Card manufacturers were producing trading cards long before the Dallas Cowboys joined the NFL in 1960. In the 1950’s Topps began packaging their signature product, bubblegum, with baseball and football cards. From there, as football grew in popularity, players could find their likeness on items such as milk cartons, soft drink caps, cereal boxes and plastic cups. The emergence of the AFL in 1960 allowed Topps competitors, beginning with Fleer, to make inroads in the business. The 1961 Fleer set featured both leagues, and then they focused on the AFL alone. Philadelphia Gum secured the NFL rights for 1964, forcing Topps to go for the AFL which left Fleer with no product in either baseball or football. Philadelphia Gum produced football card sets featuring Cowboys from 1964 through 1967. In 1982 Topps was licensed by NFL Properties for the first time. Previously, team logos on helmets were removed by airbrush. In the 70’s Fleer rejoined the ranks by producing sets of cards called Fleer Team Action and FTA Stickers. They focused on NFL teams not individual players and were able to use team logos. The “card explosion” started around 1989 with new companies joining the fold like Pro Set and Score. By 1992 there were more than 30 brands of football cards. It was a new era for the hobby. You could all but forget about collecting all the cards of your favorite team, but now focus on a favorite player or two. Just to put it all in perspective - with all the parallel, inserts, and variations - in 1995 there were over 250 different cards produced of Troy Aikman.

The Cowboys were an expansion team in 1960. Their first roster was created by choosing 36 players from the 12 existing franchises (three per team). In the first set of cards featuring Dallas Cowboys players, 1960 Topps, all the players were pictured in the uniforms of the teams they departed. The next year they took part in the NFL draft and acquired Bob Lilly with their first ever draft pick. There have been many outstanding players through the years that have donned the blue star on their helmet, several of which are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only one man held the position of head coach for the first 29 years of the organization - Tom Landry. Coach Landry led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl titles, five NFC Championships, 13 NFC East titles, 18 trips to the playoffs and 20 winning seasons.

There were no plastic holders or sleeves to keep your cards from harms way in the early years. They were rubber banded together and tossed in shoe boxes and the stickers were stuck onto school notebooks or bike fenders. Cards were flipped and traded with your buddies and even thumb tacked or taped on bulletin boards. All these things lend to the value of the cards today. If you were lucky enough to have kept very good care of your cards when you were younger, and your mother didn’t toss that shoebox in the attic out with the trash, you could already have a good start to your collection. Now with all the top-loaders, sorting boxes, screw downs and nine-slot binder pages available to the collector, it’s much easier to take care of those gems. That is why I consider 1960 - 1990 the vintage years. Those older cards can sometimes be very difficult to find in great condition. That is not to say that the cards manufactured after 1990 have no value or collectible appeal. They just won’t be as scarce or hard to find in great condition twenty or even fifty years from now. I encourage you to collect beyond 1990 and on. It’s a whole new hobby now with more resources to fill your checklists like the internet and card shows.

The Dallas Cowboys Complete Football Card Guide - Vol 3

A beautifully illustrated 226 page, full-color guide, provides the Dallas Cowboy collector with information on over 6000 different sets from 1960 to 2006.

http://www.thecowboysguide.com/

The Super Bowl slipped through the well-manicured fingers of New England Patriots Quaterback Tom Brady, and that is a big story in itself, as not much has slipped through the Hall-Of-Famer-To-Be’s grasp during his NFL career.

Tom Brady has had virtually everything go his way in the NFL. Now, after 18-1, we will see really for the first time how Tom Brady bounces back after being beaten up, pride and all. The New England Patriots and Brady go back to the drawing board, 0-0. There is no shortage of AFC teams looking for their red, white and blue heads going into the 2009 season. But that is for another day.

Tom Brady is a Golden Boy. We see them once in a while in sports. Good looks, great player, luck of a great surrounding cast, the right Coaches, the right system, etc. The white hot spotlight does not (usually) bother Golden Boys, and the stage is always big-always Broadway for their likes.

Now we will see how resilient Tom Brady is. This loss, for this team, with its collective ego, was an absolute crusher. The New England Patriots, although they will never admit it, took their foot off of the pedal ever so slightly during the second-half of the season. Sometimes that is all that it takes to come slowly back to the pack, the days of 40-50 points-per-game becoming a more distant memory as the season progressed. If that team was playing in the Super Bowl, then maybe the outcome would have been different. Maybe.

Bill Belichick knows how to coach football. He has all the fuel he now needs going into next season to motivate the New England Patriots. Question is-just how tough are Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to rebound from an undressing before 97,000,000 Americans?

http://www.fastbreakblog.com

What’s the fuss about Reggie White, and why do so many football enthusiasts rush after his autographed memorabilia? Born a few days before Christmas in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Reggie White played defensive tackle for a number of teams, such as the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. He likewise won NFL awards in the process, and was for some time the consistent recipient of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

This Minister of Defense, Reggie White scored and won as both an Evangelical Christian and a Pro-football player. One of the greatest leaders in sacks in all of NFL’s history, Reggie White actually began as a college football player, retired from the Green Bay Packers, and then returned to the NFL to play football all over again. He is ranked among the one hundred greatest football players of all time, making Reggie White memorabilia precious amongst football enthusiasts.

Are you a football fan willing to invest in autographed memorabilia, or fan memorabilia related to Reggie White? Here are a few things that you may want to collect and pray a pretty penny for, whether you seek to decorate your home with Reggie White-related goods, or sell them again at your own collector’s store or auction.

- For the earliest years of Reggie White the athlete, begin at the beginning and look for his University of Tennessee memorabilia. Reggie White still holds school records for the highest number of sacks in a player’s career, in one season, and in a single game. There are pictures of Reggie White available, as a student, and as a player with his team.

- After college, Reggie White joined the football league’s Memphis Showboats. This short stint of two seasons yielded but a few signed pictures, but autographed memorabilia from this era are quite precious, especially since the USFL was dismantled a few years later, leading to White’s move to the NFL.

- Because the Philadelphia Eagles held his NFL rights, Reggie White moved to the Eagles and played for a total of eight seasons with them. He went on to set sack records with the team, as well as to pick up awards for his various achievements with the Eagles. Many autographed pictures, cards, and even pigskins are available from this era of White’s career. There are also books about the Philadelphia Eagles that Reggie White signed, so look out for them at your collector’s shops.

- Reggie White’s stint with the Green Bay Packers lasted for about six seasons, and his propensity for winning football-related awards decreased. Autographed memorabilia from this time, however, are still very much available, especially since he was part of the winning Super Bowl team in the Super Bowl’s thirty-first year. You can find many team pictures, pigskins, and football cards with Reggie White’s signature.

- Although White retired in 1998, he returned the following year to the NFL to play for the Carolina Panthers. In his last playing season, White played below par, and thus retired. Most memorabilia from this season are easy to come by and relatively cheap, but they will one day be expensive due to the nature of the game at this point in White’s career.

- After Reggie White finally retired, he spent time at his church and even studied the Torah. He then began to make the rounds of television interviews and magazine coverage. If you want to get memorabilia of Reggie White the religious, then look for signed memorabilia from this time, which can include pictures and magazine articles of him.

Reggie White died the day after Christmas 2004. In the following season, the Green Bay Packers, University of Tennessee, and Philadelphia Eagles football teams retired the number 92 jersey that Reggie White wore as a player. In his lifetime, Reggie White had not only autographed photos, articles, and jerseys, he had also played a great game of football that many players would remember and emulate in years to come.

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For more information about authentic autographed sports memorabilia and collectibles, visit http://www.sportscollectionz.com . Read articles from contributing writers in our blog site at http://sportscollectionz.wordpress.com

Last time I wrote about my top 10 2007 nfl draft predictions in this years up and coming draft!

With less than 2 weeks away, it is very exciting to see who the next big stars will be in the NFL and who will end up where. All the spectulation and hype can now be finished!

Without further adue, here are my picks for 11-20.

11. San Francisco 49ers Selects Alan Branch, Michigan

Why?: Branch is a HUGE tackle that will fit Mike Nolan’s 3-4 scheme perfectly. He can be used as a rookie and be there for years to come. Everyone needs to stop the run, why not have this guy who would be the highest ranking left on the board at this time.

12. Buffalo Bills Selects Patrick Willis, Mississippi

Why?: The Bills just lost London-Fletcher, and Willis is the best middle LB in the draft. This guy is also a tackling machine! I figure the Bills have too many needs to not choose this guy.

13. St. Louis Rams Selects Adam Carriker, Nebraska

Why?: St. Louis needs help on Defense and a pass rusher is just what they need. It maybe temping to take someone like Leon Hall here, since their secondary problems are definitely still there. However, I think there are better CB’s they could potentially take in the later rounds so I like Carriker here.

14. Carolina Panthers Selects Greg Olsen, Miami

Why?: Will give Carolina the best TE in the draft and take some pressure off Keyshawn and Steve Smith. He could end up being one of the better TE’s in the league. The Panthers also could go for a LB here but I think the talent of Olsen is more than enough to take him here (especially given there is really only 2 high profile TE’s in the draft).

15. Pittsburgh Steelers Selects Ted Ginn JR, Ohio State

Why?: Ginn is a speed wagon and would bring a lot of energy to the special teams. He would also make a great 2nd or 3rd WR. Pittsburgh is set at Running Back with Willie Parker, but still need a deep threat since Burress and Randle El has departed.

16. Green Bay Packers Selects Marshawn Lynch, California

Why?: Green Bay lost long time RB Green to the Houston Texans and it is time to draft a solid RB to fill the hole. Lynch is the 2nd best RB in the draft and although someone like Nelson would be interesting, I think RB or WR would be a far more pressing need. They also could decide to take someone like Dwayne Bowe or Robert Meachem.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars Selects Reggie Nelson, Florida

Why?: Deon Grant is gone and Safety is a very pressing need for the Jags. They need a starter in which Nelson should be able to give them for many years to come. They have taken RBs and WR’s in the past few drafts using their higher picks, I think this year it will be time to address the defense.

18. Cincinnati Bengals Selects Leon Hall, Michigan

Why?: A lot of draft boards have Leon Hall closer to the top 10 mark, however I feel he slips due to other defensive players going first. It is hard to judge if someone is going to be a great cover in the NFL, so most teams are a bit sceptical to spend a first round pick here. I think Hall is a good choice for the Bengals who are in deep need for a quality CB, and Hall appears to have the most talent out of the group.

19. Tennesse Titans Selects Robert Meachem, Tennesse

Why?: Tennesse just spent their 1st rounder last year on Vince Young so they now need someone to catch the ball he throws. Meachem is one of the best quality WRs in the draft and will make the Titans a better team. A home boy like Meachem is just what they need.

20. N.Y Giants Selects Paul Poslusnzy, Penn State

Why?: The Giants have a glaring need for a LB, especially given LaVar Arrington was a bust last season. This will solidy their LB position for many years to come.

Next time, Ill talk about the remaining draft picks and my final 2007 nfl draft predictions at the end of round one(21-32)! In two weeks, we’ll see if they come true!

Until next time,

I created my blog because I am absolutely fascinated with Pro Sports. I am a daily pro sports fan and I follow each of them extensively. I’m also a huge Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Dolphins fan! You’ll expect to find nhl trade rumor information, 2007 nfl draft predictions, nba trade rumor reports, and mlb baseball trade news and much more at Pro Sport News.

As a former NFL player, NFL training camp is where the real work begins, especially for rookies and un-drafted athletes who want to try and make a team.

Prior to training camp, you may have been on vacation or spending time with friends and family. But the fun is over the moment you are given your training camp room key. This is where the sweat and tears start. This is where nervous butterflies give you a constant uneasy feeling in your gut.

You start training camp by meeting with other players and coaches. There is a nervous excitement in the air and it seems that all the players have some jitters. Your mind plays games against your confidence and you find yourself asking questions like, “Am I really good enough to play in the pros?” “What will I do if I don’t make the team?” “What if I can’t remember the plays we are taught?” “What happens if I get sick or injured?”

Then you get your schedule and it tells you where to go and meet. The schedule tells you that your first meeting is a team meeting with the head coach, staff, trainers, and the team owner. This is it. Training camp has officially started. It’s time to get to work and prove yourself. Psych yourself up. You are the best. You are going to do great and impress everybody. You are going to make the team and become a starter. You are a professional football player!

The schedule says that practice starts tomorrow. Morning practice is at 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Lunch is noon to 2:00 PM. At 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM we watch film. Our second practice is from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

For the first three days of camp, practice is a light practice with shorts and a helmet. This is to get your legs under you. On the fourth day of camp you get to put on pads. This is when the excitement begins and the butterflies go wild. You are so anxious to hit somebody. It feels like it has been forever since you were last on the field and ready to play. This is the toughest day for you. Your body has to get accustomed to the pads that weigh 70 lbs. Your body suffers as you go through practice drills while wearing these heavy pads in 100 plus degree heat. This is when you find out if you are in shape or not. Can you survive it? Are you going to get sick? Are you going to look weak in front of the other players? Be a man! You can handle it. If others can do it you can too. It’s mind over matter. Do it!

Coaches make day four with full pads a very physical day. This is to break players in on wearing pads in heat. This is where there coaches see which players have the strength and stamina to compete in the NFL. This is also where coaches see which players take being an athlete seriously and keep their bodies in top physical condition and which players are lazy and don’t work out.

After afternoon practice players hit the showers and the cold tubs. Cold tubs are filled with ice water. They feel like hell but they help an aching swollen body recover like nothing else.

After you clean up, it’s time to have dinner from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. But the day is not over yet. You have film to watch from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM. Snacks are at 10.00 PM and curfew is at 11:00 PM. At 11:00 PM you better be in your room and ready for bed. If not, you face the wrath of the coaches, and the last thing you want to do is make your coaches mad. Coaches do not like problem players, especially rookies and walk-ons. There’s too much talent out there to put up with trouble makers. Get your butt to bed.

This is your life every day for the next 6 weeks. Do you think you can handle it?

Martin Chase is a retired NFL player who now owns
MCSportsFan.com, a popular NFL Merchandise website.

With the NFL draft just a very quick 1 week and 5 days away I wanted to post my 2007 nfl draft predictions for this year.

Next time Ill talk about who I think will go 11-20 and then 21-32.

Here we go!

1. Oakland Raiders Select Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech

Why?: There are many reasons why I feel this would happen, mostly because apparently the Raiders are HUGE on this guy (and why wouldn’t they be)? Johnson is the best WR prospect that has come out in the last decade. He has all the tools and will no doubt be a huge star in the NFL. The Raiders had Johnson ranked a 10 BEFORE they met with him. From what I hear, he only made an even better impression. Look for the Raiders to snag Drew Stanton with their no 33 pick overall (2nd rounder).

2. Detroit Lions Select Joe Thomas, Wisconsin

Why?: Detroit’s main problem last year wasn’t their QB. In fact, Jon Kitna even played pretty decent for the Lions given what he had to work with. The issue in Detroit is they cannot protect the Quarterback. There’s a chance they could take a QB or Defensive phenom like Gaines Adams here, especially after signing some offensive linemen in the offseason but I think Thomas is just too good to pass up.

3. Cleveland Browns Select Brady Quinn, ND

Why?: YIKES! You all must be shocked! The Browns will take Quinn over RUSSELL? Have you lost your mind?? No, not really. The reason why I think the Browns would take Quinn over Russell is because Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis are close. Quinn played for Weis in ND and was his guy. Now he could be Crennel’s guy. Brady Quinn also played in a “NFL style” offense in college, so you can argue he is more ready for the NFL than Russell is. In addition to all this, Brady Quinn has been a Browns fan all his life growning up and management wants them to take a home-school QB that the franchise can have for the next 10 years.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Select Gaines Adams, Clemson

Why?: At 6-5, and 260 he is big defensive end that would be the eventual replacement for Simeon Rice and the Tampa Bay defense needs an some of youth. Adams should be a star and would only help the Bucs.

5. Arizona Cardnials Select Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas

Why?: Arguably the second best DE in the draft, the Cards really have not much to work with on Defense. Now that their QB is settled with Leinhart and they have 2 of the better WR duo you could ask for, it’s time to address the defense. They may be tempted to take Levi Brown as their franchise LT, or trade back
and still get him if they think that’s their guy.

6. Washington Trades no. 6 to Miami Dolphins for no. 9 pick and no 60 (from Patriots). Miami selects JaMarcus Russell, Louisiana State

Why?: Miami makes this trade if Russell is still on the board. This would get them the QB they DESPERATELY need and after trading for Trent Green (Which seems to be well on its way) will give them a solid QB situation for many, many years. They would have to give up a 2nd rounder (from the Pats) in order to make this happen according to the point system. If Cleveland decides to take Russell instead of Quinn which is always possible, then Miami could jump up and grab Quinn.

7. Minnesota Vikings Select Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

Why?: I realize this doesn’t make much sense given Chester Taylor is a great RB and was very effective with the Vikings last year. Still, you can never have too many good Running backs and having a two-back duo has been popular in recent years (look at the Saints). Peterson is an outstanding back and I can’t see
him slipping past the top 10. Remember, the Saints still took Reggie Bush with the no. 2 overall pick when they had Deuce.

8. Atlanta Falcons Select LaRon Landry, Louisiana State

Why?: Landry is a very quality safety and something the Falcons need. They could elect to take a DE here (like Okeye) as well but I think safety is far more of a pressing need, especially given the talent of Landry. He should be a day 1 starter, is easily the best safety in the draft and should make an immediate impact with the club.

9. Washington Redskins (from Miami) Selects Amobi Okoye, Louisville

Why?: This kid is only 19 years old which still blows my mind. He is a great talent, and so raw that he can really turn out to be something special in this league. I don’t figure he’ll last past the top 10 and the Redskins should pounce all over him.

10. Houston Texans Select Levi Brown, Penn State

Why?: They just traded for Matt Schaub but there is no one to protect the Quarterback. If no one could protect David Carr, what makes you think they can protect Schaub any better? They need a franchise LT which Brown could give them.

So these are my 2007 nfl draft predictions, and some are far different than the “experts” I admit! Still, in my opinion I think this has just as good of a chance to happen as anything! It’s completely up in the air and thats why I LOVE draft day and the NFL. Truly, absolutely anything can happen in this game we know and love.

I created my blog because I am absolutely fascinated with Pro Sports. I am a daily pro sports fan and I follow each of them extensively. I’m also a huge Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Dolphins fan!

You’ll expect to find nhl trade rumor information, 2007 nfl draft predictions, nba trade rumor reports, and mlb baseball trade news and more at Pro Sport News.

A trip to Riverview Park, back in the day, wasn’t complete without tempting fate on one of its famous thrill rides, “The Bobs”, “The Wild Mouse” or “The Flying Turns”. If you remember the sensation of the experience then you can imagine the ups, downs, twists and turns that Chicago Bears Head Coach Dick Jauron has so nobly endured.

Jauron’s time in Chicago has been punctuated by more controversy than you would think possible for a person so stoic and unassuming. Hired by every Bear fan’s nightmare, Mike McCaskey, his tenure was born of controversy when Dave McGinnis walked away from the job after McCaskey announced his hiring before the parties agreed on a contract. Mrs. McCaskey, daughter of Papa Bear, gave her son the boot, but good, shortly thereafter. An 11-21 record in his first two years on the job, the Gary Crowton hiring and his elevation of Cade McNown to starting QB had Bear fans wondering if the ridiculous Dave Wannstedt regime was so bad after all.

The improbable 2001 season of wild and wacky finishes changed all that and left the faithful expecting a Super Bowl in spite of Philadelphia’s man handling of the Bears in a home playoff loss last January. Jerry Angelo, who kept Jauron swinging in the breeze the entire season, had no choice but to bring the Coach of the Year back along with his entire staff, despite rumors that he had LSU’s Nick Saban earmarked for the job. That decision must haunt Angelo in light of the disastrous 2002 Champaign-a-thon that will end with the Bears well below the break even point and thoughts of the Super Bowl a foggy memory.

Through it all, Jauron has been, Jauron; calm, steady, thoughtful. Bear fans want their coaches to pace the sidelines, harass referees to distraction and abuse mistake prone players publicly. If the team stinks, at least the sideshow is worth watching. But George Halas and Mike Ditka are long gone and you won’t find Jauron emulating them.

“Instead of yelling and getting all rah-rah, he takes a different method,” linebacker Warrick Holdman said last year. “He just tells you what needs to be done. He not the guy who’s going to go in the middle of the team room and break a chair or crack the chalkboard over his head.”

Don’t mistake his demeanor for a lack of toughness; just ask tight end Fred Baxter. When good old #84 questioned the offensive coaching philosophy, Jauron had little to say, at least until the time was right. He eventually spoke volumes, cutting Baxter earlier this year while remarking that Fred “was the odd man out”.

In the age of fast food sports programming, Jauron is a throwback to the days when NFL coaches had little to say, in large part because nobody was listening. These days every time a coach, player or play-by-play guy opens his mouth it’s an apparent audition for Sportscenter. Jauron, on the other hand is like Mr. Ed; he never speaks unless he has something to say.

“Everyone gives him a bum rap because he’s not real vocal with the media,” said Brian Urlacher. “But when he needs to get us going, he gets us going.”

Last year, Coach Dick encountered the makings of a possible mutiny on a Sunday at Lambeau Field when defensive players expressed their frustration with the John Shoop run offense. Shoop, a surly little fellow in his own right told the D-boys to shut up and figure a way to tackle Ahman Green. After the game, Jauron dismissed the encounter with a wry smile and a plausible explanation, to wit, football players and coaches are highly competitive people playing a violent game. Tempers flare and emotions run high so what’s the big deal?

The next day, he was quoted as saying: “This is the National Football League. This is not a Boy Scouts meeting. These guys are very competitive.”

Then Jauron said jokingly: “I’m not saying it doesn’t happen in Boy Scouts meetings; I don’t know that.”

The quote brought a mild chuckle from the assembled scribes but is something akin to the Coach doing the Macarena with a lampshade on his head. He is seldom given to these moments of witticism, preferring to play it straight and remain Rushmore-like.

With a losing record and an injured reserve list that would choke a grizzly, Jauron carries on in his steady workman like manner. His ultra conservative style, which relies on a good defense and excellent punting, drives fans to distraction while his commitment to a philosophy; coach or player is often characterized as stubbornness.

He is intelligent, steady, experienced, dedicated, calm, respectful, good and decent. The coach’s son has been in the game all his life. With blowholes like Marty Schottenheimer and Brian Billick coaching football teams these days, he’s a refreshing change. In spite of the team’s struggles, you won’t see Jauron laying blame anywhere but his own doorstep. Regardless, the dismal 2002 season is an organizational problem and there’s plenty of blame to go around.

GM Jerry Angelo has come to that realization as well. In spite of a mid season news conference where he spewed confusing mumbo-jumbo, saying, “I’m assuming my confidence in our coaches is assumed. I’m not going to update on those assumptions”, he has since announced that Jauron will be back.

If Angelo is so inclined, he can force Jauron out at a later date by insisting that he fire Offensive Coordinator John Shoop. When the loyal Jauron refuses, which he will, he’ll be launched in much the same manner Wade Philips was in Buffalo when he stuck by his beleaguered special teams coach. Hopefully, Angelo has no such plan in mind because the NFL and the Bears are better off with the likes of Jauron around.

Mike Lynch, a friend of Jauron’s from their high school football days related this anecdote to a Boston Globe reporter that gives the measure of the Chicago Bears Head Coach.

“I talked to him the night he got the (Bears) job,” said Mike Lynch. “Here I was, I had tears in my eyes, telling him I was so proud and so happy for him. Know what the first thing he said to me was? `How’s your mother and father doing?”’

Let’s hope Leo Durocher was wrong!

I was reading our local sports paper and saw that the game is over for “Pacman” Jones. I guess after so many of its players being arrested last year, the commissioner brought down the big hammer. Up to now, many of us probably never cared about that “bad” part of the athlete. We just compared them to the toy soldiers that we kept in the closet and took out when we were ready for them to entertain us.

Sure, we complain about levies that will raise our homeowner’s insurance and we sure don’t want to pay taxes for education. But we will pay thousands of dollars to see our favorite rock stars, athletes and movie stars. We don’t care if they do drugs, get arrested for driving while intoxicated or that some of them are miserable human beings. We just want our entertainment!

You say your favorite athlete can throw a 200 mph fastball? He can throw a football 399 yards? He has a bionic arm and can hit 300 homeruns a season? Well, I won’t tell you about the day he got intoxicated and ran over some innocent woman. Who cares if she died and left behind a husband and a son? Just throw 2 touchdowns on Sunday so I can beat the spread and collect my money.

I think you get the point, we forget that they are human and eat, drink and feel pain like the rest of us. I have been a sports fan my entire life. I love to see camaraderie and teamwork in action. When we saw the Buffalo Bills come back and win after being down 35-3 many years ago, we saw the impossible. We saw a team pull together and win. It’s amazing what we can do when we work together. The philosophy of sports can be applied to everything we do in life.

I just want you to remember to not put these gifted athletes on a pedestal. If they commit crimes, they should be punished accordingly as we would. They are not better people, just better athletes. It will be exciting to see the NFL demand high quality character in their future players. Athletes also need to remember that pro sports is a privilege and not a right.

S. Niemduang “The Sports Fan”
http://www.getprosports.com

In every sport it’s important for players to be somewhat agile. In football it’s very important for most of the players to be very agile. For this reason football players are often required to complete football agility drills in practice.

You’ve probably seen football players running through tires. You also may have seen football players running over blocks and around other obstacles. These are all football agility drills that help a player improve his balance and agility.

But there are many other drills that football players can do in practice as well. These drills are effective whether they are being used for youth football agility drills or professional football agility drills.

Part of being agile is being able to start and stop quickly. Since football is played in spurts of only a few seconds at a time, being able to explode into motion is very important.

Players can be helped with starting and stopping simply by running short sprints in practice everyday. Not only will this help them with their agility but it will also help them with their physical conditioning.

A more specific running drill that also helps with conditioning and agility are shuttle runs. Shuttle runs require a player to run a certain distance, turn and run back, and then run another longer distance. The distance keeps getting longer and each time the player must run back to the place where he began.

For example, the player has to run 10 yards, go back, run 20 yards, and then go back, then 30 yards, etc. Not only does this help improve a player’s stamina and endurance but it also helps the player learn to take-off and explode into action.

Another one of the great football agility drill involves working one-on-one with a player. So it can’t be done with the team as a whole during practice. For this drill all you need is a step and a weighted ball. You may want to use a football instead of a weighted ball, that’s good too.

First, have the player step-up onto the step and balance himself on just one leg. Then have him slowly return back to the ground. He should do 2 sets of 20 step-ups for each leg. His movements should be slow and deliberate and his body should be under control at all times.

Once the player has mastered stepping-up, begin throwing him a weighted ball while he is standing on the step (with one leg). The player should catch the ball and then throw it back without losing his balance. This should be done in 2 sets of 20. Remember, you can also use a football for this drill instead of a weighted ball.

Having solid agility is a must for football players. That’s why it’s important for football players to perform football agility drills in practice. These drills should help the players improve their ability to burst into action, keep their balance, and change directions. All of these abilities are needed on the football field for just about every play.

Coach Tucker is a life-long student of football. He has coached throughout the US and spoken at over 100 camps and clinics. You can discover more of Steve’s free football agility drills here.

One of the questions people always ask me about being an NFL player is, “what is it like making so much money at such a young age?”

I have to say that it is very difficult to go from being young and having no money to being young and a millionaire because you do not know how to be financially responsible. It’s just like winning the lottery, and as you know from reading about lottery winners, most lottery winners go broke within 10 years after winning the lottery. Well, it is not that much different with professional sports players. The reason for this is most professional athletes, and lottery winners, were never taught money management skills. Going from being broke one day to being a millionaire the next day is a huge change in your life, mostly because once you have money, everybody wants you to give it to them, and most of the time you do.

I came from a single family home without a father, which is something many professional NFL players have in common. I am also African American and my family did not have a lot of money, which is also very common among NFL players. Because of this, I was never taught how to manage money responsibly and plan for my future. I went from being broke one day to being drafted into the NFL and becoming a millionaire.

A huge problem with being young and having a lot of money is the pressure by just about everybody including fellow players to spend a lot of money very quickly. When you are rich, everybody wants your money, especially your family and friends. My mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc. all wanted to borrow money from me. And of course I gave it to them. Then, you have girlfriends and wives who want you to buy them lots of expensive presents like cars, jewelry and clothes because you are rich and they want to show off to their friends. You also have charities, investors, and businesspeople all asking for your money-and you end up giving it to them.

But possibly the worst of all is the other players because when it comes to money it is the blind leading the blind. We all spend our money as if it will never run out because we are uneducated in financial responsibility. For example, for you to be cool and respected by the other players, you have to keep up with them. So, if one player buys a new SUV, you want to buy one too. I mean, you can’t be an NFL player and drive a normal car like a Honda Civic. You have to drive an expensive Hummer, Cadillac Escapade, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, etc.

You also have to have a huge expensive house. All the other players do and if you just live in an average house, they look down at you. So, we spend a fortune buying huge houses for ourselves and for our parents that we do not need. And of course there is the jewelry. We spend so much money on jewelry it is insane. It is nothing for a player to spend $100,000 a year or more buying jewelry, and that is just for us. That does not include all the jewelry we buy for our family, wives, and girlfriends. It is all extremely irresponsible. But, when you have so many people putting pressure on you every day to buy things and keep up with the other NFL players, it becomes much easier to say yes than to say no, even as you are watching all of your money disappear.

Another problem is as a wealthy NFL player, you are expected to flip the bill for everything. Whenever you go out to restaurant, you are the person who pays for everybody. And, when you go out with other players or your buddies, it is always to a fancy club where we go to the VIP section and spend thousands of dollars on fancy champagne and drinks-for everybody. I have known players who have spent over $25,000 in one night at a club. And then they go and do it over and over so they can be the “big man.”

Another problem NFL players have is women who are after us for our money and our status. And many of these women are gold diggers. If we were not rich athletes these beautiful women would probably not look twice at us. But now that we are rich and well known, women chase us constantly. This almost always leads to us marrying a woman we shouldn’t marry and then getting divorced after a couple of years and losing a large percentage of our money in the divorce. I made this mistake myself and it cost me dearly and still costs me.

In close, being a wealthy athlete is much more difficult than people think because there is so much pressure on us to spend our money as quickly as possible. Money magnifies problems, it does not eliminate them as most people think it does.

Martin Chase is a retired NFL player who now owns a popular NFL
Merchandise website. http://www.mcsportsfan.com