Bringing the Heat

Bringing the Heat by Mark Bowden is a fascinating, brutally candid look inside the Philadelphia Eagles during one of the most memorable eras in franchise history. Centered largely on the 1992 season, Bowden goes far beyond wins and losses to explore the personalities, conflicts, friendships, and enormous egos that made the Eagles of that era so compelling.

At the heart of the story is the larger-than-life Jerome Brown, whose tragic death in a car accident before the season left an emotional void throughout the organization. Bowden also takes listeners deep inside the complicated world of superstar quarterback Randall Cunningham, the leadership and faith of legendary defensive end Reggie White, and a ferocious defense featuring Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Andre Waters, Eric Allen, and others.

What makes Bringing the Heat so memorable is that it doesn't sound like a typical football book. Bowden examines the remnants of the Buddy Ryan era, the transition to Rich Kotite, the influence of owner Norman Braman, and the locker-room tensions surrounding a talented team trying to turn itself into a championship contender. It's funny, uncomfortable, tragic, and incredibly revealing

—showing both the extraordinary athleticism of professional football and the messy lives of the people playing it. For Eagles fans, especially anyone who remembers the Cunningham, White, and Jerome Brown years, it's an absorbing time capsule of a team and an era that helped define Philadelphia football.