NFL players extol the virtues of soccer

Wes Welker and Randy Moss on soccer... (excerpt)

"What ties it all together is a soccer ball."

How do you get in and out of your cuts so efficiently while running full speed? What helps you find those creases in tight spaces, which is such a key in the NFL passing game these days? Tell me more about your footwork.

Welker shared with Moss that he believed his background in soccer was a big part of it. He started playing fútbol when he was 4 years old, and continued through his senior year at Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City. Welker still keeps a soccer ball close by, and regularly uses it as part of his football training. He juggles it between his feet, not allowing it to touch the ground. Sometimes it's the simple skill of possessing the ball, on the ground, with the bottom of his feet. Or he'll dribble it between his feet as he surges up and down the field, focusing on short, quick cuts.

"I really feel that it's helped with my footwork, getting in and out of breaks, and it seems like I can take a bunch of little steps in a very quick amount of time," Welker said yesterday during a break from the Patriots' passing camp at Gillette Stadium. "Your feet get put in some awkward positions in football, but I'm sort of used to that from playing soccer, from moving the ball around. I definitely think that's a big part of what has made me successful in the NFL."

Moss agrees. So impressed was he with what he saw from Welker last season, he's added his own soccer-specific drills to his training this offseason in Florida.

more... ( http://mvn.com/soccer/2008/05/24/nfl-players-extol-the-virutes-of-soccer/ )