Quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and running back Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers are the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for games played on September 20-21, the NFL announced Friday.
Brees completed 25 of 34 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the Saints' 48-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brees and Gore were selected from among six finalists in Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week finalists were quarterbacks Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans and Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals, and running backs Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins and Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans.
Fans voted for more than their favorite players. The weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are also a win for local communities. Along with the player awards, FedEx is making a $1,000 donation in the winning players' names to the local Safe Kids coalitions in New Orleans and San Francisco to support pedestrian safety improvements. Safe Kids USA is a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children.
During the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, FedEx plans to announce the 2009 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year in South Florida, and make a donation in each winning player's name to Safe Kids USA.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx understands the need for a winning game plan, and created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance while delivering safe kids off the field. Because FedEx has thousands of delivery trucks out on the roads each day, the company is committed to funding pedestrian safety improvements through its 10-year partnership with Safe Kids USA.
FedEx Air - Quarterbacks
FedEx Ground -- Running Backs
Brown rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in the Dolphins' 27-23 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football.
Kurt Warner,
Arizona Cardinals
Warner completed 24 of 26 passes (NFL-record 92.3 completion percentage) for 243 yards and two touchdowns for a 131.2 passer rating in the Cardinals' 31-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Johnson rushed 16 times for 197 yards, including two rushing touchdowns of 91 and 57 yards in the Titans' 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans. Johnson finished the game with 284 yards from scrimmage, which includes a 69-yard receiving touchdown.
