The View from the O-Line: Football According to NFL Offensive Linemen and an Uncommon Coach

The View from the O-Line is an NFL narrative that has yet to be told, about men who game-in and game-out take grueling physical punishment without the expectation of fame and media attention. These are the men who make up the offensive line. Howard Mudd spent more than forty years in the NFL, first as a player and later as a coach. His narrative anchors this work while more than twenty contributors: current and former NFL players—including Nick Mangold, Jeff Saturday, Frank Winters, and Jackie Slater—executives, and officials, add their richly told stories that chronicle the biases faced and overcome by those in this intricate and underestimated position, weaving together an admirable new image of the men playing the sport for reasons beyond simple glory. Clever in craft and modest in spirit, these unheralded players wield the power to make or break a game. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

About the Author :
Howard Mudd was an All-Pro and All- Decade right guard for the San Francisco Forty Niners in the 1960’s. He went on to become one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the game from 1974 to 2012. From 1998 to 2009 he served as the offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts, which won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season. In 2014 the Pro Football Writers of America made him one of four inaugural recipients of the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award for lifetime achievement by an NFL assistant coach. He continues his involvement in coaching NFL offensive lines, teaching at speaking at coaching clinics throughout the country. Richard Lister has been a trial attorney with a passion for writing and a love of sports. He conducted interviews and research that became apart of Hall of Fame baseball umpire Doug Harvey’s autobiography, They Called Me God.

Review :
“The View From the O-Line gives the fan a perspective directly from some of the best offensive linemen to have played. Led by Howard Mudd, long recognized as one of the best offensive line coaches in the game, their stories are not only entertaining, they illuminate the men who are vital to every team’s success. The View From the O-Line lets readers find out firsthand how the offensive line operates and the character of men that play this underappreciated but essential position. For the game’s true fans, this book opens a fascinating part of the game that is too often overlooked.” -John Madden, Hall of Fame coach "In 32 years covering the NFL, I’ve not come across a coach more real than Howard Mudd, and so I am thrilled that he has shared everything he knows about the biggest mystery position in sports—football’s offensive line. Seriously: There cannot be a man who knows more about the blue-collar guys of the NFL than someone who played at the highest level and then coached at a Super Bowl level. The insights, the stories, the contributions from great players of today and yesterday … This is a book for people who thirst for the story of how football is really won and lost." --Peter King, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated and NFL analyst for NBC "One of the biggest keys to winning in the National Football League is having good offensive line play. But very few fans know much about that part of the game. This book gives you a look at football that most people never see--a look at the sometimes anonymous men who allow an offense to be great." -Tony Dungy, Hall of Fame coach "Howard Mudd, perhaps the most creative offensive line coach of this era, pancakes the football world with the most unique way to chronicle his career. He lets the greatest offensive linemen tell the tales from trenches with his oversight. Catch up on the great anecdotes, stories and techniques in a must-read book that flows like perfectly executed zone-blocking play." -John Clayton, Senior NFL writer and commentator, ESPN "Who better to write about the intricacies of the O-Line than Howard Mudd. As a coach he possessed a rare skill set that combined an elite level of intelligence but coupled with the communicative abilities to reach all walks of life. He further separated himself with great instincts and feel for the entire game along with unquestioned toughness. On top of all that he also performed at a very high level in the NFL as an O-Lineman for many years. I don't know of anyone else that encompassed all those things. More than any of his attributes, I personally marveled at his toughness and confident directness with his players. He is as unique of a person and universally respected coach/football mind as I've come across in our league. That's from owners all the way down to the lowest level employees in the building." —Ryan Grigson, general manager, Indianapolis Colts "This is an amazing book. The insight and different tales are phenomenal. I am honored to be included in this book." -Nick Mangold, center for the New York Jets “Howard’s book takes you deeper than any other effort at getting inside the game. It’s an oral history of pro football from deep in the trenches, exploring attitude, strategy, and technique..” —Mark Bowden, author, Black Hawk Down and The Best Game Ever "If the purpose of this book was to give one insight into the mindset of an NFL offensive lineman, then consider it; to borrow a baseball term, a grand slam. "It is an excellent read on several informative, insightful, and entertaining levels. I was in the NFL for thirty-three years; twenty-nine of those years I coached linemen, after reading this book I would recommend it be required reading for any aspiring NFL offensive lineman- it is that insightful. "The "true grit" of offensive line play as told by men who not only played the game but played it at a very high level of success!" -Bill Muir, longtime NFL coach "The book has the effect of being at a panel discussion with some of the best offensive linemen and biggest names in NFL history and listening to amazing insights from where games truly are won and lost." -Vic Carucci, NFL writer, Buffalo News and SiriusXM NFL radio host "In my 30-plus years covering the Cleveland Browns, Howard Mudd was one of the most interesting characters I've come across. Any book authored by him is on my must-read list." -Tony Grossi, ESPN Cleveland “The View From the O-Line gives the fan a perspective directly from some of the best offensive linemen to have played. Led by Howard Mudd, long recognized as one of the best offensive line coaches in the game, their stories are not only entertaining, they illuminate the men who are vital to every team’s success. The View From the O-Line lets readers find out firsthand how the offensive line operates and the character of men that play this underappreciated but essential position. For the game’s true fans, this book opens a fascinating part of the game that is too often overlooked.” -John Madden, Hall of Fame coach "In 32 years covering the NFL, I’ve not come across a coach more real than Howard Mudd, and so I am thrilled that he has shared everything he knows about the biggest mystery position in sports—football’s offensive line. Seriously: There cannot be a man who knows more about the blue-collar guys of the NFL than someone who played at the highest level and then coached at a Super Bowl level. The insights, the stories, the contributions from great players of today and yesterday … This is a book for people who thirst for the story of how football is really won and lost." --Peter King, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated and NFL analyst for NBC "One of the biggest keys to winning in the National Football League is having good offensive line play. But very few fans know much about that part of the game. This book gives you a look at football that most people never see--a look at the sometimes anonymous men who allow an offense to be great." -Tony Dungy, Hall of Fame coach "Howard Mudd, perhaps the most creative offensive line coach of this era, pancakes the football world with the most unique way to chronicle his career. He lets the greatest offensive linemen tell the tales from trenches with his oversight. Catch up on the great anecdotes, stories and techniques in a must-read book that flows like perfectly executed zone-blocking play." -John Clayton, Senior NFL writer and commentator, ESPN "Who better to write about the intricacies of the O-Line than Howard Mudd. As a coach he possessed a rare skill set that combined an elite level of intelligence but coupled with the communicative abilities to reach all walks of life. He further separated himself with great instincts and feel for the entire game along with unquestioned toughness. On top of all that he also performed at a very high level in the NFL as an O-Lineman for many years. I don't know of anyone else that encompassed all those things. More than any of his attributes, I personally marveled at his toughness and confident directness with his players. He is as unique of a person and universally respected coach/football mind as I've come across in our league. That's from owners all the way down to the lowest level employees in the building." —Ryan Grigson, general manager, Indianapolis Colts "This is an amazing book. The insight and different tales are phenomenal. I am honored to be included in this book." -Nick Mangold, center for the New York Jets “Howard’s book takes you deeper than any other effort at getting inside the game. It’s an oral history of pro football from deep in the trenches, exploring attitude, strategy, and technique..” —Mark Bowden, author, Black Hawk Down and The Best Game Ever "If the purpose of this book was to give one insight into the mindset of an NFL offensive lineman, then consider it; to borrow a baseball term, a grand slam. "It is an excellent read on several informative, insightful, and entertaining levels. I was in the NFL for thirty-three years; twenty-nine of those years I coached linemen, after reading this book I would recommend it be required reading for any aspiring NFL offensive lineman- it is that insightful. "The "true grit" of offensive line play as told by men who not only played the game but played it at a very high level of success!" -Bill Muir, longtime NFL coach "The book has the effect of being at a panel discussion with some of the best offensive linemen and biggest names in NFL history and listening to amazing insights from where games truly are won and lost." -Vic Carucci, NFL writer, Buffalo News and SiriusXM NFL radio host "In my 30-plus years covering the Cleveland Browns, Howard Mudd was one of the most interesting characters I've come across. Any book authored by him is on my must-read list." -Tony Grossi, ESPN Cleveland