John Madden Launches Voting for Third Annual Madden Protectors Award
By Keith Null
PRESS RELEASE: The National Football League, Prilosec OTC® and Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach JOHN MADDEN announced the start of fan voting for the third annual Madden Protectors Award.
The award honors the NFL’s best offensive line for the 2011 NFL regular season and recognizes the fundamental role offensive linemen play in their teams’success by providing consistent and powerful protection on game day, just as Prilosec OTC can provide 24-hour heartburn protection when used as directed.
Fan voting, which lasts until Monday, January 23, will be instrumental in determining this season’s best protectors in the NFL.
Throughout the regular season, Coach Madden has been closely tracking the top offensive lines in the NFL, and has narrowed the list to five (5) finalists:
The New Orleans Saints (24 sacks allowed– second fewest in the NFL, 5,347 pass yards – best in the NFL).
The New England Patriots (averaged 317.8 passing yards per game – second bestin the NFL).
The Houston Texans (averaged 153 rushing yards per game– second best in the NFL).
The Denver Broncos (2,632 rushing yards– best in the NFL).
And the Green Bay Packers (averaged 35 pointsper game – best in the NFL).
The selection process was based on a numberof measures including offensive line statistics – sacks allowed, rushing and passing yardage, time of possession, O-line penalties, 3rd and 4th down conversion percentages and red zone scoring conversions- plus Madden’s own personal observations throughout the season.
Each of the finalists have been recognized at least once this season by Madden as an “O-Line of the Week” for their consistent and reliable protection during the 2011 NFL season.
Commencing today, fans can visit www.nfl.com/prilosecotc for a comprehensive review of each Madden Protectors Award finalist and then cast their votes.
The recipient of this year’s Madden Protectors Award presented by Prilosec OTC, a proud seven-year sponsor of the NFL, will be announced on Wednesday, February 1 in Indianapolis, IN during the week of Super Bowl XLVI.
Last year’s winner of the Madden Protectors Award was the New England Patriots.
“I’m excited to once again give this awardto the best offensive line of the NFL regular season. I’ve always said the offensive line does not get enough credit for always providing consistentand powerful protection,” said John Madden. “We saw a lot of talent on the offensive line this year, which made it critical to provide a careful analysis. When it came down to it, these five teams stood out as the best protectors in the league.”