The Cut

By Wil Mara

After only his second year with the New York Giants, T. J. Brookman has become the best tight end in professional football. His stats are nothing short of amazing---and what's even more amazing is that he was only a sixth-round pick in the first place. With one season remaining on his rookie contract, his agent, Barry Sturtz, wants to renegotiate and get a more lucrative deal---a common practice among players who have exceeded expectations. But the Giants refuse. They want Brookman to play through his last year, "then" they'll talk about a new contract. Sturtz, however, doesn't trust them. He wants the deal now--and if he doesn't get it, he's going to instruct T.J. to boycott the team's upcoming training camp. Head coach Alan Gray doesn't flinch at the threat--if T.J. doesn't show, he says, they'll simply bench him. Sturtz thinks it's a bluff---the Giants have had problems with offensive production, and T.J. is their only bright spot. But Gray insists he's serious. No one is more stunned by this development than offensive coordinator Dale Greenwood. Having struggled in polite subordination under Gray's megalomaniacal leadership, the talented Greenwood is concerned that he will now lose his most productive receiver. He suspects Gray's true motivation is that he simply doesn't want to spend the money on a tight end---Gray is a defensive-minded coach with little interest in the offensive side of the ball. What Gray really wants is for everything to stay just the way it is. And to create the necessary leverage, he orders Greenwood to bring in three "camp bodies"---decoys, essentially---to compete for T.J.'s job. Greenwood has no choice but to comply, and he assembles a trio of unsigned players from the bottomless pool of league wannabes. What no one anticipates, however, is that these three recruits have more drive and talent than anyone expected. Delighted, Gray believes Sturtz will soon be at his mercy. But neither Sturtz nor any the three hopefuls are willing to be a part of Alan Gray's plan. Many variables are in play here, both on and off the field. And as any student of the game knows, there are more losers than winners on the last day of preseason---a day known as the Cut. "One of the hardest parts about covering the NFL is getting inside the real nitty-gritty stories of today--holdouts, players reaching the end of the line, how family issues impact play on the field. Wil Mara has done a terrific and insightful job in "The Cut "of taking you inside what really happens in the seamy side of modern pro football."-- Peter King, Senior Writer, "Sports Illustrated"""The Cut" is like a summer raft trip that takes you deep inside the holdout of an NFL star, and shows you the waves its causes in the locker room and the front office. Wil Mara does a great job of going inside an NFL issue, giving the reader the true-life experience of what happens on a team. It's fiction meeting reality in an entertaining fashion." ---John Clayton, ESPN's NFL analyst and senior writer"Mara's writing, with its vivid description and painstaking attention to detail, has the effect of a video camera and microphone following every step of every person in the high-stakes world of professional football---players, coaches, general managers, and agents. It's fiction, but it has a 'real' feel. I often had the sense that I was hearing many of the conversations that go on between the sound bites. The depth of Mara's knowledge of the game, on and off the field, comes through loud and clear on every page."---Vic Carucci, national editor of NFL.com and former president of the Professional Football Writers of America "When you dive into "The Cut, " Wil takes you places inside the NFL that very few really can. His research and relationships around the league put you behind the closed doors of the coach's office. This one's a must-read for any serious fan." --Pat Kirwan, NFL.com senior analyst and co-host of "Movin' the Chains" on NF

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312359306
• ISBN13: 9780312359300
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 289 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Just Ecxellent

The Cut is not just well written, it's superbly paced and truly captivating. Wil Mara writes a very compelling story about 3 men's journey in the NFL. All the characters are realistic and completely believable - not once did I just not `buy into' a character. You find yourself truly questioning who you're rooting for and who you want to see burned during training camp. This book takes you into the world of spring training for an NFL team - with all the twists and turns that come with it. The interpersonal battles between the coaches and players - the real life issues of contracts negotiations and agents/owner fighting - the drive to win - are all played out in this great work. Wil Mara also does a great job of weaving the more nefarious and seedy elements of competition into The Cut. The squabbling and back stabbing mesh seamlessly with the plot to keep you engaged through the entire read. I had the pleasure of reading The Cut while waiting to serve Jury Duty. I was 80% through the book when we were released for the day - and I was actually upset that I would have to leave and couldn't finish the book RIGHT NOW. Do you know how great a book has to be to make a sane man regret being released from Petit Jury Duty early? If you're a football fan, you must read this book. If you love good writing and great characters, you must read this book. Like The Draft, Wil Mara's first work in this series, this book is just excellent.

Grea read

I have became a big fan of Wil Mara thanks to these books. It is a great easy read, I read it in 3 days and didn't want it to end!

A Great Book For ANY Football Fan

This was a book that was very hard to put down. Mara is a very skilled writer that really puts you into the shoes of each of his characters. This was a book that was very exciting and provided many glances into the world of the NFL. I have no doubt that you will like this book. Mara is a great author that more people should start following. His writing is unique and very entertaining. I would HIGHLY suggest this book to any football fan.

The Premier Novel For Football Fans Of All Ages

Wil Mara once again crafts outstanding writing ability with an entertaining and necessary subject to shed light on some of the most imperative, yet least discussed topics in professional football. This book fully encapsulates the true realities of football, with its extensive research, well thought out gameplan, attention to details and fully tangible areas ( training camp and tough decisions that are involved from a player and management perspective)that are explored and presented in an exciting and knowledgeable fashion. It's essential that all football fans, fans of great writing and sports enthusiasts alike pick up a copy of Wil Mara's newest installement. David Kaye

Highly recommended not only for football fans, but fans of a good story anywhere.

Training camp is just about to start for the New York Giants, and their star tight end thinks it's time to renegotiate his contract. Signed two years before at league minimum, T.J. Brookman had gone from an unknown to the best performer in his position in the league. So when his agent asks that he at least get paid as well as everyone else in his position, everyone thinks that's only fair. Everyone, that is, except the Giants. Not only do they refuse to renegotiate, when T.J. sits out they find three other guys far hungrier who might just replace him. The result is no-holds-barred, full-contact mayhem as the three hopefuls vie for a single slot on team - that may not even be open. In this second novel in his NFL series, author Wil Mara leaves the front office, which was the setting for the first book, The Draft, and brings you right onto the practice field. This is meticulously researched stuff, written in exceptionally specific detail - so much so that after reading it, you'll feel like you've been bounced around on the professional football field yourself. Mara had unprecedented access to the real behind-the-scenes workings of the NFL - and it pays off. This is not your cliche football film with stereotype players. These are real guys - a veteran struggling to keep up with the younger contenders, a star hesitantly trying to come back after a devastating injury, and an unsigned unknown that just be better than them all - if he can just stop making rookie mistakes. And each of them is a fully believable human being, with weaknesses and a lot of strengths. You can smell the sweat, feel the impacts. And, unlike watching the game on Sunday, because this is a novel you can really get involved in the game itself - how the plays evolve, how the players react, what it means to make these kinds of decisions in a chess game of massive men, all highly trained professionals. On TV a play is over in a few seconds. On the page, each one can unfold in greater and greater detail, each with its own nuances. But don't forget this is a chess game of armored behemoths charging at full tilt into each other. A gifted storyteller, Mara is best when he describes the inevitable pain. Like Dick Francis, Mara has the uncanny ability to put you in the player's shoes at the moment of impact. More than once I found myself wincing in sympathy at what these poor guys go through. And because this is the tryout season for the team, an injury can mean the difference between untold riches and a shattered, discarded man. And beyond the field itself, there's another chess game going on. This one the stab and feint of contract negotiations. Yawn, you say? Contract negotiations are boring? Well, actually, in this book they're not. Mara's sympathy for both sides, and his gift for conveying the heart of the discussion in quick, pithy dialogue, keeps what could have been boring stuff not only interesting but exciting. And, just like with the first book, there's plenty of m