Lombardi and Landry

August 15, 2011
In accessible, exciting prose, sportswriter and Giants beat reporter Palladino highlights the achievements of legends Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, who both worked as assistant coaches under the New York Giants' Jim Lee Howell. Lombardi coordinated offense from 1954 to 1958 before becoming head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Landry strategized defense from 1954 to 1959 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys, an expansion team that would eventually dominate the league in the 1970s and early '80s. Palladino offers generous praise for both. In Landry, for example, "the Giants had a man who would change the entire language of defense." He also compares and contrasts the coaches' styles and personalities. People could hear Lombardi "from five blocks away" but would not be able to hear Landry "from the next chair." Though the men differed in temperament, character, and even spirituality, they worked extraordinarily well together. That each of them would find great individual success in the NFL in subsequent years is a testament to their talent and dedication. Photos.

September 1, 2011
Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry are arguably the two best coaches in National Football League history. Lombardi won three preSuper Bowl championships and two Super Bowls while compiling a .738 winning percentage as a head coach. Landry had a .607 win percentage, with three Super Bowls. Amazingly, they were both assistant coaches with the New York Giants from 1954 through 1958. Veteran sportswriter Palladino tells the story of Lombardi's and Landry's years on the same sideline with an eye more toward exploring their development as coaches than plumbing their personalities, though that is a tangential result. We see how Lombardi used Giant running backs Frank Gifford and Alex Webster to develop the power running game he perfected in Green Bay, and we witness Landry's defensive genius in its infancy, building on Giant defensive stars Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, and Jim Katkavage. Palladino also points out that both Lombardi and Landry were given the freedom to experiment by head coach Jim Lee Howell, who was willing to give free reign to his young coaches. A revealing look at a significant period in NFL history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)