Quarterback Rex Grossman of the Chicago Bears and running back Laurence Maroney of the New England Patriots are the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for games played on October 1-2, the NFL announced today.
Grossman had a 100.5 passer rating in the Bears' 37-6 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, completing 17 of 31 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. He put the Bears in front 7-3 with a nine-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, before adding a 40-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Maroney carried 15 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 38-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. He scored on touchdown runs of 11 and 25 yards.
Grossman and Maroney were selected from among finalists in air and ground categories through 68,746 fan votes. The other FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week finalists were quarterbacks MARK BRUNELL of the Washington Redskins and Marc Bulger of the St. Louis Rams, while running backs Julius Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins were the other finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week.
Grossman received 45 percent of the fan votes for FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week, while Brunell received 30 percent and Bulger received 25 percent. Maroney's 59 percent of the fan votes for FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week beat out Jones' 21 percent and Portis' 20 percent.
Fans voted for more than their favorite players. The weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are also a win for the local community. Along with the player awards, FedEx is awarding Shriners Hospital for Children and Boston Children's Hospital, the children's hospitals in each winning market, a check for $5,000.
The children's hospitals in the two season-long winner's markets, announced at Super Bowl XLI in South Florida, will be awarded $25,000 each. That means that FedEx will deliver nearly $250,000 to local children's hospitals around the country in recognition of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Award winners.
FedEx, the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services, is the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. Through the weekly FedEx Air and Ground awards, FedEx recognizes those NFL players who represent the same speed, precision and teamwork that their customers have come to expect from the full range of FedEx air, ground, freight and international shipping services.
