Thursday's Heads Up Football news:
- Former Buffalo Bills star Bruce Smith talked to Norfolk, Va., parents about the importance of having a properly fitted helmet, WVEC-TV reported.
- Scholastic magazine reported that 13-year-old Karlie Harman became the first girl to win Player of the Year in a Washington, D.C., area youth football league.
- The Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald-Record looked at the battle in its community for players between two Heads Up Football leagues, talking to new league founder Reggie Steed.
- USA Football's Performance Blog wrote about the importance of preseason meetings to prepare coaching staffs.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor