title: Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile
author:  Nate Jackson 
description: *Starred Review* Nate Jackson played six seasons for the NFL Denver Broncos. He was, at various times, an extra wide receiver, a third-string tight end, and a special-teams regular. He didnt get a contract that will support multiple generations of heirs; failed to assemble an adoring, self-interested posse; never signed an endorsement deal. But he lived his dream for six years, never quite sure if hed survive the next cutuntil he didnt. Somewhere along the way he learned to write, not just link words together to form a coherent narrative, which would be more than enough for most sports bios, but really write. There is a bit of the artist in Nate Jackson. For anyone who wants to experience the NFL player experience, this is the book to read. The highs are here: scoring touchdowns (well, only a couple); moving from the practice squad to the game-day roster; those years (well, only a couple) when you felt kinda, sorta secure; and experiencing the camaraderie with teammates, a bittersweet pleasure given the uncertainty of who will be around tomorrow. Then there are the lows, led, of course, by injurieslord, the injuriesthe rehab, the pain, and the realization that ones body has been completely misaligned. And the tragedy that Jackson endured with the death of two teammatesyoung, seemingly invincible warriors. This is Jacksons first book, but hes honed his skills at Slate, Deadspin, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Dont miss this one; it could very well be the best book about pro football you will ever read. --Wes Lukowsky
zlib_text: 2
  
  “Original and far more interesting than fiction,
  these
  stories
  need
  no
  garnishment.
  Jackson
  Michael humbly asks, listens, and writes. His
  stated goal of delivering NFL history directly from
  the mouths of the men who made it is achieved
  with all the flair of a simple dive play that busts
  open for a forty-yard touchdown.”
  —Doug English, NFL All-Pro Defensive Tackle
  3
  
  The Game before the Money
  4
  
  5
  
  The Game before the Money
  Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL
  Jackson Michael
  University of Nebraska Press
  Lincoln & London
  6
  
  7
  
  © 2014 by Jackson Michael
  All photographs in the text are courtesy of the
  author unless otherwise noted.
  Cover image by Lon Keller is courtesy of Jay
  Keller.
  Author
  photo
  courtesy
  of
  Julie/Wiseshots
  Photography.
  A portion of the sales of this book will be donated
  to the following football-related charities:
  Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, Doug English,
  President. “The mission of the Lone Star Paralysis
  Foundation is to cure paralysis from spinal cord
  injury by f