Fall Back Cuties!

SIDELINE PASS Cuties!

By Mia Jackson

We’re halfway through the season and just as some teams break away from the field, there are standout cuties! Some of these guys are smoking hot and we can’t wait to share the ones we’ve found. This week we’ll look at the SURPRISES in the league to see who we’d want to sit close to on the sideline.

Fly Like an Eagle Kurt Coleman #42 Philadelphia Eagles, Free Safety

Fine Philly Eagle Kurt Coleman

Fiiire! Umph those Ohio Players! The late round pick was born, bred and educated in the state of Ohio. The safety is well known for his workouts and considered “a demon in the weight room.” (USA Today) He’ll need to do more of that to help out his Eagles. The team has not lived up to expectations, surprising many of us who considered the team a strong Super Bowl contender. But while this man is incredibly fun to look at, I’m more impressed by his giving heart. He’s been touched by a number of challenging events – Tyson Gentry, a teammate was paralyzed following a hit he took from Coleman during practice. Kurt was so shaken, he nearly quit the game of football but the forgiving Gentry and his family convinced him to stay at Ohio State. He made the most of the return, becoming a three-year starter, team captain and first-team All-American. Soon thereafter, his father was diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease DOES target men, even if it is extremely rare. After the ordeal, Coleman was determined to help others and he joined Uplifting Athletes, an organization created to support people suffering from rare diseases.

Working Back to the Top  Taylor Mays #26  – Cincinnati Bengals, Defensive Back

Taylor Made for the Cuties!

Taylor Mays drew high praise and a lot of attention during the 2010 draft. He’s turning our heads still, but for different reasons. At 6’3″ his size and clearly the muscles reminded scouts of Adrian Wilson, while his hitting ability landed comparisons to the late and very great Sean Taylor. So expectations were high! The defensive talent locked up honor after after honor at USC and coaches were prepared for him to reach the same level in the NFL.  Soon though, he wasn’t quite working in the Singletary scheme in San Franciso so the Niners traded him to the ‘Nati. Now, Mays is working to rebuild and restart after a good preseason that unfortunately left him injured. The last two weeks were his first on the field since the 2011 official season started. He’s working in slowly, but Coach Marvin Lewis adding him into the defensive schemes in the last few games. The Bengals are winning with the rookie Red Rifle Dalton at QB. This team is certainly one of the good surprises in the league. Work your way back with these surprising Bengals, Mr. Mays.

Baby Let’s Cruz! Victor Cruz #80 -  New York Giants, Wide Receiver

Cruzin' - on a Sunday afternoon!

Victor Cruz entered the season expecting to be 4th on the Giants’ depth chart behind three top players. Then injuries hit. Just like in other circumstances, Cruz was ready to take control when the opportunity presented itself. While at the University of Mass, he didn’t start a game until his junior year and still managed to land the 4th all-time receptions spot. Undrafted, he earned his way onto the New York roster and kept those beautiful, long lean legs ready to go. I would love to see those legs dancing because Cruz moves so smoothly up and down the field. The Puerto Rican hottie makes his one-handed touchdown grabs look easy, although we know how much time and talent it takes to push to that level. His play even caught the eye of LeBron James who tweeted about his catch against the Jets: “Victor Cruz going nuts on the Jets tonight on #MNF 2nd Tweet:  “Undrafted rookie from UMass. He’s gonna have a job this year for sure.” Yep, of course LeBron would notice. Game recognize game.