Rob Bironas made 90.6 percent of his field goals last year, including 15 in a row to end the season. He made all 34 of his extra-point attempts and tied for second in the AFC with 44 touchbacks.

It was undoubtedly one of the best seasons of his career.

So did he kick his feet up and relax a bit?

Well, yeah.

It’s part of an annual offseason routine for the Titans kicker, who is just now starting to gear up for the 2012 season, his eighth in the NFL.

“My body feels good, it feels younger,” Bironas, 34, said during a Titans Caravan stop in Cookeville last week. “I guess it’s all that rest over the years. I’ve taken more time off before getting started. And I guess it’s working.”

Bironas, a former Arena Football League kicker who served as a part-time security guard while waiting to break into the NFL, must be doing something right.

Among players with 100 or more field goal attempts since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, Bironas is the most accurate from 40 yards or longer, making 78.6 percent of his attempts. He set a league record in 2011 with 10 consecutive games kicking a field goal of at least 40 yards.

Bironas is also the NFL’s all-time leader as well from 50 yards out, connecting on 72.4 percent (21-of-29). Only David Akers has made more field goals than Bironas since the 2005 season.

“To me, what separates kickers is their consistency,” Titans special teams coach Alan Lowry said. “That is how guys become professional kickers, through their consistency, because you can find a lot of big legs out there.

“When Rob first came to us he’d been to three or four camps. He had as big a leg as anybody out there at that time, but he wasn’t consistent in those camps. Over the years he still has the big leg, but he’s learned to focus, to get it more consistent. And that starts during the offseason.”

After not kicking a football for the first four months of the offseason, Bironas started kicking again last week during the offseason workout program at Baptist Sports Park. Until then, he worked out in a gym and traveled.

His routine is to ramp up his kicking so he will peak just as the season begins. Punter Brett Kern follows a similar plan, as do most kickers and punters.

“They need to not kick for a while,” Lowry said.

Bironas believes his leg strength has benefited. It’s tough to argue with the results.

His 44 touchbacks were seventh in the NFL last season. He had only 17 in 2010, but that’s when kickoffs were 5 yards farther from the end zone. Still, Lowry admitted he thought Bironas’ kickoffs in 2010 “weren’t as strong as they’d been.”

On field goals, Bironas continues to excel from long range.

He said he made 65-yarders during warm-ups last season. His longest in a game was 53 yards, although he missed a 66-yard attempt in the season opener. He made a 60-yard field goal against the Colts in 2006, one of his nine game-winning field goals.

Bironas said he could see himself kicking into his 40s.

“As long as I am kicking well and my body feels good and I am having fun, yeah,” he said with a smile. “Hopefully the Titans will want to keep me around.”

Lowry said the key for Bironas, who is entering the final year of his contract, would be to not change a thing.

Working with a new snapper, however, is one challenge he could be faced with this season. Ken Amato is a free agent and has not been re-signed. The Titans plan to give Jake Ingram and Beau Brinkley a shot to win the job first. Kern is expected to continue as the holder.

“No matter what happens around him, the key for Rob — and it has been since he got here — is trying to do the exact same things over and over and over again,” Lowry said. “Make every kick look exactly the same, because when he has a little bit of problem it is because his body is off a little bit one way or the other, he is coming off the front foot too fast.

“His focus always has to be on making every kick look the same, no matter what the distance, no matter what is going on. And he has done a good job with that.”

- For the full article, please visit The Tennessean.

Football rivals St. Xavier and Trinity will be equally represented on June 15th when a pair of Louisville Catholic high school legends and alums are inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in the same class.

Maurice “Mo” Moorman (St. X) and Rob Bironas (Trinity) will be a part of the festivites at The Louisvlle Palace Theater next month during the Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony and 10th anniversary celebration.

A Louisville native, Moorman was a member of Trinity’s 1962 state championship team and played collegiately for Texas A&M before being drafted in the first round (19th selection overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1968. After winning the American Football League Championship game with those same Chiefs in 1969, he started for them in their victory over the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in the fourth and final AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

Moorman’s complete pro football career spanned six seasons. Following his NFL playing days, Moorman returned to Louisville and started Mo Moorman Distributing Company, which he sold to River City Distributing Company in 2007.

Bironas, a former four-sport athlete at Trinity, attended Auburn University and Georgia Southern University as a placekicker. Following tenures on the off season roster of the Green Bay Packers, and the preseason rosters with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bironas joined the Tennessee Titans in 2005, where he finished his first season converting 23-of-29 field goals attempts (79.3%) and 30-of-32 extra points attempts (93.8%).

During his time with the Shamrocks, Bironas was a four-year varsity letterman in soccer, a two-year varsity letterman in football and swimming, and added a one-year letterman in track and field before graduating from Trinity in 1996. Bironas will be back for his 8th season with the Titans when the NFL season kicks off later this year.

Bubba Paris, another member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012, was a standout at DeSales High School before helping the San Francisco 49ers win three Super Bowls during his eight-year career.

Moorman, Bironas and Paris will be joined by two other inductees on June 15, including Male High School/University of Louisville legend Chris Redman and University of Kentucky/Baltimore Colt great Dan Neal.

Along with the enshrining of these five inductees, the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame will also be presenting the Blanton Collier Award, aimed at recognizing integrity on and off the playing field, to members of the Manning family.

In addition, the Hall of Fame event will honor the late Johnny Unitas, the famous NFL Hall of Famer who played for the University of Louisville, as well as the 2011 All-Commonwealth Collegiate Team, including Defensive Player of the Year Danny Trevathan (University of Kentucky) and Offensive Player of the Year Bobby Rainey (Western Kentucky University).

Proceeds from the 2012 Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will support the University of Louisville Autism Center at Kosair Charities. Tickets are available online here.

For the full article, please see LouisvilleCatholicSports.com.

Joining Carter and DeMarcus is an all-star celebrity lineup of athletes and celebrities including Sheryl Crow; Amy Grant; Joe Nichols; Rodney Atkins; Colt Ford; Kix Brooks, John Rich; Charles Kelley; Titans Marc Mariani, Rob Bironas, Steve Hutchinson, Michael Roos, and Will Witherspoon; former Titans Derrick Mason and Keith Bulluck; TV personalities Tim Couch, Hannah Storm, Randy Cross and Storme Warren; UFC fighter Chuck Lidell; Diamond Dallas Page of WWE and many others.

The unique and exclusive event features Carter and his celebrity pals taking over the Palm as servers. Sponsors include HCA/TriStar, Grand Avenue, The Downtown Hilton, and Nashville Lifestyles. Since it began over a decade ago, Waiting For Wishes has raised over $1.1 million for charity.

“I am so very grateful to be able to continue this event so many years after my tenure with the Titans,” says Carter. “It was 11 years ago when I had hoped to have a dinner that could raise some money for children with life threatening illnesses and the success that this event has grown into, can only be attributed to this incredible community, their spirit of giving, and their commitment to changing the circumstances of those in need.”

Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors will host their annual Charity Golf
Tournament on May 11, 2012, with a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start. The event will feature many stars of the music and sports world competing for a great charitable cause –the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund. The tournament will be hosted by one of Nashville’s most respected and sought-after songwriters, Jeffrey Steele.

The beautiful Hermitage Golf Course will again host the golf tournament for some fun competition, and Jeffrey Steele will help end the day with a memorable evening of non-stop entertainment. Giandi’s will cater the tournament that day. Additionally, Special Guest Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas will start the event by hosting a kicking contest, benefiting the Rob Bironas Fund.

The Waddell & Reed Charity Golf Tournament will raise funds for the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and its initiatives to aide and impact overlooked and at-risk youth in Middle Tennessee.

The fund was created after LeVasseur, Jeffrey Steele’s 13-year-old son, lost his life in a tragic ATV accident in January of 2007. The fund was designed to not only keep LeVasseur’s memory alive, but to provide safe, supportive opportunities for youth with an interest in skateboarding, which was LeVasseur’s passion. In five years of grant making, the Fund has distributed more than $150,000 to organizations. Grants have helped create and support programs including an ongoing skateboarding scholarship program for underprivileged youth, providing mentors and academic goals along with skating opportunities; the redesign and reconstruction of the Brentwood YMCA’s 10-year-old skate park, named as the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Skatepark; and more.

Event sponsors and supporters include Gary Force Acura, Mount Juliet Beer Company, Nationwide Insurance, Edwards Photography Studios, Giandi’s Catering and 102.FM The Game.

EVENT DETAILS:
May 11th, 2012 / Hermitage Golf Course / 1:30 pm Shotgun Start
Entry Fee: $135 per golfer / $540 per team
To register, visit: www.tournevents.com/wrgolftournament

Taryn Pray, (615) 948-7474 or taryn.pray@emicap.com

2012 Titans Caravan Schedule/Player Lineup

The Caravan kicks off in Robertson County, Tenn., on Monday, April 30, with two-time All-Pro tackle Michael Roos. Students from Greenbrier and Watauga Elementary Schools will come together to hear from Roos in a special Titans Caravan school program.

A total of 28 schools will participate this year in Titans Caravan (24 total stops). The school program features a high-energy, educational message from seven-time Pro Bowl Titans mascot T-Rac, host Rhett Bryan and a Titans player. The Titans use the opportunity to speak to the youngsters about making good choices in all parts of their lives and the importance of daily exercise. T-Rac and the Titans school program are sponsored by Tennessee State Parks, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2012 and will provide several unique surprises to viewers during the program.

In addition to the school stops, there will be 26 public events on the Caravan, which allow fans to meet Titans players, T-Rac and the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith. Posters are provided to all Caravan attendees for autographs, and photos are encouraged. Every Titans Caravan public event is sponsored by the Trusted Choice agents of the Insurors of Tennessee and is done at no charge to fans. Public stops generally last one hour.

Also for the first time, the U.S. Army will be joining the Titans Caravan public stops. Fans will have the opportunity take part in a cornhole competition, test their skills at a variety of team-building exercises and claim free commemorative Titans Caravan 2012 dog tags. U.S. Army representatives will be on hand to share the exciting opportunities available in today’s Army.

On Monday, May 7, Titans Caravan will have the first-ever “Legends Day.” Former Titans Pro Bowl players Frank Wycheck and Blaine Bishop will tour Middle Tennessee as Titans Caravan’s special guests. Free posters commemorating Titans Caravan Legends Day will be given away to fans.

The entire player lineup for Titans Caravan will be announced later in April. Besides the players who will appear, head coach Mike Munchak will spend an entire day with the Caravan.

“This is our most ambitious Titans Caravan in years,” said Don MacLachlan, Titans executive vice president for administration and facilities. “Our staff has been planning this event since early January, and we believe that Titans fans will have their greatest access ever to Titans players. And T-Rac’s new school program with Tennessee State Parks is just terrific!”

Titans Caravan began in 1998 as a small effort to spread goodwill through the region. Today, six full-time staffers travel with Titans players and T-Rac through the Mid-South on a specially-decorated motor coach provided by Grand Avenue. Since 1998, Titans Caravan has made over 700 stops, traveled approximately 50,000 miles, visited close to 300 schools and allowed the team to interact directly with an estimated audience well in excess of 100,000 fans.

See the full article at Titans Online.

Either way you look at it, don’t expect the rule to change, according to Titans kicker Rob Bironas – especially in light of The Chicago Tribune reporting this week that there were 50 percent fewer concussions on kickoffs last year than there were in 2010.

“The way the league brought up the safety issues and brought all the information forward about concussions and kickoff tackles … I think you can’t really backtrack there (on the rule),” Bironas said Thursday. “They don’t want to see the injuries. With the medical information we have now and the different stats they’ve put together over the years, I don’t think there’s any backtracking because the reasoning is to reduce those big hits and concussions. It’s not just about (players’) careers, but about life after it.”

The five-yard switch certainly made quite an impact:

In 2010, the last year prior to the new rule, only 17 percent of all NFL kickoffs were touchbacks. In 2011, with kickers blasting away from the 35, a whopping 45 percent of all kickoffs were touchbacks.
In 2010, there were 23 kickoffs returned for touchdowns. In 2011, that number fell to just nine.
In 2010, the Titans returned 64 kickoffs, an average of four per game. In 2011, the Titans returned only 32 kickoffs, an average of two per game.
It’s hard to blame Bironas for being in favor of the new rule, as – in addition to the health statistics – the switch certainly helped his kickoff numbers. In 2010, 23 percent of Bironas’ kickoffs went into the end zone. That figure jumped to 58 percent in 2011 when he kicked from the 35.

“I personally like the rule because it gives more touchbacks and that will hopefully increase the longevity of my kicking career for a few more years,” Bironas said. “Coaches don’t really care (what yardline) you’re kicking from. They just want you to put it out of the back of the end zone.

“Guys on the team that are running down the field and want to get tackles sometimes say, ‘Hey, kick it high and short,’ so that they can get some tackles. But coaches want you to put it out of the back of the end zone.”

See the complete story at The Tennessean’s Titans Insider.

Bironas will serve as co-chair of the Christmas4Kids Celebrity Golf Tournament, which will be held April 10 at Pine Creek Golf Course in Mt. Juliet.

Funds generated by the tournament are used to give Middle Tennessee children from 30 different schools, totaling more than 400 children, a December party with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a ride on a famous tour bus, and money to purchase gifts for family and friends at a local Wal-Mart.

“I think seeing the different guys on the Titans that have their organizations and that are always doing charity events and stuff, I learned a lot from them about being in a community and giving back,” Bironas said. “I enjoy giving back to Nashville and the community, giving back and helping children, so it kind of hit all the likes I have for doing charity work. What better time is there than putting smiles on the faces of kids and friends during Christmas? That’s what it’s about.”

Bironas has actually been involved with various Christmas4Kids charities for years, assisting in the annual Charlie Daniels Band concert and the Tour Bus show. But as co-chair of April’s golf tournament – along with the bluegrass group The Roys – Bironas will be taking his participation to a new level.

“I’ve done Christmas shopping with kids before through the Titans organization and it’s just great to see the smile on these kids’ faces when you take them to the story, to know that they’re going to have Christmas and that they’re going to have a party with Santa Claus,” Bironas said. “A lot of times their first question is, `What am I going to buy my brother and my sister? What am I going to buy my Mom and Dad? They want to share. They want to give to their family and friends.”

In addition to Bironas and The Roys, some celebrities who are participating in this year’s Christmas4Kids tournament include: Kelly Sutton, Buddy Jewell, Shane Tallant, Doyle Lawson, Hollywood Yates and Jeff Bates.

Anyone interested in registering a team to participate in the golf tournament or signing up for a sponsorship should visit http://christmas4kids.org for more information.

See the complete story at The Tennessean’s Titans Insider.

The induction ceremony will be open to the public and will be start at 6:30 p.m. June 15 at the Palace Theater during the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. Tickets go on sale March 1.

The 2011 All Commonwealth Collegiate Team was also announced, and it included Defensive Player of the Year Danny Trevathan of the University of Kentucky and Offensive Player of the Year Bobby Rainey of Western Kentucky University.

The Blanton Collier Award for Integrity will be presented at the celebration in June. It will go to the Manning family, including Peyton and Eli, who will be attending with their parents, Archie and Olivia, and their older brother, Cooper.

The inductees:

Rob Bironas: The former Trinity High School player has kicked for the Tennessee Titans since 2005 and has made 189 of 219 field-goal attempts (86.3 percent) and has connected on 99.2 percent of his extra-point tries.

To read the whole article – please head to the full article at The Courier Journal.

He’s converted 26 of his 29 field goal attempts this season — including a pair of 51-yarders last Saturday against the Jaguars — but he still kicks himself for the three he missed, and one of those was a 66-yard attempt.

Last season Bironas missed two of his 26 kicks. He hasn’t missed an extra point since 2005.

“I’ll try and put them all in next year,” he said. “My goal is to make them all.”

The seventh-year pro was not voted to the Pro Bowl, but he said it didn’t bother him. That honor went to Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski, who’s 27-of-31.

“I am not playing to have a Pro Bowl accolade put next to my name,” said Bironas, who was the AFC’s Pro Bowl kicker in 2007. “If that’s the case I would have been disappointed years ago.”

His motivation, he said, is simple. He feels like he’s kicking for his job every week.

“Because if I’m not going to do it, somebody else is going to,” he said. “I know there’s always somebody out there trying to get it. There’s only 32 (NFL kickers) in the world, so there’s probably hundreds if not thousands trying to get in the league. So I’m trying to keep my job.”
To read the full article, visit TheTennessean.com.