Here are five things to know about the Falcons on Tuesday:

1. Injury report. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn suffered a knee injury against the Cardinals and there is an ESPN tweet/report, which cites unknown “sources” that he’ll be out for a month. Falcons coach Dan Quinn will give an official injury report from the team today or Wednesday.

2. Power rankings. The power rankings are out. How high are the Falcons?

3. Defense has been hit by injuries. There’s nothing positive about the Falcons losing Desmond Trufant to season-ending surgery or the news that defensive end Adrian Clayborn reportedly also is set for a procedure. The defense has been vulnerable to big pass plays and now the Falcons will make their final push for the playoffs without their best cornerback and a key pass rusher.

4. NFL is soft, but headed in right direction. We talked to several former NFL and Falcons players including Buddy Curry, Bobby Butler, Jeff Bostic, Kevin Butler, Scott Woerner and Chuck Smith. They shared their views on the league from the slow pace of the games to the crack down on celebrations.

5. Falcons and bestselling author Tim Green team up for Play60/Read 20 event. (I’d personally flip this to Play20/Read 60). The Falcons and the NFL have advocated 60 minutes of activity a day for kids across America to promote physical fitness. Now, the team is adding character building and education to that message. For the second year in a row, the Falcons are teaming up with NFL veteran and NY Times Bestselling author Tim Green for a PLAY60/READ20 event on Tuesday, November 29 at Lake Windward Elementary School in Alpharetta.

D. Orlando Ledbetter
November 29, 2016
ACJ.com
http://atlantafalcons.blog.ajc.com/2016/11/29/5-things-to-know-about-the-falcons-on-tuesday-16/

Sylvia Kim skim@starlocalmedia.com

The National Football League recently hosted its second annual Play 60/Read 20 event.

Taking place in Frisco for the first time, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr led football drills to help promote an active lifestyle, and former NFL player Tim Green finished the event by reading from his latest novel to encourage reading and the importance of education.

The dual event worked to foster two assets for elementary-age students: physical activity and activity of the mind through reading. For 60 minutes, Carr and area youth took over the plaza in front of the Frisco Public Library on Monday.

Participants were split up into teams and rotated through different stations and activities.

“I was a big fan of the event with its added component of reading and literacy and stressing the importance of just being active with healthy lifestyle choices,” Carr said. “Lots of athletes use their platform for fitness, but I think it’s important to use our platform to stress the importance of education as well.

“Showing that it’s actually cool to read books and care about your education and future is how I hope to use my platform in a positive way.”

The event was Carr’s and Green’s second time participating in conjunction with the Dallas Cowboys. Last year, the Play 60/Read 20 took place in Dallas ISD. But with the Dallas Cowboys relocating their world headquarters to Frisco, the event also moved locations.

Prior to the creation of Play 60/Read 20, the Dallas Cowboys held a Junior Training Camp schools program that only featured the 60 minutes of play. But Green, a former NFL lineman and best-selling author, approached the Cowboys to help form the reading portion.

“I’ve visited over 1,000 schools all over the country in the last 11 years since I started writing middle-grade novels,” Green said. “There’s a consistent theme I’ve found of teachers trying to get their kids to read 20 minutes a day. Kids who do that perform better in school and are also more empathetic towards other people.”

After the 60 minutes of play, Green led students and families into the Frisco City Council Chambers at City Hall, where he read from his latest middle school novel “Left Out,” a story about a deaf student who finds his identity through football.

Play 60/Read 20 isn’t exclusive to the Dallas Cowboys. Last year, the New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons also held the event. The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos took part in the program this year.

http://starlocalmedia.com/friscoenterprise/nfl-hosts-play-read-in-frisco/article_1d6156cc-915d-11e6-9548-df16274bc1c3.html

`Chicago Bears long snapper Patrick Scales recently wound up spending his one day off a week hiking footballs – only this time, into the waiting hands of students at Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies in Skokie.

“This is what I do every Sunday,” Scales told the group of kids gathered around him to participate in the event, part of the NFL’s “Play 60,” a youth health and fitness campaign.

According to the Bears, “‘Play 60’ focuses on making the next generation of kids the most active and healthy by encouraging them to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.”

“Play 60” at Bessie Rhodes also included “Read 20,” which encourages children to read for 20 minutes a day. That message was delivered by author and former NFL player Tim Green, who spoke inside the school auditorium.

Bessie Rhodes was first asked whether it wanted to participate in “Play 60/Read 20” through an independent bookstore in Naperville, said school library media specialist Tracy Hubbard. Adding the reading component to the program was especially important, she said.

“Not every kid is convinced that reading is the best thing for them,” Hubbard said. “Some of those kids might be more oriented toward sports.”

Bessie Rhodes began its special day with Scales overseeing a long snapping station while school faculty members engaged students in football-related physical activities at other stations.

Scales said whenever he and other players attend “Play 60” events, students respond well.

“They love it,” he said. “They look up to any professional athlete, and they see us on TV and they think it’s really great. It’s fun to put smiles on their faces.”

The long snapper said he volunteers for the events because he wants to see students “get a better grasp on how they can help themselves physically as well as nutritionally.”
Chicago Bear, author visit Skokie to get kids moving and reading

Chicago Bears long snapper Patrick Scales and author and former NFL player Tim Green recently visited the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies in Skokie to promote physical fitness and reading.

But he said he also likes the idea of adding the importance of reading to the message.

“Hopefully, they’ll realize their mind is a very powerful tool, and reading is a great way to sharpen that tool and make them a better person,” he said.

Green said he wrote more than a dozen books for adults before beginning a series of novels for young readers set in the world of sports. He said he approached the NFL and some football teams about adding a reading component to “Play 60.”

“I love writing books for kids,” he told the students. “I learned that kids who read 20 minutes a day get smarter. I call reading weightlifting for your brain.”

Green said just as no one would dream of trying to make it to the NFL without lifting weights, the same should apply to reading.

“All it takes to become a reader and understand that books can be awesome is one book,” Green said. “One. But it’s got to be the right book.”

At Bessie Rhodes, he and Scales read three chapters from his latest work for kids, a novel called “Left Out.” It tells the story of a deaf child who has always wanted to be like everybody else but has faced obstacles all of his life.

The Bessie Rhodes students also each received a free copy of the book.

Hubbard said the day’s event was about imparting to students that everyone needs reading and exercise in their lives.

“Reading is fun. Exercise is fun,” she said. “Whether you’re an NFL player or whether you’re going to be a CEO of a bank, all of these things will help you have a much richer life.”

misaacs@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @SKReview_Mike
Copyright © 2016, Chicago Tribune

NFL Chicago Bears Patrick Scales

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/skokie/news/ct-skr-chicago-bears-play-60-tl-1013-20161010-story.html

By Kenneth Barilari

Tim Green, former American football player, radio and television personality, and best-selling author, has just released a brand new novel, Left Out. #HipNJ spoke with the author to learn more.

Left Out tells a heartfelt and moving story about a deaf boy’s journey to change how others see him both on and off the football field.

Green, former linebacker and defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, has aspired to be an author since he was in the third grade. “I really became a veracious reader and loved books,” he said. “I dreamed of writing them one day.”

He got the inspiration for Left Out a couple of years ago while on a book tour. He met two boys who were fans of his books, one from Kentucky and one from Arkansas. Both of these boys were football players, and they were both deaf with cochlear implants. Green got their contact information and reached out to the boys and their parents. “One day I want to write a book about a boy who has had the experiences that you have had,” he told them.

He then spoke to the boys extensively via Skype, trying to capture the essence of their lives, struggles, and triumphs. “So many kids strive to create an identity in sports, and they strive for excellence. There are obstacles for all of us. I just thought everyone would be inspired by someone who has an extra set of obstacles,” the author states.

He says that the majority of schools he visits will have at least one student who is deaf with cochlear implants. “It is important for other students to realize how those kids are sometimes marginalized, not only by children but also by adults.”

“Most people innately are afraid and suspicious of someone who is different, and what reading does is it allows us to understand other people’s realities and to have compassion,” he said. “We are all the same on the inside and that’s what’s important.”

Green said that his NFL background has had an influence on the story. His middle grade novels are set in the world of sports. “In the football books, I really rely on the experiences that I have had at the highest level of sports.” Furthermore, his experience can bring a credibility to the characters that is appealing to young readers who might not be all that interested in books. “Knowing I walked in those shoes and lived those experiences brings a kind of credibility to the sports on and off the field.”

When asked what he hopes readers take away from Left Out, Green states two objectives. “My first objective as a writer is to entertain the reader. That’s my number one goal,” he said. That’s why he writes short, action-packed chapters often ending with a cliffhanger. Next, Green hopes to inspire the reader. “The most gratifying part about writing is sharing life lessons with the reader.” He hopes the reader leaves with a better understanding of perseverance, teamwork, self-improvement, and forgiveness.

http://hipnewjersey.com/tim-green-on-left-out/

PORT CLINTON- Tim Green has written 34 books, with a 35th planned for release in March 2017.

He first made his name on the football field, but Green is now known more for his penchant for words and skill in promoting literacy to students across the country.

The former NFL football player visited Port Clinton Monday night, where he spoke about his doggedness in the face of initial rejection by publishing houses and the importance of reading for children.

“Books for me, when I was young, were magic,” Green told the audience of about 50 people at the Port Clinton Performing Arts Center.

The Friends of Ida Rupp Public Library hosted the former NFL player and bestselling author at their Second Community Read.

Green said he was equally passionate about football and books as a child, with a dream of becoming a writer.

A New York Times bestselling author, Green was an eight-year NFL defensive starter with the Atlanta Falcons, a TV personality, and an attorney.

The NFL retiree called reading “weightlifting for your brain,” at the start of his presentation Monday. Since he began writing books for kids in 2007, Green has sold over a million copies and made more than 1,000 school visits, speaking to nearly a half million kids across the United States.

He said his latest book, “Left Out,” will be released in two weeks. Green said retired New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter approached him earlier this year about co-authoring a book about baseball.

“He was wonderful. What a wonderful person,” Green said of Jeter.

Green said everything he’s been able to do with his life came more from hard work than talent. He stressed the need for kids to invest in their education and intellect as they follow their dreams.

After his NFL career ended, Green said he poured himself into his writing and took five years to write his first novel. He estimated he was rejected by 70 publishing houses, but didn’t stop until he finally broke through and got published.

Green acknowledged some people have written him off as a writer, but he said he had made himself better through diligence and hard work.

For kids, reading makes them smarter, better in school, kinder and more tolerant of others, Green said.

Mario Guerra brought his grandson, Alayis, to see Green speak Monday.

Both held copies of books written by Green and posed for photos with the author before his presentation.

Guerra said his grandson was interested in football and picked up some of Green’s books at the library.

“I think this is a good experience for him. Being that he (Green) was sports, this will be a good influence for him,” Guerra said.

Daniel Carson, Reporter

dacarson@gannett.com

419-334-1046

Twitter:@DanielCarson7