During the NFL’s Thanksgiving games, President Obama will appear in a public service announcement along with three star NFL players: the Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
The 90-second spot will show Obama and the football stars in NFL jerseys playing touch football with local children on the White House lawn, in a purpose to promote the league’s Play 60 campaign that encourages physical activity to combat childhood obesity and the president’s community service initiative United We Serve.
As a big Chicago Bears fan, Obama wears a Bears jacket while playing football with Ware, Polamalu and Brees.
The program began in 2007 and has committed $200 million worth of programming, grants, and time for PSAs to the initiative. The three players respectively represent their teams.
As an NBA superstar, LeBron James thinks he could also have been a star player wearing NFL jersey if he chose to play football and could help the Cleveland Browns to give the team to totally different season. Hearing such comment, a lot of Browns said they would like to have a try on James.
Browns Coach Eric Mangini said the 6-foot-8, 260-pound (2.03-meter, 118-kilogram) basketball guard could be dangerous at tight end, wide receiver or even outside linebacker.
Browns quarterback Brady Quinn said he would love to have a target to throw to like James in the red zone. And nose tackle Shaun Rogers said James could make a heckuva tight end if having a year to train.
It seemed that the Browns suddenly had a good relationship with the NBA star after the team got rid of wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who was alleged to assault one of James’ friends outside a downtown nightclub last month and was then traded to the New York Jets.
The Cincinnati Bengals released tight end Ben Utecht and receiver Antonio Chatman Tuesday, so that they have enough roster room to sign two healthy players: safety Brannon Condren, and controversial running back Larry Johnson.
Both released player had been placed on season-ending injured reserve. Utecht was placed on the injured reserve list on Aug. 31 after he suffered a major concussion during training camp at Georgetown College, and Chatman went on injured reserve on Sept. 5 after suffering a severe ankle injury during practice.
Condren was signed to Cincinnati’s practice squad. The third-year safety opened the season wearing the Indianapolis Colts jersey, but was waived on July 29. As for Johnson, he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs a few days ago for using gay slur. He joined Bengals as the fourth running back.
The Cincinnati Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis said on Monday that Larry Johnson could become a fourth-string running back wearing Bengals jersey. It is a low-profile role for Johnson, a running back who had been starter in Kansas City before being released because of using gay slur.
But with a career full of troubles, it is just a good chance for Johnson. After all, the Bengals already have one of the best running backs in league: Cedric Benson, who has been bothered by his hip injury. In case Benson’s injury gets worse or another running back gets hurt, Johnson still has the chance to play an important role. So as Lewis said, Johnson attracts interest from Bengals because he would be “an insurance policy if something would happen down the line to one of our guys where he’d have a chance to be active”.
And the team has assured Benson that the interest in Johnson would have no effect on his status as the primary runner, indicating that LJ, who turns 30 on Thursday, will play no more important role than a backup.
The Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions was not beyond expectation, and what the Minnesota Vikings fans witnessed might also include the appearance of a new star wide receiver.
Sidney Rice has become quarterback Brett Favre’s new favorite receiver by keeping fighting through the contact and coming up with the ball. His performance nearly made Vikings fans forget injured Randy Moss, at least at the scene of the game.
Favre passed for a season-high 344 yards, 201 to Rice, who was tightly covered. The receiver, in his third year of wearing NFL jersey, has emerged as quite a threat for the surging Vikings thanks to Favre’s arrival at quarterback and working out with some of the league’s best receivers. He just has the ability to compensate his lack in speed with precision, position and poise.
As the Green Bay Packers have few choices in starting outside linebacker, Brad Jones in his first year of wearing NFL jersey got his chance to make his first NFL start this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Mike McCarthy confirmed his decision Friday.
“This is a big opportunity for him,” McCarthy said. “He’s had a good week’s work, and I’m sure he’s up to the challenge. I like what I’ve seen.”
The original starter Aaron Kampman is in need to rest because a concussion he sustained in the Packers’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. This Sunday’s game will be his first missed game since October 2003.
And original replacement to Kampman Brady Poppinga also needs time to take care of injury and will not be able to play Sunday’s game. Jones was under consideration at the position along with second-year player Jeremy Thompson. Having been a major contributor on special teams and made eight tackles in the first half of the season, Jones won the job as coaches feel he is ready to handle a prominent role.
Again, the Arizona Cardinals have to be given a 24-hour extension to sell out tickets for their home game and avoid the television blackout. It has been the fourth time for this season the league has granted the Cardinals a 24-hour extension. The Cardinals have to give better performance to attract more fans to watch games in Cardinals jersey.
According to reports released by the Cardinals on Thursday afternoon, by when the team should have sold out the tickets for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks to avoid TV blackout, there were still about 800 tickets remaining to fell before new deadline at 2:15 p.m., Friday.
With or without deadline extension, the Cardinals have fortunately sold out all 38 games played at University of Phoenix Stadium, which opened in 2006. The last game they sold out with 24-hour extension was Nov. 1’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills activate wide receiver James Hardy from PUP list. On the same day, their NO.1 receiver Terrell Owens missed practice with a strained hip and his status for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans is unsure.
According to Coach Dick Jauron, Owens began to feel uncomfortable with hip during the team’s day off on Tuesday. As the receiver practiced with no problem on Monday, it was unclear what caused the injury and when it happened. It is also unsure whether he would be able to practice the following days before Sunday’s game.
If Owens could not play Sunday, receiver James Hardy, who is in his second year of wearing official NFL jersey, will likely start Sunday’s game against the starting quarterback Trent Edwards. He would be glad to have chance after staying out of field for 11 months since tearing a ligament in his left knee.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns fans never expected that their favorite team would fall to the bottom of team’s rankings. Their protests did not change anything in the team’s playing system. The team owner thought it was GM George Kokinis’ fault and fired him, but the Browns still lost the following game. It is really a most frustrating team.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After winning their first game of the season, the Buccaneers found sparks on rookie quarterback Josh Freeman. Their next two games are respectively against the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints, neither being a easy-to-win team. But since they can win 4-3 Packers at 0-7, why cannot win 3-5 Dolphins? The team begins to be optimistic for their future.
St. Louis Rams
There is no sign at all the Rams will be able to have their second win of the season this weekend, when they are to play against the 8-0 Saints. But hope is good. Let’s just pretend that they still have chance to win.
Detroit Lions
Now they have one less team to excel as the Bucs had their first victory of the season by winning over the Green Bay Packers, who blew the Lions by 26-0 in week 6. And Matthew Stafford needs better performance to prove that he has not been overrated.
Kansas City Chiefs
When they had this season’s first win by beating the Washington Redskins, Redskins Coach Jim Zorn nearly lost his job. That is the biggest wave the Chiefs have caused for this season, but since then the team returned to losing streak. After releasing running back Larry Johnson for a gay slur, the team has even less winning chance than before.
The three-time Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin had expected that he could play for the Arizona Cardinals against the Chicago Bears, just like what he did in the previous week. However, when he had every part of the body ready for the game, he found that his Cardinals jersey was taken away from his locker and he was not on the playing list.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said he told Boldin shortly after the list of inactive players was submitted and he made the decision because of the soft field conditions that may cause the receiver, who has been slowed this season by a high right ankle sprain, to turn his ankle.
But Boldin was just unhappy and made critical post-game comments, not excited at all with the Cardinals’ 41-21 victory over the Bears. He has been unhappy for most of the season since the team failed to give him a contract extension. Despite the attitude, he still has been considered to be the hardest working players on the roster.
Not practicing until Friday last week, Boldin thought he would play with the team after working out on a limited basis, because he did the same the previous week and still played the game against the Carolina Panthers.
