''A Few Seconds of Panic'' is a nonfiction first-person narrative by

Stefan Fatsis Stefan Fatsis (; born April 1, 1963) is an author and journalist. He regularly appears as a guest on National Public Radio's ''All Things Considered'' daily radio news program and as a panelist on Slate's sports podcast '' Hang Up and Listen''. ...

, published in 2008. The book chronicles Fatsis, a professional 43-year-old sportswriter working for '' The Wall Street Journal'', and his attempt to play in the National Football League. Along the way, he relates the personal stories and struggles that professional football players face in the league. After some setbacks, Fatsis eventually finds some success as a backup

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

for the Denver Broncos. The book's title comes from Jason Elam's description of being a kicker as "hours and hours of boredom surrounded by a few seconds of panic." ''A Few Seconds of Panic'' has been compared to George Plimpton's ''

Paper Lion ''Paper Lion'' is a 1966 non-fiction book by American author George Plimpton. In 1960, Plimpton, not an athlete, arranged to pitch to a lineup of professional baseball players in an All-Star exhibition, presumably to answer the question, "How ...

'', a 1966 book wherein the author joins the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

as a backup quarterback.

Featured persons

Kickers

* Jason Elam *

Paul Ernster Paul T. Ernster (born January 26, 1982) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football in Northern Arizona. Ernster has also been a member of the ...

Tyler Fredrickson Tyler Fredrickson (born February 26, 1981) is a former American football placekicker, and TV personality. He played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders in 3 preseason games during the 2007 season but was cut on September 2 ...

Micah Knorr Micah J. Knorr (born January 9, 1975) is a former American football Punter (football), punter . He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State Aggies ...

Todd Sauerbrun Todd Scott Sauerbrun (; born January 4, 1973) is a former American college and professional American football, football player who was a punter (American football), punter in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He played col ...

Other players

P. J. Alexander Patrick James Alexander (born December 23, 1978) is a former American football Center (American football), center. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Syracuse Orange football ...

* Jay Cutler *

Preston Parsons Preston Thomas Parsons (born February 19, 1979) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Northern Arizona. Parsons has also been a member o ...

* Jake Plummer *

Bradlee Van Pelt Bradlee Van Pelt (born July 3, 1980) is a former American football quarterback and safety. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and was also a member of the Houston Texans, Bergamo Lions in Italy and Le ...

Coaches and staff

* Pat Bowlen *

Ronnie Bradford Ronald Lee Bradford (born October 1, 1970) is a former defensive back who played for the NFL's Denver Broncos (1993–1995), Arizona Cardinals (1996), Atlanta Falcons (1997–2001) and Minnesota Vikings. He also served as a defensive assistan ...

* Mike Shanahan *

Paul Woodside Paul Woodside (born September 2, 1963) is an American football placekicker who played college football at West Virginia University where he earned first-team All-America honors and set numerous placekicking and scoring records. In 2008, Woodsid ...

References

External links