{"product_id":"book-g1wd","title":"The Blood and Guts","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe definitive guide to the real men of the gridiron: NFL tight ends.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is no profession in sports like the NFL tight end. None. You must mash 320-pound defensive ends in the run game. You must twist your torso at impossible angles to make acrobatic catches downfield in the pass game. You must have a certain element of crazy to you, too. The tight end is a blend of brain and brawn and bruises…so many bruises. BLOOD AND GUTS tracks the fascinating rise of this position one tight end at a time, from Mike Ditka and John Mackey in the '60s to Rob Gronkowski today. As much as football has changed over the years, there has always been one glorious constant: the tight end.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNone of this is by accident, either. There’s a reason all of these players were magnetically drawn to the position.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn BLOOD AND GUTS, Tyler Dunne interviews the greatest tight ends ever, whose stories reveal why \u003ci\u003ethey \u003c\/i\u003ewere uniquely qualified to serve as the blood and the guts of football—the players keeping this sport alive and well. There’s a reason Mike Ditka epitomized true toughness in pro football through the 1960s. Ben Coates, the son of a World War II vet, put an entire childhood spent building roofs to use by smashing defenders in the open field. Tony Gonzalez matured from a kid terrified of bullies to an absolute beast terrifying defensive backs. His entire life, Jeremy Shockey has been hellbent on sticking it to anyone who doubts him. And from afar, a young “Gronk” idolized Shockey and took his approach to a whole new level.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHere, great American tight ends share countless harrowing, never-before-told stories. One moment, a tight end (Gonzalez) nearly socks a coach in the eye. The next, a tight end (Shockey) is breaking the orbital bone of someone in a bar fight.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThere’s no one in sports like them. BLOOD AND GUTS brings them to life.","brand":"Hachette Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49348692148528,"sku":"BDg1wd","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/342470-g1wd-Square.jpg?v=1734230962","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-g1wd","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}