In his 14-year NFL career, Kevin Carter handed out plenty of punishment for opposing quarterbacks. He totaled 104.5 career sacks, reached double digit QB-takedowns four times (1998-2000, 2002), and led his team in sacks five times (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004). He also never missed a game in the NFL, which is a testament to his training habits and toughness.

Now that he’s retired, Kevin is helping to promote the website SchoolOfTheLegends.com, which offers fans a chance to interact with not only current players, but legends of the game as well. The site also offers instructional videos from some of the best in the game, which is a great tool for high school athletes or players of any age who want to get tips from the pros. (If you’re a young defensive back, how can you pass up the opportunity to get instructional lessons from Pro Bowler Brian Dawkins?) The site is free to join and in minutes you could be interacting with NFL stars.

Kevin sat down with me recently to discuss not only SchoolOfTheLegends.com, but I was also able to pick his brain about the current lockout mess and get his reaction to the recent comments made by his former Florida coach Steve Spurrier, who says college players should be paid.

The Scores Report: Hey Kevin!

Kevin Carter: Hey there, how are you?

TSR: Very good. You enjoying this ongoing lockout? I know as a fan, I sure am. It’s not nauseating at all.

KC: What a mess.

TSR: Do you think this secret meeting that transpired with the NFL and union officials can be viewed as a positive thing for fans? Are we finally pushing forward here?

KC: I really do, because there’s a certain portion of this fight that needed to be brought to the American public’s attention. There was a lot of posturing on both sides, but really a lot of posturing from the owners. Doing things like securing television revenue money, that even if there’s no season they’re still going to get their money. Doing things like lobbying on Capital Hill to try and influence the lawmakers so a lot of the things like tax laws that they enjoy still remain in place. So there was a portion of it that needed to be fought and brought to the American public’s attention. But ultimately, we’re not going to be able to negotiate through the court systems. At some point we’re going to have to sit down, have a conversation and get down to the brass tacks in order to make a deal for the greater good of the game. Our fans don’t deserve this. They’ve been too great to the sport of football. We’ve been able to grow exponentially; the NFL owners themselves have been able to enjoy a 400% increase in the equity of their business in the last 15-20 years, so the fans have been loyal. They’ve gone through strikes and CBA extensions, and near-scares and whatnot. But this is like nothing else in our history: this is a lockout. Basically the owners are saying, ‘We don’t like the economic structure the way it is set up, even though we’re the ones that have enjoyed this 400% increase in the equity of our business.’ Nobody can say that they’ve enjoyed anything close to that unless you own oil. A certain portion of this fight needed to be done in the courts. But now, with them having a private meeting and talking real numbers, and real dollars, and talking about how we can get this thing out of the courts and people back to work, I’m all for it. I think this is the first real step from a negotiating standpoint that we’ve taken on both sides.

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It’s hard to listen to Stanford Routt speak for more than five minutes and not walk away incredibly impressed with the seven-year NFL vet.

The former second round pick out of the University of Houston is coming off his best season as an Oakland Raider, one in which he recorded 55 tackles, 15 pass deflections, one forced fumble, two interceptions and a defensive touchdown. While teammate Nnamdi Asomugha was out several games with a high ankle sprain, Routt also aided an Oakland secondary by holding his own against top receivers Mike Wallace and Dwayne Bowe. According to STATS Inc, Routt finished as the No. 2 corner behind only Jets’ playmaker Darrelle Revis, which is all the more impressive when you consider how much man-to-man coverage the Raiders’ defense plays.

Set to hit the open market as soon as a new CBA is signed, the Raiders knew how important Routt was to their secondary, especially with the possibility of losing both Asomugha and safety Michael Huff (whom are both free agents as well). That’s why the team rewarded Routt with a new three-year deal in late February to ensure he stays in Oakland for the foreseeable future.

Stanford was kind enough to sit down with me recently to talk about the impact the CBA is having on players such as himself and how he’s staying positive with the threat of a lockout looming. I also asked him to name two Raiders he thinks are ready for breakout campaigns and what opposing receiver continues to impress him year after year. Lastly, he shared information about his foundation, “Routt to Success” and how he’s trying to help children stay away from negative influences such as gang violence and drugs. It’s something don’t want to skip if you’ve ever uttered the words, “Why aren’t athletes better role models?”

The Scores Report: Hey Stanford, how you doing today?

Stanford Routt: Doing pretty good!

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Marcus Stroud is one of those players who are easy to root for. Not only is he a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro, but he’s also someone that wants to play the game until his legs fall off or until they kick him out of the league. He’s been busy rehabbing his shoulder after undergoing recent surgery, but he took the time to chat with us about his thoughts on the Super Bowl, the CBA and of course, the Bills. Find out what he had to say about the NFL’s battle with the NFLPA over the use of franchise tags, as well as what Bills he believes could become future stars.

The Scores Report: Hi, this is Anthony.

Marcus Stroud: Anthony – Marcus Stoud.

TSR: Hey Marcus, how are you?

MS: Good, and you?

TSR: Doing good. You enjoying your offseason so far?

MS: Yes and no. I’m rehabbing right now.

TSR: What are you rehabbing?

MS: My shoulder. I had shoulder surgery.

TSR: How’s everything going with the rehab?

MS: It’s going pretty good. I’m actually rehabbing right now.

TSR: Oh, man! Well I appreciate your taking time to chat with me while you’re hard at work. What did you think of the Super Bowl?

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Do a YouTube search of Texans’ receiver David Anderson and what usually pops up first is his imitation of Conan O’Brien’s “String Dance” following a touchdown against the Bengals in 2009.

That’s usually not something a player wants to be known for, but after chatting with him while he was on break from football at Manhattan Beach, we get the impression that David doesn’t mind.

During our 15-minute chat, Anderson was kind enough to fill us in on what to expect this year out of the Texans, including what players he believes are in store for breakout campaigns. We also shared a few laughs after he found out that a fantasy publication ranked him No. 125 out of 125 receivers for the 2010 season and what transpired immediately before he called us, when he and his mother had to go to the pound after their dog ran away. (He was amused, although she wasn’t.)

For more on David, check out his Twitter page, whiteout89.

The Scores Report: Hi, this is Anthony.

David Anderson: Hey, this is David Anderson calling in.

TSR: Hey David, how are you, man?

DA: I’m good. I’m sorry, man – my mom lost her dog and we had to go to the pound.

TSR: Oh, no! Is everything all right? Did you find her dog?

DA: Yeah, it’s not the most gracious place to be – the dog pound.

TSR: I bet. How long did it take you to come up with that excuse for being late for our interview?

DA: No, no! We just found it – it’s my mom’s golden retriever, Houston. Now I’m all set – I promise!

TSR: (Laughs) I’m just giving you a hard time!

DA: (Laughs)

TSR: How has the offseason been?

DA: It’s going, It’s going. This is my last trip – I’m at Manhattan Beach right now. It’s kind of like my favorite beach, so I’m out here for about a week to workout and train and then it’s back to Houston.

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Three years ago, future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez went through two unrelated crises that would change the way he viewed his own health forever.

In early 2007, Gonzalez suffered a bout of facial paralysis known as Bell’s Palsy, which cannot be immediately diagnosed. Before doctors figured out what it was, they told him he might have suffered a stroke, a brain aneurysm, or meningitis. When it was discovered that it was Bell’s Palsy, he was told that the numbness and sagging features in his face would return to normal. For the most part, Gonzalez felt extremely lucky that it wasn’t something more serious.

Later that year, as a member of the Chiefs, Gonzalez went to have routine blood work done before the regular season. Upon leaving the hospital, he received a phone call from the team’s trainer saying that he had to return immediately for another blood test. While giving more blood, the doctor told him that unless the initial test was wrong, that his career was over.

For an hour, Gonzalez waited in agony thinking about how football may be taken away from him. Fortunately, there had been a mix up with another patient and his tests came back normal, but the two traumatic experiences left him feeling as though a change had to be made. Regardless of whether or not he was okay, he knew he had to take better care of his body.

Now, after enlisting the help of dietitian Mitzi Dulan, Gonzalez has his own line of all-natural supplements through his company, All-Pro Science. All the products are 100% all-natural, meaning no synthetics or man-made sugars have been added. There isn’t another supplement maker like APS on the market, because most companies don’t strive to go all-natural.

Tony was kind enough to recently chat with us about All-Pro Science, his new book The All-Pro Diet, as well as how eating healthy has dramatically changed his life. He was also more than willing to talk football with us, including what the 1,000-reception mark means to him (he’s just one catch shy of the honor), what he would like to be remembered for when his playing days are done and what he thinks about Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan’s development. He also shed some light on whether or not he’ll return to football after the 2010 season and boasts that this year’s Falcons squad is the best team he’s ever played on.

For more information on All-Pro Science and their products, click on the link to check out their home page. Tony was kind enough to give our readers 20% off on his products by entering code “88” at the site. And for more on Gonzalez and the Falcons, visit Tony’s official Twitter Page.

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