Book Review: The Blind Side

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
By Michael Lewis
Norton, 288 pp.

What did Lawrence Taylor do to the game of football? As outside linebacker for the NY Giants, LT destroyed quarterbacks. He reveled in making his opponents fear him - having ended the career of Joe Theismann, every quarterback entering the field against LT knew the danger of getting hit snd finish a game, a season, or even a contract on the sidelines.

Because of LT, offenses changed to compensate - with a focus on protecting the blind side. With the advent of free agency and salary caps, organizations had to decide the most valuable players on the field. As Lewis demonstrates, the left tackle is the highest paid position in the NFL, secong only to the man they protect - the starting quarterback.

What begins as a commentary on the evolution of a game turns into a narrative of the making of one left tackle. The perfect combination of size, strength, and agility came out of under-privileged Memphis in Michael Oher. Oher began attending a Christian private school and was adopted by the well-to-do Tuohy famiy, which set out to make Oher successful.

Oher, under the watchful eye of the Tuohy family, went from a near illiterate to an average student in just a couple of years. This transformation opened the world of NCAA sports to Oher, which will likely lead him to become the most sought after left tackle in the NFL. He's currently playing football at Ole Miss.

For even the casual fan, understanding the evolution of the left tackle position is intriguing. After reading this book, it's hard to watch a football game without looking to the edge of the screen to see if the left tackle is doing his job. Well, you'll at least look for it on replay - when he doesn't do his job, and the team suffers.

While the general trend in the NFL is interesting, the life of Michael Oher is fascinating. The Tuohy family integrating Oher into their lives is an amazing story of charity. The Tuohy family proves that a radical change in environment can make all the difference in the world. Oher was plucked from a wasted world, where his likely future included drugs, gangs, and an early death and inserted into a loving, nurturing home. By recreating his life with the Tuohy's, Oher thrived in school & sports. His IQ went from 80 - 100, demonstrating that environment can make all the difference in the world.

To sports fans and educators alike, I recommend this book.