NFL Nation: Jets-Saints 100409
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| AP Photo/David Duprey | |
| Many NFL players, like the Bills' Donte Whitner, show their support for breast cancer awareness by wearing pink. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
The moment his father called a family meeting, Ryan Denney knew something was wrong.
The Denney clan had gathered in their hometown of Thornton, Colo., for a happy occasion in March 2008. Brett Denney, a defensive end for Brigham Young University and little brother to Buffalo Bills defensive end Ryan Denney and Miami Dolphins long-snapper John Denney, was getting married.
The wedding was Saturday. The meeting was called for Sunday morning at their parents' home.
"I had a bad feeling," Ryan Denney said.
There, in the living room, patriarch Craig Denney delivered the sobering news to his children. Their mother had breast cancer. Two lumps had been found. Both were malignant.
"People were tearing up. It was quiet," Ryan Denney said recently in front of his stall in the Bills' locker room. "You need a minute to take it all in.
"Then our first reaction was 'What can we do to try and fight it? What are the options?' Fortunately, it was early enough that there was a good plan of attack."
Surgeons removed the lumps and some lymph nodes. She endured four months of radiation. But Sheri Denney survived.
"It's a touchy subject," Ryan Denney said, "but for us it's been very positive."
So often, breast cancer isn't discovered soon enough. Reminders to get mammograms are critical.
The NFL will use its influence -- and acquiesce some of its manliness -- to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in a highly visible way during this weekend's games.
As part of a campaign called "A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives," players will wear pink in an effort to drive home the importance of yearly mammograms for women 40 and older.
Players will wear pink cleats, pink wristbands, pink gloves, pink ball caps. Captain patches will be pink. So will the towels quarterbacks tuck into their waistbands. Coins used before the games will be pink. The padding around the goal posts will be pink.
"I'm more than comfortable with my manhood to wear pink shoes," Dolphins outside linebacker Joey Porter said. "I know we're going to auction them off and send the money from the proceeds of that. So whatever I can do to help in that situation is good. And I think it's a good cause."
New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is expected to wear pink cleats and throw spirals into receiver Jerricho Cotchery's pink gloves. New England Patriots running backs Laurence Maroney and Fred Taylor also have signed up for the pink gloves.
Others expected to wear pink cleats this weekend are quarterbacks Brett Favre and Drew Brees, receiver Chad Ochocinco and defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
"I think it's a great statement by the league and by the players and all of us that are putting our support behind something that hopefully can be better for everybody going forward," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
"I don't think I'll be in a pink hoodie, though, no."
Bills safety Donte Whitner won't be on the field Sunday because of a thumb injury, but he has clamped onto a pink mouthpiece since training camp. He does so to honor his grandmother, Rosetta, who died from lung cancer in March.
NBCAM.org, the Web site for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, states an estimated 40,170 women will die from breast cancer this year, but there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
The objective of "A Critical Catch" is to raise awareness and urge regular checkups. The flashes of pink amid all the testosterone-clouded action certainly will stand out.
"The NFL is a national stage," Ryan Denney said. "A lot of people will tune into the game, mostly men. But maybe those are the guys that need to be made aware if they have a wife, a mother, a loved one that they can ask 'Hey, mom, have you been checked out lately?' "
NBCAM.org cites two of the most common reasons women don't get checked are because their doctors don't mention it or because it simply never dawned on them.
Sheri Denney learned she had cancer because a friend badgered her into going along to a mammogram screening.
The fear that cancer might be discovered often causes women to procrastinate on getting a mammogram or to avoid one completely.
"That was one of the reasons my mom was hesitant to go get tested: The only thing you're going to find out is that you have a problem," Ryan Denney said. "So if you don't get tested, you don't have a problem.
"You hate to think that in six months or two years down the road she gets sick and goes in to the hospital. Then it's maybe too late."
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
Five nuggets of knowledge about this weekend’s games:
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| Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE | |
| Tom Brady and the Patriots will make a statement with a win over the Ravens this Sunday. |
Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the former Miami Dolphins coaching pariah, is calling the league's second-ranked offense. The Ravens' defense is ranked first against the run and seventh overall. But the Ravens have been relatively vulnerable against the pass. If Tom Brady can manage to work around Ravens safety Ed Reed, then the Patriots could score another big win after that setback to the Jets in Week 2.
The Jets' offensive line still is playing below expectations. Many observers, myself, included considered the Jets among the elite O-line units. They're solid on paper from tackle to tackle, featuring four first-round draft picks. But the Jets have been average in protecting Mark Sanchez and have struggled to generate a run game.
The Jets are tied for 20th in run offense. Take away two long fourth-quarter runs in the season opener, and reigning AFC rushing leader Thomas Jones is averaging 2.3 yards a carry. The starting front five have committed nine penalties for 62 yards.
While everybody's talking about the need to stop Drew Brees, running back Pierre Thomas will be a devil for the Jets' defense. The Saints' offense obviously changed when they started handing the ball to Thomas in the second half of Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Thomas didn't touch the ball in the first half, but finished the game with 126 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 9 yards a carry.
Maybe few people noticed because it was against the Bills, and a scan of the box score doesn't show that Thomas did all of that damage in 30 minutes. Brees, meanwhile, threw for only 172 yards to win comfortably.
Bills receiver Terrell Owens should have a nice bounce-back game against the Miami Dolphins. For the first time in 185 games, Owens is coming off a no-catch performance. Bills offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and quarterback Trent Edwards are under fire for not getting Owens and Lee Evans the ball. They've had all week to address those concerns and likely will enter Land Shark Stadium with a plan to get Owens involved early and often.
The Dolphins rank No. 3 against the run, but their pass defense has been the sixth-most lenient. Opposing quarterbacks have a 103.3 passer rating against them and are averaging 9.1 yards per attempt, second-to-worst in the league.
Dolphins reserve Charlie Anderson could be a difference-maker against the Bills. Unless you're a diehard Dolphins, Houston Texans or Ole Miss fan, you probably don't know who the heck Anderson is. He has started just six games in his six-year career. But he will be relied upon Sunday.
Anderson is Joey Porter's backup, and the reigning AFC sack king has been slowed down by a hamstring problem. Porter has insisted he will play, but even if he does, Anderson will see increased snaps. Anderson does have ability. In back-to-back games last year against the Bills and San Francisco 49ers, he recorded two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas
Five nuggets of knowledge about this weekend’s games:
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| Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE | |
| Just blitzing alone is not enough to stop New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. |
Saints come marching in. Amid all the talk about the New Orleans offense going against the New York defense, the flip side has kind of gotten lost. Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has played well, but the Saints will come after him. The Saints have forced mistakes by young quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Kevin Kolb in recent weeks. They’re going to keep doing that and, before we realize it, the Saints are going to be ready to challenge some experienced quarterbacks. That’s why they’re shaping up as a very dangerous team.
Johnson starts. I see nothing wrong with the Bucs starting Josh Johnson at quarterback against the Redskins. This team needs a spark that Byron Leftwich wasn’t providing. Maybe the Bucs will hit on something with Johnson and maybe not. There’s nothing to lose here because the expectations on the Bucs are minimal and the pressure on the Redskins is huge. In a worst-case scenario, Johnson plays like the late-round pick he was and the Bucs move on to first-round pick Josh Freeman in a couple of weeks. In a best-case scenario, Johnson plays well and the Bucs can continue to let Freeman sit.
Stick with the plan. I think the largest problem with the Bucs is their defense. They spent the whole offseason talking about how they were going away from the Tampa Two scheme and we’ve seen them revert back to it at times in the last two weeks. That’s not going to help in the big picture. When you start a rebuilding project, you stick with it. It’s accepted that it might be ugly in the short term. But you can’t worry about the short term.
Enjoy the bye. Carolina and Atlanta have byes this weekend. If I’m Atlanta coach Mike Smith, I’m telling my team to relax, enjoy the weekend and come back ready to practice on Monday. If I’m Carolina coach John Fox, I’m sitting in my office watching film of the early days with the Panthers and doing my best to remember what a Fox-coached football team is supposed to look like ... before it's too late.
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