http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1022157Cayman to host NFL Quarterback Challenge
Monday 14th May, 2007 Posted: 16:15 CIT (21:15 GMT)
The Cayman Islands is set to host the 2007 DIRECTV NFL Quarterback Challenge this Saturday, 19 May, at the Cayman Islands International School Park.
“We are thrilled the NFL has chosen the playing field at the Cayman International School as the venue for this year’s Quarterback Challenge,” says Jackie Doak, Executive Vice President of Dart Realty, the developers of the new town at Camana Bay where the school is located. “One of our primary goals in building professional grade sporting facilities at Camana Bay was to make them available not only to the school but also to the local community, both as a place to play sport and to host to international games. We hope this will be the first of many such events at Camana Bay.”
The 2007 Directv NFL Quarterback Challenge From The Cayman Islands will see the NFL’s premiere quarterbacks take to the field to compete in four skills competitions: Accuracy, Speed and Mobility, Long Distance Throw and No Huddle. Top NFL receivers will also participate in the No Huddle competition, as recipients of passes from the quarterbacks.
Residents of the Cayman Islands and guests who are here to witness this historical event – the first time the Quarterback Challenge has ever been filmed in an international location – will see great quarterbacks such as Jason Campbell (Washington Redskins), Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers),
Charlie Frye (Cleveland Browns), Tarvaris Jackson (Minnesota Vikings), Brad Johnson (Dallas Cowboys), Byron Leftwich (Jacksonville Jaguars), Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers), and Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons) competing. To add to the excitement they will be completing passes to show stopping wide receivers such as
Braylon Edwards (Cleveland Browns), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati Bengals) and Chad Johnson (Cincinnati Bengals), and Brandon Lloyd (Washington Redskins).
Loyal NFL fans will need little to no introduction to the players or the skills, but for those who enjoy NFL Football but don’t watch every single game during football season following is a brief synopsis of what you can expect:
The "Accuracy" competition involves the quarterbacks throwing at moving targets (golf carts with big inflatable bull’s eyes attached). The targets are spread out at different distances (10 yards, 20 yards, 40 yards, etc.). The object is to try to hit the centre of the bull’s eye on each target. Points are awarded for hitting the outer bands as well (think of an archery target) … and “He who gets the most points wins”.
In the "Speed and Mobility" portion, the quarterbacks have a serpentine of cones to run, all the while throwing at targets. The winner is the quarterback who runs the course in the fastest time, with the least amount of errors (target misses).
"Long Distance Throw" tests the quarterbacks’ ability to accurately throw the ball deep. Each quarterback will get :30 seconds to throw nine balls approximately 45 yards down the field into a 5’ x 5’ bucket. To qualify as a completed throw, the ball must land in the catch basket. If the ball hits inside the catch basket, but bounces out, it will still be considered a completed pass. The quarterback with the most completed passes into the catch basked will be declared the winner.
The "No Huddle" is a timed event in which each quarterback is paired with a wide receiver and taken through a progression of throws.
The competition, which will be filmed May 19 at Cayman Islands International School Park, will first air 7–9 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 3 on ESPN, followed by additional airings in August, September, and October 2007. NFL Network also will air the two–hour special throughout August. Tickets will be available from the Department of Tourism offices, located at Regatta Office Park on Friday 11 May and cost $25.00 for adults and $10.00 for children.
The event is produced by the NFL, PLAYERS INC and NFL QB Greats
