Devin & Jason McCourty Partner with Pop Warner for Youth Safety

Devin and Jason McCourty remember very clearly how, as boys growing up in Nyack, N.Y., Aug.1 was a red-letter day every year. The date always marked the end of

Devin and Jason McCourty remember very clearly how, as boys growing up in Nyack, N.Y., Aug.1 was a red-letter day every year. The date always marked the end of an easygoing summer with neighborhood friends, and the beginning of preparation for a new Pop Warner football season.

“I remember our second year we had practices every single night and I didn’t want to play,” says Jason, now a cornerback for the Tennessee Titans. “But my mom said we had to finish the season.”

So they did – and learned to love the game and the Pop Warner league – as a result. The twins said it was some of the most fun football they have ever been a part of, free of the complicated business and contract talk that players face in the NFL. Now the brothers are hoping to share their first-hand experience with aspiring football players around the country by partnering with Pop Warner Little Scholars and DSM Nutritional Products to promote the “Eat Smart, Play Safe” program, which aims to educate families about injury prevention and nutrition.  

Catch Me If You Can: The Fastest NFL Draft Picks in History

20. Darren McFadden* — 4.27 seconds

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Chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, McFadden came out of the University of Arkansas as a widely touted recruit having been the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting two years in a row. McFadden's 4.27 time in the 40-yard dash was unofficially recorded, while his official time was measured at 4.33 seconds. (*McFadden's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

19. Devin Hester* — 4.27 seconds

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Hester, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 57th overall pick, went on to become an explosive, well-known return man. His unique ability to shed tacklers in the open field and sprint down the line was coveted by the Bears, and feared by opponents. (*Hester's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

18. Marquise Goodwin — 4.27 seconds

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Drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 78th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Marquise Goodwin is much more than just a speedy wide receiver and return man. Goodwin also represented the US in the 2012 Olympic Games in the long jump competition, placing 10th in the finals.

17. Jerome Mathis — 4.25 seconds

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After earning a Pro-Bowl bid and being selected to the All-Pro team in 2005 for his skills in kick returning, Mathis then got injured and was never the same player. Since then, he's jumped around the Canadian Football League and most recently the Arena Football League.

16. Michael Vick* — 4.25 seconds

Rex Brown/Getty Images

Widely regarded as one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the NFL, Vick was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Since then, he's been selected to four Pro-Bowls, spent 23 months in federal prison and has recently resurrected his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. (*Vick's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

15. Randy Moss* — 4.25 seconds

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Arguably one of the greatest wide receivers of all-time, Randy Moss first came into the league when he was drafted with the 21st overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. Moss has played for five different teams throughout his tenure, piling up Pro-Bowl awards (7) and claiming various NFL records (22) along the way. (*Moss' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

14. Taylor Mays* — 4.24 seconds

Ned Dishman/Getty Images

Selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, Mays was a three-time All-American at USC and was highly touted entering the draft. The 49ers traded Mays to the Bengals in 2001 for a seventh round pick, and he's been on Cincinnati's roster ever since. (*Mays' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

13. Chris Johnson — 4.24 seconds

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The man that's credited with having the fastest "official" 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine, Johnson, who shares that title with Rondel Menendez, significantly improved his chances of being drafted with his athletic performance. Johnson went on to become a three-time Pro-Bowl selection and was added to the 2,000-yard Club after breaking the rushing mark in 2009.

12. Rondel Menendez — 4.24 seconds

Rondel Menendez

Before Chris Johnson proclaimed to be the fastest man in the NFL, there was Rondel Menendez, who registered a 4.24 in the 40-yard dash in 1999. At the time, Menendez was the fastest man ever clocked in the 40 at the NFL Combine while using electronic timers. Since then, no one has beaten his or Johnson's "official" mark. And according to Menendez, he recorded a time of 4.12 when officials used a hand timer, however, due to the style of his shoes ("Nike waffle shoes"), he had to run again. The 4.12 mark would tie Menendez with the fastest man in NFL Combine history.

11. Willie Parker* — 4.23 seconds

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

After going undrafted in 2004, Parker signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he would go on to learn the game as a backup behind legends like Jerome Bettis. Parker was selected to the Pro-Bowl twice and holds the record for the longest run in a Super Bowl (75 yards). (*Parker's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

10. Donte Stallworth* — 4.22 seconds

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Drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Stallworth has been a solid wide receiver ever since. He's had good stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. He was also suspended for the entire 2009 season after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter charges. (*Stallworth's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

9. Don Beebe* — 4.21 seconds

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Widely considered to be one of the fastest men in NFL history, Beebe was selected with the 82nd overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Beebe was also one of only two players to have appeared in six Super Bowls. (*Beebe's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

8. Kevin Curtis* — 4.21 seconds

Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

A longtime member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the 74th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Curtis ran an unofficial time of 4.21 seconds and later ran a 4.35 when officials used an electronic timer at the NFL Combine. (*Curtis' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

7. Deion Sanders* — 4.21 seconds

Joseph Patronite/Getty Images

Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is one of the most widely recognized football players of all-time due to his time with the Dallas Cowboys and his part-time Major League Baseball career, in which he played nine seasons. Sanders was drafted with the 5th overall pick in 1989. (*Sanders' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

6. Joey Galloway* — 4.18 seconds

Otto Greule Jr./Allsport/Getty Images

A multi-sport athlete early on in his career, Galloway was drafted with the 8th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. Galloway played for six different NFL franchises throughout his career and at one time owned the AFL's Columbus Destroyers. (*Galloway's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

5. Ahman Green* — 4.17 seconds

J. Meric/Getty Images

Ahman Green sits at the top of Green Bay Packers lore for his years of service as a stand-out running back. Drafted with the 76th overall pick in 1998, Green rushed for more yards than any other player during his tenure with the Packers (6,848), was selected to four straight Pro-Bowls and broke several franchise records. (*Green's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

4. Darrell Green* — 4.15 seconds

Rich Lipski/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Green is considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game. Self-proclaimed as the "itty bitty guy," Green was drafted by the Washington Redskins with the 28th overall pick in 1983, where he'd go on to play his entire career, earning seven Pro-Bowls selections and winning two Super Bowls. (*Green's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

3. Alexander Wright* — 4.14 seconds

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After being drafted with the 26th overall selection by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990 NFL Draft, Wright would go on to become the two-time winner of the NFL's "Fastest Man" competition. (*Wright's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

2. Michael Bennett* — 4.13 seconds

Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated

Bennett was drafted with the 27th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2001. After having a solid college career running track, Bennett was given the chance to compete in the NFL, where he would become a Pro-Bowl selection in 2002. Since then, Bennett played for five other franchises before retiring in 2010. (*Bennett's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

1. Bo Jackson* — 4.12 seconds

Ken Levine/Getty Images

The man, the myth, the legend. Bo Jackson is truly one of the greatest athletes of all-time. So it’s no surprise that Jackson tops the list of fastest 40-yard dash times in NFL Combine history. In 1986, before electronic timing was implemented, Jackson ran the 40 in 4.12 seconds, an accomplishment that hasn't been beaten in nearly 30 years. (*Jackson's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

At the “Eat Smart, Play Safe” youth sports safety panel in New York City in June, Pop Warner’s executive director, Jon Butler, said that his organization was the first to implement rules to limit contact to prevent head injuries. A 2012 study conducted by Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University researchers analyzed the practice structure and head impact exposure in football players ages nine to twelve using helmet mounted accelerometers. While most impacts were lower, some players recorded high magnitudes that were similar to those seen at the high school or college level. The study, however, found that this type of head impact in youth football can be reduced by limited contact in practices, so Pop Warner created a rule limiting contact to a third of total weekly practice time.

This year, Pop Warner also partnered with USA Football’s Heads Up program to ensure that all coaches are certified to teach proper blocking and tackling techniques. Devin and Jason McCourty brought their football perspective to the panel, and also make sure to teach kids the “head up” method of tackling at their annual camp in Nyack, NY.

The McCourty twins at their third annual football camp on June 22, 2014, in Nyack, New York / Twitter

“Even though we try, we don’t always teach the best technique in the NFL and the kids turn on the TV and see that,” says Devin, a defensive back for the New England Patriots. “So we teach them to go slow at first – you wrap up with your arms and you don’t make hits just by trying to hit as hard as you can, because that’s when things lead to concussions.”

The panel also focused on the importance of healthy eating and hydration for young athletes. In spring 2014, the program conducted a national, online survey of 3,648 parents and coaches and found that more than half of respondents said children were significantly hungrier during the sports season. The twins say they remember eating fruits such as grapes and strawberries before games, and that their mother, Phyllis Harrell, made sure they always had a meat, vegetable and starch on their plate for dinner.

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“For us on a pro level, nutrition is still something we care about,” says Devin. “When we go to different camps, the kids say they don’t like fruits or veggies, but I’ll go and eat broccoli right in front of them and when they see a pro athlete eat it, it goes a long way.”

The twins said they want to show how the messages behind the program’s research apply to athletes beyond Pop Warner, including those at the high school, college and professional levels. After their third annual camp this year, Jason said it’s a great feeling to see the kids excited and with their parents learning the safety techniques. “Those smiles are their faces are everything,” he adds.

“It’s tough for a kid to really see it, especially at a younger age, but the most important thing is that parents are getting involved and passing it down,” says Devin. “The first thing you learn is at home.”