Gridiron Greats: Heroes of Football

Gridiron Greats: Heroes of Football — page 1 — FOOTBALL STARDOM Football players are tough They get knocked down hard stand up dust themselves off get back in the game and then get pounded again In addition to physical strength the best of the best have a mental toughness that sets them apart They are able to push themselves past the pain and fatigue to leave it all on the field meaning they do their best and give every ounce of energy they have each time they play The legends in this book have given P their hearts and souls to the sport of football and they will be remembered forever by their fans If you're prepared you're never scared Russell Wilson Never Give Up To The road to pro football isn't easy for any player Quarterback Russell Wilson had to fight even harder for his chance Many teams thought that the 5 11 1 8 m athlete was too short to play in the NFL He knew he could prove them wrong In 2012 after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks as the 75th overall pick he tied Peyton Manning's 1998 record for most touchdown passes by a rookie 26 In his second season he led the team to a Super Bowl victory Russell Wilson has the second largest contract of any NFL quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers He signed a four year deal in 2015 that is worth about 21 9 million per year CFB

Gridiron Greats: Heroes of Football — page 2 — Teamwork Even the greatest football superstar could not win a game alone Working as a team is one of the most important elements of the game Offense For each play there are 22 players on the field The team with possession of 11 from each team If a team sends out too the ball plays offense Their many players it receives a penalty objective is to get the ball to the opponent s end zone to score points The five offensive linemen center offensive guards and offensive tackles are responsible for blocking the other team's players and protecting their own during running and passing plays The quarterback QB receives the ball from the center and calls plays The QB has different options running with the ball handing it off to one of the running backs who will carry it forward or throwing a pass to a receiver down the field Defense When not in possession of the ball a team's job is defense to prevent their opponents from moving the ball forward and scoring Defensive linemen tackles and ends start at the line of scrimmage and attempt to block the offensive line This gives their linebackers who are positioned behind them a chance to take down the QB running backs or potential receivers Defensive backs cornerbacks and safety start behind linebackers and try to prevent wide receivers from completing catches They are also the defensive team's last hope to stop runners who make it to their

Gridiron Greats: Heroes of Football — page 3 — Since the late 1800s when football got its start on college campuses it has become one of the most popular sports in North America The rise in the sport s popularity began with the first superstars of football Their mind blowing moves showed spectators just how exciting the game could be Jim Brown KL Hall of fame running back Jim Brown took the game to new heights In 1957 his first season after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns he led the league in rushing yards 942 and was named Rookie of the Year and league MVP He went on to earn the MVP title three more times 1958 1963 and 1965 He averaged over 100 yards per game and was the first player to make 100 rushing touchdowns No matter how hard he was hit Brown kept going He didn't miss a single Jim Brown was known for game or Pro Bowl in all of his nine seasons being tough he pushed for When he retired at age 30 to pursue a career every yard he could get was never afraid to be tackled in acting football fans were shocked and and he didn t go down easily disappointed Brown was gone from football but he would never be forgotten JIM BROWN TH

Gridiron Greats: Heroes of Football — page 4 — Johnny Unitas It's hard to believe that hall of fame QB Johnny Unitas wasn't always recognized as one of the best players on the gridiron Even the Pittsburgh Steelers who chose him in the ninth round of the 1955 draft didn't know what they had They cut him from the team before he ever played a game Johnny U played semipro that I JOHNNY UNITAS season The next year the Baltimore Colts signed Unitas as a backup Led by Johnny Unitas the Colts When the starting OB got injured in won Super Bowl V 1970 the fourth game Unitas who would soon be known as The Golden Arm came out to play Over his 17 years with the team the three time league MVP went on to set many records including making at least one touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games The 1958 match in which Unitas helped the Colts beat the New York Giants in overtime has been called the greatest game ever played There are no shortcuts and no Dick Butkus magic carpet methods to success It s nothing but hard work In his nine years as middle linebacker Johnny Unitas with the Chicago Bears Dick Butkus developed a well deserved reputation for playing hard that inspired fear in his opponents Butkus was especially good at forcing fumbles Other players were so wary of him that in 1970 Sports Illustrated featured him on its cover as The Most Feared Man in the Game The eight time Pro Bowler made a career 1 020 tackles and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1979 FS

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