Great Intentions, Poor Decisions: Bill Romanowski desired to bui

Great Intentions, Poor Decisions: Bill Romanowski desired to build a name for himself in the NFL so much so that he put the future health of his body at risk trying any method of performance enhancers he could. I am conducting an in depth research project on what affects drugs and performance enhancing drugs on athletes. I chose this book to gain the insight as to why an athlete gets into doing such drugs and how they feel about any negative outcomes. This book gives great insight because he shares his thoughts and reasons why he did every different drug throughout his career. It helped me to better understand different scenarios of how athletes could get into these issues. A major message this books gives off is to know and understand what you are doing to your body, treat your body with respect, and find the healthiest and safest methods to improve and use your body. Whether your interested in drug use in the NFL or just a fan of the brutal sport of football, this book is worth your time to read. Great book, solid 5 out of 5 stars.

Great book

Romo My Life on The Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons is a very interesting autobiography written by NFL great Bill Romanski. He talks about growing up in a troubled home and how he dedicated his heart and soul to football. Later in his life, he made some questionable decisions regarding illegal, performance enhancing drugs. He also talks of his dozens of concussions and his dizzy spells, memory lapses, and continuing symptoms from them. He went to two Probowls and four Superbowls. He left a lasting impression on his opponents and the NFL. I loved this book. To hear a firsthand account of an NFL legend was fascinating to me. It was amazing the lengths he went to just to be the best. This is a great book and I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Romo

I havnt finished the book, but as a Football Player i relate to what he says. its inspiring to know others who work so hard and do crazy stupid workouts constantly... i thought i was abnormal, its a group, wanna join?

Romo: The Story of an NFL Rebel

Romo, by Adam Schefter and Bill Romanowski, is a controversial peek into the life of an ex-NFL star who didn't always play by the rules. The story takes the reader through Bill Romanowski's entire playing career from little league, to the Boston College, to the NFL. Romo grew up in a small town in Connecticut and worked harder than anybody to get a scholarship to Boston College where he once again out worked everyone to reach his dream of the NFL. Nothing would come in between him and his dream of playing in the NFL. While his college teammates went to parties, Romanowski went back to his room and slept. He was consistently the last person in the weight room, refusing to be outdone. The one theme Romo constantly emphasized was his fear of failure. This fear pushed him throughout his career; it simply would not allow him to fail. While this fear lead to his unbelievable determination and work ethic, it also pressured him into some questionable decisions regarding what he put in his body. While none of the substances he took were illegal at the time, some were controversial and unsafe. The book is not thought provoking by any means, but it is entertaining and even inspiring. I enjoyed the overall bluntness of this book as Romo was honest and factual no matter the subject and discussed his playing days down to every brutal detail. At the same time he was not afraid to incorporate his values into the book and discuss the kind, quiet person he was off the field. He set aside time to discuss his role as a family man, and his closest friends who helped him achieve everything he did. Most of all I enjoyed his ability to discuss his highs and lows and what he regrets about the way he went about his career. My biggest qualm with the book was at times the writing was somewhat unprofessional and unnecessarily simple when I was trying to become immersed in the book. This is a great book for athletes at the high school level and beyond. It shows how far his work ethic got him when he wasn't always the most talented player. A younger reader may not understand the negative repercussions of some of his methods once he got to the pros but a more mature athlete who could separate the good from the bad would be able to pull a good message about reaping the rewards of hard work.

Romo

Rating: 3 ½ stars This book is about Bill Romanowski. He is a small town boy from Connecticut who works his butt off in football to make something out of him self. He trains harder than anyone has seen at his age, so hard he gets a scholarship to Boston College. He still trains just as hard if not harder than before. He was good enough to make into the NFL. After setting records at Boston College he is drafted to the San Francisco 49ers. There he plays with legends and wins multiple Super bowls, and further lives his life. I rate this book 3 ½ stars because it was too lengthy. There could have been 100 pages taken out and that would have left a nice story. Though it was a well described book and a good read. You can really learn a lot from this book, such as how to succeed in football. Overall I would recommend this book to people that enjoy football.

Romo is inspiring

This book inspired me to work harder and be the best in everything I do. He talks not only about football, but how hard work, perseverance and dedication pays off. I play football and this book explains what it takes to be great and the steps needed to become the best. Romo was one of the best linebackers to ever play the game and this book explains how he did it.

Great book for the sports fan

This book is fantastic for the sports fan who either once played football or is playing football. I can relate to Romo, as I was forced to hang up my helmet because of concussions, but never took performance enhancing drugs, but the idea did come across. I would do anything to play football again, it has been six long years since I last geared up for a game or practice and I miss it everyday. Football is a brutal sport and for someone to be able to play professional for football for sixteen seasons is amazing, the average career in the NFL is about five seasons. But Romo was ruthless and would be very aggressive and demanding on the field just like any leader should be for his team. Recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially if interested in nutrition and such. Since reading this book I have took a whole new look on nutrition and this book really has changed my life.

Intense fears and obsessive-compulsive personality make a dangerous mix.

I picked up this book because as an avid football fan I wanted to learn a little more about the man who put my hometown of Rockville (Vernon), Connecticut on the map. He has a huge legacy here, especially at Rockville High School where he was instrumental in getting us the football stadium lights we enjoy to this day. I'd heard the 'bad boy' stories of his youth (no doubt exagerated), but wanted to know what was it that made him 'meaner' than most on the football field. In the very beginning of his story, Romo provides the answer, when he offers his definition of the purpose of football. Here I always thought that despite the violence of the game, the purpose was either to advance the ball down the field to ultimately score (offense)or to stop the opposing team from moving the ball (defense). Pretty simple, huh? But read Bill Romanowski's definition and you see that his idea of the game's main goal is to inflict pain on his opponents. It goes a long way to explain so much of the damage he did even after a player was down. He had it all wrong from the start. Thing is, I couldn't enjoy the book. I just couldn't find a way to like let alone understand the man. I appreciate his honesty and that he doesn't get into too much tattling on his co-workers, but I can't honestly say I care much about his insecurities. Every NFL player has them, but most don't stoop to his level. And for the most part he doesn't offer much of an apology. His obsessive compulsive behavior when it comes to fitness and nutrition combined with his intense fears of failure and loss of the adulation (translation: huge ego) proved to be a volatile combination. By the way, the nutrition/fitness information, which comprised the bulk of the book, may be interesting for health gurus, but serves to make it a dull read. After all, who would seek out health and fitness advice from someone whose only criteria for not taking a pill or injection is if the drug can be tested for? It's good to know now that he's retired from the game that he is taking steps to get his head together, and one hopes he figures out for the second half of his life that what he really needs is to let go of some of that obsessive intensity. I wish him luck.

Romo speaks from the heart

I love it. I love to hear about his passion for the game, and what he would do to get himself in the NFL.

He is as tough as he looks

I enjoyed the book as it reminded me to give your full effort in everything you do. I also think his motivations were the same ones we in the business world often live by. You have a lot of people talking smack who have not accomplished 20% of what Bill has. I found it truly motivating.

Getting inside his head

Holy pucker factor. Romo lets you in his head. From the questionable tackles, breaking Collins jaw, his family and his view on supplements and of the 'steroids,' use in the league. If your a football fan and must have/read book

5150- MANed Up- Bad To The Bone Rager

My title? That is what it takes to play linebacker in the NFL. No one does it at Romo's level, in today's game, for sixteen years with out help. Romo got help in disciplined his body but also enhanced it like an obsessed mad scientist. He had taking care of that machine of a body down to a science and it showed up in his hard hitting, shut down, in your opponents' face type of style. It also like all men sent him into fits of rage where he became almost out of control at times. Other great players have died doing this like Lyle Alzado, so Romo is lucky. He like Jack Tatum before him will never make the Hall Of Fame because of this style of play. Like Tatum he was a true football player though and played the game as it is meant to, as aggressive as possible. Romo was old school in that he played hard and hit hard. Today's players are better athletes than they have ever been but are as lousy football players as they have ever been. Today not only can they not hit, they can't even tackle. Romo, would clean your clock and let you know he was going to do it again. This is a good book but Romo pushed the envelope to the level you could not call him a role model. Romo was destined for a career in broadcasting but after raging in practice one day and breaking a brother's face he will always be known now as just another bad boy. That is too bad because I thought he would have been a great broadcaster. (Greatness can be tarnished by just a few instances of a lack of self control. Lack of self control always comes from any type of dope one takes. This is the hardest game in the world to walk away from a Romo took the dope to hold on to the game he loved and his dreams. This does not excuse the couple of instances though where he hurt people. Romo's legacy will grow to legend and he will be known and spoken of in some of the same sentences as Dick Butkus and some of the more fearsome Backers in leaugue history.

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No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.