Trying Out For the NFL

Over four decades ago, writer George Plimpton infiltrated pro football when he joined the Detroit Lions as a backup quarterback. Plimpton chronicled the experience in his 1963 book "Paper Lion."

Writer Stefan Fatsis followed in Plimpton’s cleated footsteps when he wangled his way into the Denver Broncos training camp as a rookie place kicker. He spent a year traning with a strength coach and a former college kicker to get himself ready. He tells the story in a new book, "A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL."

Stefan Fatsis is a former sports writer for The Wall Street Journal and a frequent contributor to NPR's All Things Considered, and he joins Word of Mouth with more on the rigor and pressure of playing pro ball.