A Few Seconds of Panic by Stefan Fatsis

In A Few Seconds of Panic, Stefan Fatsis takes us into the locker room of the Denver Broncos during his attempt to make the team as a kicker. Mind you, Fatsis is a 43 year old, 5-8", 170 pound sportswriter. However, Fatsis takes his job as a kicker seriously.

He works out with kicking coaches before mini-camp and makes an effort to get in the best shape possible. Despite all this, he's still tiny and not in nearly as good a shape as the rest of the Broncos. Fatsis goes all out to actually be a part of the team, rather than just being an embedded journalist.

The biggest lesson that the reader learns is that the football players are actually real people. It's easy to think of them as players in a video game or just some dudes making big paychecks. They have families, interests, and everything that you and I have. You also learn of the attendant pressures of being a fringe player in the NFL, with no guaranteed contracts. Making the team means everything, even if it's playing hurt.

Fatsis is with the Broncos through the summer, through minicamp, through training camp, and through the exhibition season. He gives the reader a fresh perspective on the players in the game and how cruel a business pro football can be.