very expense and precious commodity.  Micheal Oher is one of those players.  

Lewis, in his trademark style, interweaves Oher's personal story (which became the movie released last year) with the story of the changes going on in the NFL.  The most interesting parts of the book to me were the parts of Micheal Oher's story and his relationship with the Tuohy family that gave more detail than the movie.

Sojourner