Michael Lombardi - Gridiron genius: a master class in winning championships and building dynasties in the NFL

Simply put, Michael Lombardis first-person, all-access, total-insider account of working with three dynastic legends is as good a behind-the-scenes sports book as Ive ever read.

Jerry Thornton, Barstool Sports

As someone who loves the game of football but is also interested in business strategy and leadership, this book was entertaining and useful.

Inc.

Michael Lombardi got his masters in football from the Masters of FootballBill Walsh, Al Davis, Bill Belichick. Now he passes those memorable lessons on to his fortunate readers so that they can receive an advanced education in coaching, personnel, management, and strategy.

Adam Schefter, ESPN NFL Insider and author of The Man I Never Met

This is a solid insider look at how NFL teams are made, and is also a useful guide for sports coachesor office managerscreating their own teams.

Publishers Weekly

Fans will immerse themselves in this revealing insiders glimpse into pro football.His comments on the skills required of NFL head coaches are particularly revealing: xs and os, sure, but also practical concerns like setting clear guidelines for discipline, making room arrangements on the road, even planning meals and diets. Those who read this informative, eye-opening account will learn much about what makes a great NFL team.

Booklist

Every coach, leader, strategist, and recruiter of talent should read this book.

Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle Is the Way

My only criticism of Michael Lombardis book is that I enjoyed it too much. The characters and stories were irresistible. But make no mistake; this is a very serious book. Lombardi extracts a meticulous and full-fledged blueprint for organizational excellence from a raft of hard evidence. This is a guidebook for excellenceand it applies way beyond the gridiron. Any thoughtful business leader, for example, could assemble a bundle of useful, integrated ideas that could transform organizational performance. Bravo!

Tom Peters, coauthor of In Search of Excellence

Michael Lombardi has been a student of leadership and teamwork his whole life. This book is a masterful look inside some of the greatest minds in football and has applications for leaders pursuing excellence in any industry.

Patrick Lencioni, CEO of the Table Group and bestselling author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

In Gridiron Genius, Michael Lombardi provides unparalleled insight into three of the greatest minds in the game of football. His analysis of how they each led their organizations and kept them high functioning in an ever-changing environment makes this book a fascinating read.

Chris Ballard, general manager of the Indianapolis Colts

Michael Lombardi has a brilliant football mind. He also possesses an amazing ability to see the game from every angle. His ability to take you inside the sport is pure genius.

Jim Nantz, CBS Sports anchor

A lot of people write books about football. But only a few of them have Mike Lombardis credentials.

In 1991, when I became the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, one of the first things that I addressed was our scouting system, and for that I turned to Mike Lombardi. Mike and I worked together on building a grading scale and value system for college scouting that would be consistent with our pro scale. Mike directed Dom Anile, our director of college scouting, and Jim Schwartz, a college scouting assistant, to refine, cross-check, and re-cross-check that system until they had created something that still works today.

Mike was brilliant. The value system and scouting manual he developed were unique, because each players skill evaluation incorporated the priorities of our coaches (including Nick Saban, defense; Ozzie Newsome, offense; Scott OBrien, special teams; Pat Hill and Kirk Ferentz, offensive line; and Jim Bates, defensive line). In each of the next three years, Mike and I read through literally every player in the NFL, as well as every player on our draft board, to make sure he was valued properly and might fit into our schemes. Our grades, which were closely monitored by Jim Schwartz, deviated from other systems, which graded players as starters and backups. Mike and Jim categorized nonstarters into roles, and three-down players were valued more highly than first- and second-down starters. Also, special teams players had real value in this system. It was and is no coincidence that our special teams units in Cleveland and New England have consistently ranked near the top of the league.

A decade later, when I became the head coach of the Patriots, I replaced the existing personnel system with the one Mike developed. Ernie Adams and Scott Pioli made some adjustments to it that reflected the changes in the NFL, in personnel and schemes, over the previous 10 years. But Mikes system never lost its usefulness. I have had the great fortune to have an outstanding staff of coaches and personnel people throughout my coaching career. Many have moved to other programs, in the NCAA as well as the NFL, and took the fundamentals of Mikes system with them. The roots of that system have been replanted so many times that it is all over the game today.

Another of Mikes many strengths is his ability to dig up undervalued players. He was relentless in the pursuit of talent. In Cleveland, we had an outstanding offensive line made up of players that Mike had identified in collegeTony Jones, Wally Williams, Orlando Brownlong before they became some of the highest-paid players at their position. Mike also signed defensive tackle Bob Dahl, with the idea of converting him to the offense. He was soon starting at guard.

In 2014, I hired Mike to assist me in New England. His knowledge and experience proved again to be invaluable, as he helped me, Nick Caserio, and our staff assemble our Super Bowl XLIX championship team. His recommendation to sign running back Dion Lewis and his successful pursuit of free agent center David Andrews are just two examples of his many contributions to that team.