There is a huge number of brothers in the NFL

Tiki Barber has had a particularly frustrating challenge to make his way in the world of football.  Although college football recruiting noticed his talent, after playing NCAA football for the University of Virginia, he was initially told that he was too small to make a splash in the NFL.  Though he is only five foot ten inches, in Tikis ninth season with the NFL he was the leader for total yards gained.  He has proved to the world that skill, hard work, and willpower have more to do with performance than size does. 

There are over 300 sets of brothers who have played football in the NFL.  Now there is an interesting phenomenon for the nature vs. nurture debaters.  It leaves one meditating just what a little athletic ability and a true love for the game can do in the heart of a small boy as hes changing into a man.  There is even one set brothers who made newspaper headlines back in 2005 as NFL officiates. 

In February of 2005 brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber got the chance to be on the same team at the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  Tiki is retiring after this season and has plans to move into a career in broadcasting.  Ronde has of late signed a five year contract extension and says he plans to keep on to play pro football for at any rate the foreseeable future.  The Barber brothers will both be in the public eye for numerous years to come.

Tiki and Ronde Barber, one of the three hundred or so pairs of football players who are brothers, are special in that they are twins who have had the chance to play one another in games in the past.  Ronde plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tiki is a teammate to Eli Manning with the New York Giants.  When in college, college bowl games were the Barber brothers motivation, but they have graduated to bigger and better things. 

Twins, Tiki and Ronde Barber were born early and were undersized and weak.  This proved to only be another motivation for the brothers single-minded purpose to make it to the pros and now has furnished material for their newest venture jointly.  The Barber brothers have written several childrens books that focus on encouraging kids to go with their dreams and reach for the stars. 

Peyton and Eli Manning have one advantage over other brother duos in the NFL.  Their father, Archie Manning, was a football sensation in his own right and obviously shared his athletic talent and respect for the sport to his sons.  Archie was nominated for the Heisman Trophy twice and became the 1971 second pick overall in the NFL draft . 

Brendan Ayanbadejo is a marvelous example of determination.  Even with all of his talent, he was overlooked by college football recruiters after high school and then by the NFL after college.  So he kept on trying.  Three NFL football teams cut him and so he played for the Canadian League, the European League, and now finally has some recognition and stability with the Chicago Bears after being traded by the Dolphins in 2005. 

Despite the fact that Peyton Manning is older and decidedly more developed in his game, younger brother Eli is well known for his 4^th quarter grit and stamina to the end.  Peyton has been well known for his leadership and star quality for quite a while but Eli is also coming into his own in this area.  The Manning brothers are a class act that many pro football players could learn from.

The Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl both made for a banner year for Brendan Ayanbadejo, and his brother Femi is rooting for him the whole way.  Big brother Femi was recognized and picked up by an NFL team more speedily than Brendan but is as happy for his brother as if it were happening for him.  And in a way it is when you are as close to your brother and these two are.  Now Femi is playing for the Cardinals but that doesnt seem to make any difference to these two.  Your success is my success seems to be the slogan that these two brothers live by.