New England Patriots Offensive Line Wins Second Annual Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award Presented by Prilosec OTC®

CINCINNATI, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The New England Patriots added another noteworthy accomplishment to an already impressive 2010 regular season when it was announced the Patriots offensive line has been selected as the winner of the 2010 Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award, presented by Prilosec OTC®.  Pro Football Hall of Fame coach JOHN MADDEN and Prilosec OTC presented the award, which honors the NFL's best offensive line, to New England's front five during a press event in North Texas earlier today.  Accepting the trophy on behalf of the New England Patriots were offensive linemen Dan Koppen, Dan Connolly and Mark LeVoir.

As a proud six-year sponsor of the NFL, Prilosec OTC presents the Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award to recognize the fundamental role offensive linemen play in their teams' success by providing reliable protection day in and day out, just as Prilosec OTC can provide 24-hour heartburn protection when used as directed(1).  The award is based on a combination of criteria including offensive line statistics – sacks allowed, rushing and passing yardage, time of possession, O-line penalties, 3rd and 4th down conversion percentages and red zone scoring conversions, fan voting and coach Madden's own personal observations throughout the season.  

The Patriots players providing the powerful protection up front this season were tackles MATT LIGHT (Purdue) and SEBASTIAN VOLLMER (Houston); guards DAN CONNOLLY (Southeast Missouri State) and LOGAN MANKINS (Fresno State); and center DAN KOPPEN (Boston College)..  Adding depth on the Patriots offensive line were, MARK LEVOIR (Notre Dame), STEPHEN NEAL (Cal State-Bakersfield), RICH OHRNBERGER (Penn State), QUINN OJINNAKA (Syracuse) and RYAN WENDELL (Fresno State).

"The offensive line doesn't always catch the fans' attention, so Prilosec OTC and I created this award to recognize the guys who provide the critical run blocking and pass protection," said John Madden.  "All season long, these guys proved they had the mental and physical toughness that enabled the Patriots offense to put up impressive numbers on the ground and in the air."

Throughout the regular season, Coach Madden closely tracked the top offensive lines in the NFL and narrowed the field of contenders to five (5) finalists: the ATLANTA FALCONS, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, NEW YORK GIANTS and the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.  Each of the finalists had been recognized at least once this season by Madden as an "O-Line of the Week" for their consistent and reliable protection.

Contributing to their Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award win, the Patriots offensive line provided reliable run blocking and powerful pass protection for the top-ranked offense in the NFL. The Patriots led the league in points per game (32.4) and ranked 4th in sacks allowed (25). They finished 8th in average yards (363.8), ranked 9th in average rushing yards (123.3) and ranked 11th in passing yards per game (240.4).

Weighing 102 pounds, The Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award trophy is the heaviest trophy in NFL history and is a tribute to the NFL's toughest protectors on the offensive line.

NFL fans who want powerful can provide 24-hour protection against frequent heartburn(1), which is heartburn that occurs two or more days a week, can take a 14-day course of Prilosec OTC to maximize game day fun(2). Fans can go to www.PrilosecOTC.com for more information on the 14-day challenge and to see how two of the league's toughest offensive linemen – Giants' David Diehl and Vikings' Anthony Herrera – protected themselves this season against heartburn.

All player participation will be facilitated by NFL PLAYERS, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.  Prilosec OTC is the Official Heartburn Remedy Sponsor of the NFL.

About PRILOSEC OTC

PRILOSEC OTC® is the #1 physician recommended OTC acid reducer(3) in the U.S. for the period of April 2009 through March 2010, the #1 Pharmacist recommended OTC Heartburn medicine(4) and the first of a class of OTC heartburn medicines that treats frequent heartburn with just one pill a day. Prilosec OTC® is a leading frequent heartburn medicine that can work for 24 hours with one pill a day by directly shutting down many acid pumps in your stomach when used as directed for 14 days for treating frequent heartburn. For more information about PRILOSEC OTC®, visit www.prilosecotc.com. PRILOSEC OTC® is available over-the-counter through an alliance between P&G and AstraZeneca.

About Procter and Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About NFL PLAYERS

Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable former NFL players, NFL PLAYERS "takes the helmets off" the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company's official Web site, is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year, NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and Internet. For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM.

(1) It's possible while taking Prilosec OTC. Use as directed for 14 days to treat frequent heartburn.

(2) May take 1 to 4 days for full effect

(3) "Wolters Kluwer: OTC Acid Reducer Category."

(4) "Based on Pharmacy Times 2010 Survey."

SOURCE Procter and Gamble