Inside the Meat Grinder

Book excerpt: This electrifying book, Inside the Meat Grinder, exposes the hard-hitting reality of life in the trenches for an NFL referee. Welcome to the violent world of former NFL referee Chad Brown, where three-hundred-pound men hurtle at each other at supercharged speeds. Where intimidation is a way of life. And where Chad is the man marked in stripes, the man in the middle, the man who throws the yellow flag-or doesn't. This insider's account covers a wide-range of topics, including: * On-Field Action: what players and coaches are really saying on the field in the heat of battle. * Dirty Tricks: how NFL players have perfected the art of escaping penalties-or getting them called on an opponent. * Ballistic Coaches: what it's like to have everyone--coaches, players, and a whole stadium full of fans--trying to intimidate you every moment of the game. * Instant Replay: why the video tape can make an official look like a fool or a genius-and why sometimes the tape lies. Packed with action and inside stories on some of the game's greatest players-and biggest whiners-Inside the Meat Grinder is a hard-hitting look at hardcore NFL action, where Chad Brown, a boy hell-raiser turned football player turned NFL zebra, plays the toughest position on the field.