Any Given Sunday is a American sports drama film directed by Oliver Stone depicting a fictional professional American football team. It is partly based on the novel On Any Given Sunday by NFL defensive end Pat Toomay ; the title is derived from a line in the book also used in the film , that a team can win or lose on "any given Sunday", said by the fictitious coach Tony D'Amato.
Cameo roles also feature many former American football players, including Dick Butkus , Y. The team is coached by thirty-year veteran Tony D'Amato, who has fallen out of favor with young team owner Christina Pagniacci, and his offensive coordinator Nick Crozier.
Crozier is also D'Amato's expected successor. In the thirteenth game of the season, both the starting quarterback Jack "Cap" Rooney and second-string quarterback Tyler Cherubini are injured and forced to leave the field.
The desperate Sharks call on third-string quarterback Willie Beamen to enter the game. While a nervous Beamen makes a number of errors and fails to win the game for the Sharks, he plays well and gains confidence. Rooney vows to make it back by the playoffs, with D'Amato promising not to give up on him. The following day, D'Amato and Pagniacci argue about the direction of the team. Pagniacci favors Crozier, and wants to eventually cut Rooney. D'Amato argues that Pagniacci's father, the previous owner, would never have meddled in his coaching plans.
During the next game, to D'Amato's chagrin, Beamen disregards the team's conservative offense and changes plays in the huddle. As the media hails Beamen as the next model of quarterback, the newfound success feeds his growing narcissism and leads to tension with teammates and coaches. During a confrontation with Beamen, D'Amato demotes him to the bench.
