NFL Teams Honor Veterans, Military / Photo: Newscom

The NFL will continue to offer its Game Pass HD service free of charge at USO Centers for military members stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, Italy, Korea and Japan. At the USO facility in each of these locations, servicemembers can watch every NFL game live and online in its entirety.

In addition, teams will honor veterans and the armed services with a number of pregame and in-stadium initiatives:

Arizona Cardinals

At their November 15 game, the Cardinals will host 120 military volunteers, representing all service branches and unfurl a field-size American flag for the National Anthem, which will be performed by a member of the Navy. The Colors will be presented by American Legion Ira Hayes Post 84, and a local servicemember will be the game’s Honorary Captain.

Atlanta Falcons

At the November 8 game, the Falcons Fitness Flag Crew, presented by Flagstar Bank, will be comprised of soldiers from Fort Gordon’s Warrior Transition Battalion and the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center for Rehab in Augusta. The team will show the names of all season ticket holders who are veterans on their video board and display a “Thank You Veterans” ribbon. Falcons players will tape thank you messages for veterans to air on the jumbotron during the game. Prior to the Anthem, fans will be asked to observe a moment of silence, followed by recognition of veterans in-stadium. A local veteran will participate in the coin toss.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens will honor military members at their November 1 game. Festivities will include a pregame A-10 aircraft flyover, a serviceman as Honorary Captain of the Game, the Maryland National Guard’s salute to troops headed to Afghanistan, a live video feed from Afghanistan, a halftime performance by Baltimore’s Marching Ravens, a presentation of the Fort McHenry Great Garrison Flag and red, white and blue uniforms for the cheerleaders’ quarter-break performance.

Buffalo Bills

On November 1, the Bills will host their annual military appreciation on-field pregame ceremony. One-hundred servicemembers, including representatives from all military branches, will be on-field, and veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the Iraq conflict will all be recognized. The team will also pay tribute to members of Wounded Warriors and welcome them on-field.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers will host a Pro vs. GI Joe event at Bank of America Stadium on November 3. Chris Harris and Hilee Taylor will compete against active duty military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan in video games. The soldier’s families will also be present to speak to the soldiers via a video conference hookup. On November 10, Panthers players Jason Baker, Gary Barnidge, Mackenzy Bernadeau and N’ail Diggs will visit traveling service personnel at the USO station at Charlotte Douglas Airport. At the November 15 game, the team will welcome military personnel who recently returned from active duty. They will lead the Panthers on-field and serve as honorary coin toss captains. Pregame ceremonies will feature color guards from all five service branches, and the game will include a salute to military heroes and POW-MIA recognition. Halftime will include the recognition of each service branch and a swearing-in ceremony for new military enlistees.

Chicago Bears

On November 3, the Bears will make an appearance at the North Chicago VA Medical Center and deliver letters written to veterans by local students as part of the Hello to Our Heroes program. Sponsored by Staples, the program pairs players with students to write letters to veterans each month during the season. At the November 8 game, a soldier will deliver the American Flag to the field before players run out of the team tunnel. Army Generals and award recipients will serve as Honorary Captains for the coin toss. The U.S. Naval Academy Women’s Glee Club will sing the National Anthem while men and women representing the service’s five branches hold a large American flag on-field. Halftime activities will include a re-enlistment ceremony with men and women from all branches, and a soldier will serve as the 4th Phase Captain.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals will host over 50 military members, representing all service branches, at their November 8 game. They will take part in a flag unfurling during the National Anthem, followed by an Air Force flyover. There will be an on-field check presentation by Kroger to Operation Home Front. The JungleZone area will feature an interactive Marines and Operation Home Front display. Tributes will run throughout the game, including messages to the team from deployed soldiers.

Cleveland Browns

Through the Cleveland Browns Hats Off to Our Heroes program, the Browns will honor fallen soldiers during the November 16 game. Loved ones representing the soldiers will be seated in the “Honor Row” during the game. Additionally, a custom United States shaped American flag will be used during the National Anthem with five stars surrounding the flag – one for each branch of the Armed Forces. Veterans from each branch of the military will hold the star that they represent. The honorary Coin Toss Captain for this game will be a decorated war veteran.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys will host a military-themed game recognizing the USO and servicemembers. Festivities will include a performance with team’s cheerleaders and Neal McCoy. At the end of the halftime performance, 50 children from Snowball Express will be escorted on-field. Snowball Express is an organization that supports the children of fallen heroes. The Marines also will perform pregame with their drum and bugle corps.

Denver Broncos

At the November 9 game, a retired Golden Knight and Purple Heart recipient will parachute into the stadium with the Thunderstorm Skydive Team, using a Purple Heart Parachute. Halftime ceremonies will include a salute to military members, with all branches represented on-field. The Air Force Academy Band will sing God Bless America, and a Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient will be honored. Military shout-outs will be shown throughout the game.

Detroit Lions

The Lions will hold an induction ceremony at their November 1 game. The 119th Field Artillery and 182 Field Artillery Battalions will represent the Michigan Army National Guard during a pregame pre-deployment ceremony. One hundred soldiers will attend the game, and all veterans in attendance will be recognized. The team will also honor a local military member who recently returned home from Iraq at the game. The Lions honor a soldier at each of their home games as part of their Hometown Heroes Program.

Green Bay Packers

On November 15, the Packers will unfurl a large flag on-field and host an Air Force flyover. The team will recognize a Military Family of the Game on-field before the National Anthem.

Houston Texans

The Texans saluted the military at their October 25 game, at which President George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush served as Honorary Captains. The National Anthem was performed by a member of the military, followed by members of the US Army Golden Knights parachuting in with American Flag and Game Ball. The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon performed during halftime, followed by a live satellite feed from the USS Bush, during which President George H.W. Bush addressed the troops. The Texans also hosted a field day for 100 wounded Veterans from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio at the team’s training facility, and Coach Kubiak invited wounded veterans to attend the first 30 minutes of practice. Lunch was served by the Lady Texans organization.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts players and the team mascot will visit the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis on November 10 to spend time with veterans and attend a birthday party for the Marines. The team will be joined by Purple Heart recipient, Colts community liaison and motivational speaker Josh Bleill. At the November 8 game, cheerleaders will perform a halftime show recognizing veterans.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On November 8, the Jaguars will recognize 12 veterans pregame, and the team will be lead on-field by sailors from NAS Jacksonville, followed by a moment of silence and a 21-gun salute. The National Anthem will be delivered on the video board from a soldier in Taqaddum, Iraq. A flyover will be conducted by a B-2 Spirit from Whiteman AFB, and a large American flag will be held by airmen from Tyndall AFB. At halftime, the team will host a mass induction ceremony, involving all five branches of the military. During the 3rd quarter break, Wounded Warriors will be recognized on the field. Outside the stadium, a Navy helicopter and an Army CH-47 Chinook will be on display, along with an EOD weapons display.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs Rookie Club will host students from the Derrick Thomas Academy for a special field trip at the National World War I Museum. During the visit, the Chiefs will announce a $5,000 grant to the museum. These funds will be used to formulate a “family guide,” which will educate visitors of the museum on its history and displays. The Chiefs also honored past, present and future members of the Armed Forces as they hosted more than 1,200 local military personnel during the club’s Military Appreciation Day at Arrowhead. In addition to several special presentations, the team also debuted Chiefs-branded Military Appreciation Day merchandise, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the U.S. Army’s Wounded Warriors unit from Fort Riley, Kansas.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins’ November 15 game will feature a military ‘stand to’ and enlistment ceremony, with over 200 servicemembers on-field during pregame activities. Members of the National Guard Band and Parris Island Marine Band will greet fans at entrance gates to the stadium, and halftime activities will include a performance by the Parris Island Marine Band. Several Dolphins players will donate their All Community Team Tickets to groups including Wounded Warriors Project. On November 10, Ricky Williams and several of his teammates will host a luncheon for service members from Wounded Warriors Miami. They will also be Williams’ guests at the November 15 game.

Minnesota Vikings

On November 10, the Vikings will be visit the V.A. Hospital in Minneapolis to dedicate a Viking themed area at the hospital. Additionally, Vikings players will visit the Veteran’s Home in Minneapolis. At the November 15 game, the “Minnesota Vikings Salute to the Military” campaign will include military members involved with the National Anthem and Color Guard. A servicemember will be designated as the day’s Honorary Viking. The Mall of America Field Plaza will feature military vehicles and a climbing wall pregame, and a large flag will be unfurled during the anthem. Patriotic songs will be performed pregame on the plaza stage.

New England Patriots

At their November 8 game, the Patriots will recognize veterans and active military members on-field prior to kickoff and with a video played at halftime. Active servicemembers and veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf will be honored at the game. The coin toss will include participation from two veterans, one of whom is a Patriots fan and one who is a Dolphins fan.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints will honor the military at their November 2 game. Pregame entertainment will include a flag unfurling presentation with 125 active duty participants from all branches of the military and feature “Saints shot out” messages by military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan on the video boards. A marine will perform the National Anthem and the Commandant of the USMC will be presented as a special guest during the coin toss. During halftime, the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon will perform.

New York Giants

At their November 8 game, the Giants will recognize crew members from the USS New York, a vessel whose bow is comprised of steel salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. The team also will host a volunteer group representing Homes For Our Troops, a non-profit organization dedicated to building adapted homes for severely injured veterans; they will be on-site distributing ribbons to fans. On Veterans Day, the Giants will host local Wounded Warriors at practice and invite them for lunch in the players’ cafeteria.

New York Jets

At their November 15 game, the Jets will celebrate their 10th annual Military Appreciation Day. Seventy-five military personnel representing each of the five branches of the military will be guests at practice on November 13. Pregame on Sunday, each branch of the military will have exhibits and recruiting stations set up outside the stadium. Vocalists from the Air Force Singing Sergeants will perform the National Anthem, with members of each branch of the military on-field. The Maguire Air Force Base joint color guard will present the colors, and a B-52 bomber will perform a flyover at the conclusion of the Anthem. A local four-star general will serve as honorary captain, and halftime will include a performance by the Air Force Honor Guard precision drill team. Throughout the game, special messages from troops will be played in-stadium, as well as a message from Coach Ryan and player messages to servicemembers. Public service announcements will be played in-stadium promoting each branch of the military.

Oakland Raiders

On November 10, Raiders players will visit with veterans at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco, speaking about football experiences and will answering questions.

Philadelphia Eagles

On November 6, the Eagles will host a Pro vs. GI Joe event at the NovaCare Complex. Players will play Guitar Hero against soldiers in Iraq and meet with approximately 25 military members. Family members of the soldiers playing in Iraq will be in attendance to visit with their loved ones onscreen. The Eagles will honor the military at their November 8 game by featuring the US Marines Silent Drill Team at halftime and unfurling a field-size American Flag during the Anthem.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers and VA Healthcare hosted the second annual Heroes at Heinz Field event for 75 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Participants, many wounded in the war, tried out their football skills with the help of Steelers players Patrick Bailey, Charlie Batch, Keyaron Fox, Doug Legursky, Ryan Mundy, Dan Sepulveda, A.Q. Shipley, Kraig Urbik and Greg Warren. The players spent time speaking with veterans and expressing gratitude for their service. At the November 15 game, the color guard will consist of local veterans.

St. Louis Rams

On November 10, Jason Brown and teammates will visit a local VA Hospital to encourage patients and sign autographs. At the November 15 game, the team will have a Salute to American Veterans presentation during halftime with a pass in review including local military organizations. The team will honor veterans during the game, and the National Anthem will be performed by Navy personnel.

San Diego Chargers

As part of the Chargers’ ongoing support for San Diego County active duty military and veterans, on November 10, Chargers players and cheerleaders will visit the San Diego’s VA Hospital to spend time with patients and veterans groups. As part of the day’s activities, the team will provide a donation for some new recreational equipment.

San Francisco 49ers

Current and former members of the 49ers will visit a local retirement home to host a card tournament. During the event, the entire group will join in the Pledge of Allegiance, and veterans will be recognized by the Color Guard and given a limited edition 49ers pin to honor their service. As part of a longstanding tradition, at the November 8 game, a color guard consisting of members of a variety of branches of the military will present the flag during the National Anthem. Additionally, discounted tickets will be offered to members of the military.

Seattle Seahawks

At the Seahawks November 8 game, representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Legion will be introduced as a large American flag is unfurled. Other military guests on the sidelines will include members from the Warrior Transition Battalion. The US Navy Academy Glee Club will perform the National Anthem, followed by a flyover, and representatives from McChord Air Force Base will present the American flag.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On November 11, Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik will welcome two returning veterans into their new homes, courtesy of the Buccaneers in partnership with Rebuild Together Tampa Bay. Named “Operation: Bucs Rebuild,” these homes will provide safe havens for veterans. These abandoned homes are being totally refurbished and updated as part of the City of Tampa’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Tennessee Titans

On November 10, Titans players, cheerleaders and staff will visit the Nashville V. A. Medical Center, led by Ahmard Hall, who served for four years in the Marines with service in Kosovo. In addition, the team’s 11th annual Titans Salute to Veteran’s Day will take place during the November 15 game, with 120 soldiers from Fort Campbell 101st Airborne Division unfurling a giant American Flag spanning the entire field for the National Anthem, followed by a flyover of F-16’s from the 187th Fighter Wing. At halftime, the 101st Airborne Division Army Band will play each military branch’s song and a color guard from that branch will parade across the field. The team will present a game ball to the Fort Campbell Commanding General and to a group of Wounded Warriors who will be attending the game.

Washington Redskins

On November 10, the Redskins will host a Pro vs. GI Joe event at Redskins Park. Players will play Guitar Hero against soldiers overseas and meet with approximately 25 active, retired and wounded military members. Family members of the soldiers playing overseas will be in attendance to visit with their loved ones onscreen. Additionally, Redskins players will visit with wounded warriors in the morning at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. At the November 15 game, the Redskins will honor the military by featuring the US Air Force and Military Order of the Purple Heart during the coin toss and halftime ceremonies. In addition, the Redskins will be hosting a “Timeout for Military Veterans’ Health” at the stadium on November 7, with free health screenings.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL Teams Honor Veterans, Military

Last night’s 51-29 win by New Orleans over Green Bay boosted the National Football League to the first 800-point weekend in its history. A total of 837 points were scored in the league’s 16 Week 12 games (it averaged out to more than 50 points per game), the most ever in a single NFL weekend. The previous record was 788 points, set three times back in 2002, 2004 and 2007. Games this season are averaging 45 points. If that holds up, it would top last season’s average of 43.4 points and the record average since the 16-game schedule was instituted in 1978 of 43.7 points per game in 1983.

This comes as no surprise in a league whose rules clearly favor the offense. The NFL knows fans want to see points on the scoreboard and that’s exactly what they’re going to give them, much to the displeasure of any player who makes his living on the defensive side of the ball.

Source: NFL Media

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL’s First-Ever 800-Point Weekend

A new survey that will be released tomorrow by Expedia (aka the Official Travel Team of the National Football League) found that more than 80% of football fans with tickets to an important game would travel an average of 554 miles to see their team play, and 40% of football fans would pass up a hot date or their own birthday party to go to a professional football game. These are just a few examples of how pro football fans say they prioritize their enthusiasm for America’s favorite pastime.

Expedia’s “Go Like Pro Survey” revealed just how far dedicated professional football fans will go to support their teams, what they would give up to catch a game, even whether or not they prefer their child play the field rather than hit the books. Below is a breakout of the results that show the impact professional football has on American lives:

Catching the Away Game Action

• Going the Distance: For eight in ten pro football fans, having tickets to an important football game means they’d make the effort to get to the stadium, even if it wasn’t nearby. The average trek those who would be willing to travel would make is 554 miles.
• The End Zone: Nearly one in five say they’d travel 1,000 miles or more to see the action live.

Best Offense is a Good Defense

• Offsides: Eighteen percent of pro football fans are so dedicated to their team that they could never marry a fan of their team’s biggest rivals.
• Priorities, Priorities: Some fans are even willing to be a no-show at important occasions. Avoiding their own birthday party (41%), a hot date (39%), the birthday party of a friend or family member (35%) or jury duty (31%) all make their lists of acceptable occasions to skip in favor of attending a game.
• Making the Grade: One-quarter of professional football fans have a better memory for pro football stats and scores than they do for birthday and anniversary dates of their friends and families.

Play Hard, Work Less?

• Great Expectations: More than four in ten professional football lovers would rather see a child of theirs become a star professional football player than win a Nobel Prize.
• Calling in Sick: Nearly six in ten pro football fans would skip work if they had tickets to an important game. Younger fans would be more willing than their older counterparts to miss work for an important game. Seventy-three percent of those ages 18-29 say they’d gladly not show their faces at work, only 54% of those 30 and older would do the same.

Injury Report

• Sore Losers: The fallout from watching their favorite team lose is no small matter for America’s professional football fans. More than half admit it takes at least a day for their moods to recover. In fact, the average time it takes for this group to feel better is two days. Of those devoted football fans who note that they need mood recovery time after their team loses, a passionately involved 30% admit it would take 3-7 days to smile again.

Making Tight Ends Meet

• Cha Ching! A majority, (61%) of pro football devotees say they’d gladly spend their money on a Super Bowl ticket if their favorite team were to make it. Of the fans who’d buy a Super Bowl ticket to see their team compete, an average of $694 is what they’d be willing to part with just to snag a seat.
• Coughing it Up: Pro football enthusiasts don’t hesitate to plunk down the big bucks to pursue their passion during the season. Those who spend money on being fans part with an average of $483 each year on everything from going to the games to collecting memorabilia to joining fantasy leagues. For a loyal 23% of pro football aficionados who spend money being a fan, it costs $500 or more each year to pursue their passion.

What this survey reveals is that we’re a sick bunch. But seriously, I’m guilty of several of these aforementioned tendencies. I sure as heck wouldn’t travel over 500 miles to see an NFL team play, but I would definitely alter “important occasion” plans to catch a “must-see” game. And not only do I have a better memory for stats and scores than I do for calendar dates, I use players’ uniform numbers to help me remember them. It’s a sad state of affairs, I know.

Source: Expedia Press Release

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Expedia Survey Reveals How Far Football Fans Will Go to Support Their Teams

The NFL has been acknowledged as America’s most popular sport for the past 43 years, rated #1 by fans in the Harris Poll since 1965. In fact, for the fifth consecutive year, twice as many people named professional football (30%) as their favorite sport over baseball (15%). NFL popularity can be measured in other ways as well. For instance:

• Nearly 158% more women ages 18-to-49 watched Super Bowl XLII (22.1 million) than the 2008 Academy Awards (8.5 million).
• Viewership for 35 NFL games during the 2007 season would rank among prime-time’s five most-watched May 2008 season/series finales.
• The NFL is the most popular sport among teens ages 12-17, according to the ESPN Sports Poll, with 76% of that age group responding that they are NFL fans.

Furthermore, the NFL dominates team logo clothing. Ask a sports fan which team logo he or she has on their clothing and an NFL club will likely be identified loud and clear. That’s what a recent ESPN Sports Poll indicates. Seven of the top 10 spots of teams with the most popular clothing went to the NFL, led by the Dallas Cowboys in first place. The other favorites are Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Chicago, Indianapolis, Philly and New England.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL: America’s Favorite Spectator Sport

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

If you’re a keen observer, you’ve noticed a slightly modified version of the NFL logo floating around these days. And you’re intrigued. Well, the National Football League is introducing an upgraded NFL shield that will be officially unveiled at the upcoming 2008 NFL Draft April 26-27. I like the new version a lot. It’s cleaner and less cluttered. And while it stays true to the original’s design, the new shield is thinner; the font is more modern; and the number of stars has been reduced from 25 to eight, representing the eight NFL divisions (four in each conference). The football has also been modified to look more like the one on the Vince Lombardi trophy. And the blue color is slightly darker.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

New NFL Logo to be Introduced at Draft

The National Football League is more popular than ever. In fact, I just received a press release today announcing that the league set a paid attendance record for the fifth straight year. But not only is the game itself big business, so are the players. Fellow b5er Miki Saxon (who writes for LeadershipTurn.com) brought this interesting factoid to my attention. From the Timothy R. Clark book EPIC Change: How to Lead Change in the Global Age:

“Consider the changing physical profile of linemen who play in the National Football League (NFL). In 1976, there wasn’t a single player who tipped the scales at over three hundred pounds. Ten years later, there were 18. During the following decade, the number of players in this fleshy category swelled to 289. Fast-forward to the present, and that number has nearly doubled, with no fewer than 570 players on NFL rosters weighing in at not a biscuit under the three-hundred-pound threshold, constituting fully 20 percent of the player population. Yet the beefier trend isn’t new. Players have gradually been getting bigger since the early days of the game; for example, the average lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers weighed 210 pounds in 1946. Beyond the girth, however, what catches the eye is the astonishing acceleration of the trend.”

Sadly, along with that weight increase comes some danger. Grave danger. The heaviest athletes are more than twice as likely to die before their 50th birthday than their teammates, according to a Scripps Howard News Service study of 3,850 professional-football players who have died in the last century. Most of the 130 players born since 1955 who have died were among the heaviest athletes in sports history, according to the study. One-fifth died of heart diseases, and 77 were so overweight that doctors would have classified them as obese, the study found. So while the NFL and its players are enjoying tremendous popularity, physicians are increasingly questioning whether, by bulking up for their shot at fame and fortune, players are sacrificing their health later in life.

I plan to pursue this topic more in the offseason and talk to some of the 300+ pound players (like Tennessee Titans All-Pro DT Albert Haynesworth) about their thoughts on this information. I’m wondering if there’s a feeling of invincibility or if they really are concerned about the dangers of weighing over 300 pounds.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Pro Football is ‘Big’ Business: Twenty Percent of NFL Players Now Weigh Over 300 Pounds

Worried because your team is 0-2? Well, history shows that 0-2 teams advance to the playoffs more often than people might think. Since 1990, 18 teams have begun 0-2 and still qualified for the postseason. In fact, the 0-2 Dallas Cowboys in 1993 won Super Bowl XXVIII, the 0-2 New England Patriots of 1996 played in Super Bowl XXXI, and in 2001, the 0-2 Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI. So all you Falcons, Bills, Chiefs, Dolphins, Saints, Giants, Jets, Raiders, Eagles and Rams fans, don’t despair. There is still hope. You may not win the Super Bowl, but your season is far from over.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Winless After Two Games?

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

If you go to any stadium in the NFL, you will notice fans enjoying a pre-game meal in the parking lot. Tailgating is part of the whole NFL experience, but fans are not the only ones who enjoy their food before kickoff. Many NFL players — like San Francisco’s Vernon Davis — have special pregame eating habits that don’t vary. Here are a few examples:

• Vernon Davis, 49ers – baked chicken, broccoli and cheese, spaghetti
• Matt Bryant, Bucs – chocolate malt milkshake
• Jonas Jennings, 49ers – turkey club sandwich with no bacon
• Igor Olshansky, Chargers – fruit (watermelon, grapes, and cantelope), wheat pasta with marinara sauce, garlic and basil, and chicken
• Aaron Smith, Steelers – plain hamburger and pasta
• Marvel Smith, Steelers – chicken pasta
• Max Starks, Steelers – Shark Bites Fruit Snacks
• Terrell Suggs, Ravens – scrambled eggs with cheese in the morning and steak and pasta in the afternoon
• Brian Urlacher, Bears – two chocolate chip cookies
• Bryant Young, 49ers – oatmeal or anything with a lot of carbs

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Pigskin Petrol: Food For Performance

Wondering why Vince Young wasn’t in uniform for the Tennessee Titans’ preseason opener against the Redskins last night? Head coach Jeff Fisher suspended him for a game. The Titans were pretty tight-lipped about it, but Coach Fisher did say:

“I made a decision earlier today to not put Vince in the ball game for violating a team rule. Period. End of story. He’ll be back in the building Monday with his teammates, practicing. He’s our starting quarterback.”

I have no idea what the rule was that Vince broke, but I applaud Coach Fisher for showing that there will be no favoritism or double-standardizing among his players. To put your starting QB on the bench for breaking a team rule shows that nobody is above the law in Tennessee and this type of action will go a long way in building unity on this team. As for Vince — again, I don’t know what he did, but it was enough to get him suspended. And a pretty bad way to start the season. By the way, the Titans lost 14-6.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Vince Young Sits For Preseason Opener

You may have noticed the green dots on the back of NFL quarterbacks’ helmets. That’s something new for this year. All QBs will have a green dot on their helmet. It signifies that the player has a radio helmet and the NFL will put the stickers on the helmets themselves each week. Only a QB can have a radio, and only one green dot can be on the field at a time. So, if a 2nd string QB comes in for a trick play, he has to have a different helmet to wear.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Green Dots on NFL Quarterbacks’ Helmets