As you may know by now, I'm a huge Chris Brown fan -- the football writer, not the singer that hits girls. He's superb at what he does, breaking down plays and schemes and adding to our understanding of football. And it just so happens that he loves the Air Raid and, by association, Mike Leach.
So last week when Chris said he'd written about 10,000 words on the Air Raid, its history and the evolution of the offense, I was beyond excited. He'd correctly hyped it up a little, saying the piece would have old videos from his personal collection and plenty of visual aids to go along with the comprehensive text. While I was in New York this past week, I was able to meet Chris and hear many of his stories -- about Leach, Dana Holgorsen and many more -- as well as a small teaser about the Air Raid piece (we were all giddy it, like nerds waiting for their football fix). It was one of the highlights of the trip.
And this morning, the Air Raid Opus he promised arrived. It's long, but incredibly worth it. You'll find just about everything you've ever wanted to know about the offense in it -- from the origins to its current form, and the people behind the offense.
Go read it. Watch the videos. Take it all in. It's as excellent as expected and certainly lives up to the hype.
And if you're looking for more from Brown, do take a look at his book, The Essential Smart Football. I've read it twice, and keep it handy as a reference.