With each step came stabbing pains because of severe plantar fasciitis

Kevin Mawae played 16 seasons in the NFL Morten Andersen Jersey , earning eight Pro Bowls and three All-Pro honors. Yet the former offensive lineman found himself struggling to walk in the summer of 2017..The Breakfast Club came to his rescue by figuring out what caused his pain instead of focusing only on the symptoms."I started through the program, and it turns out for me I just got to stretch and take care of my body instead of being complacent in that area," Mawae said.The Breakfast Club is a free six-week program for former players with at least two credited seasons at EXOS workout facilities or YMCAs, bringing them together for three workouts a week, along with physical therapy and a nutritionist. The club started in February 2015 in Arizona through The Trust, which developed out of the 2011 labor agreement following a lengthy lockout. The Trust was created to help players transition to non-football lives once their careers end.Mawae, a former president of the NFL Players Association, joined such former players as Pittsburgh linebacker Levon Kirkland and long snapper Jason Kyle, who played for four teams, in the club session in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mawae also spent four weeks with the club this summer before reporting for fall practice in August in his new job as a quality control analyst at Arizona State for coach Herm Edwards.The man who played center his final 14 years in the NFL had a simple issue: He never stretched."So to finally get from where I could barely touch my shins to where I can put my hands on the ground now in a straight-legged stretch, that's a huge accomplishment for me," Mawae said.A nutritionist also helps each player with an individual eating plan and teaches them how to pick healthy foods when shopping. They also get a cookbook developed to assist with making better choices.Support comes from The Trust, which assists former players with career counseling, finances and education . Connecting former players and helping them take care of their bodies is where the Breakfast Club comes in. Bahati Van Pelt, executive director of The Trust, credits former player Aaron Taylor for creating the group workout concept by asking if EXOS could provide a workout plan if he got 10 players together in San Diego.The concept quickly grew from a couple groups to five a year, then 12, and now through expansion with about 400 former players having taken part.The Breakfast Club has been in the Dallas area; Miami; Tampa; Birmingham, Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; Brentwood Authentic Sam Mills Jersey , Tennessee; Kansas City, Missouri; and New Orleans. Van Pelt said they went to New Orleans last year because several former players reached out to Tulane, a medical partner of The Trust, when they had a large enough group for a Breakfast Club."Anytime we can have a player-driven, organized community that players are willing to buy into and incorporate and be active in, a part of that's a no-brainer for us," Van Pelt said.With so many former NFL players in the Atlanta region, The Trust needed another gym option in areas without EXOS facilities. That led to the YMCA, where a free one-year membership is renewable and keeps former players working out once the club's six-week sessions end.Former players only have to register with The Trust, which is identifying more cities to host future Breakfast Clubs. The current club started Oct. 8 in Carlsbad, California, near San Diego, with players including former offensive tackle Vaughn Parker, now 47 who played 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with the Chargers.The biggest benefit may be recreating the locker room vibe that disappears after football. Van Pelt said they've had former players ask when the club is coming back to their towns."It brought back that feeling of being in the locker room, of having a workout in your position group and having an accountability partner with your wellness," Van Pelt said. "So if I don't come work out on a Monday and Wednesday, I have teammates that are going to check in on me and find out what's going on and make sure I'm there on Friday."Getting moving again with a routine matters most for players accustomed to living by practice and meeting schedules through high school, college and the NFL.But Mawae said no former player wants to be a statistic, and the club can help men live longer, healthier lives."It doesn't mean you can't have a drink every now and then, you can't indulge in sweets or candies or whatever Limited Rickey Jackson Jersey , you can't just relax for a week. That just means you don't live a sedentary lifestyle where all your previous injuries can pile up and debilitate you," Mawae said."And unfortunately for a lot of the players that retire, that's exactly what happens." Justin Tucker has won a dozen games for the Baltimore Ravens with his incredibly accurate right foot.This one will be remembered as the one he lost.Tucker missed the first conversion of his career after the Baltimore Ravens scored the potential tying touchdown with 24 seconds left, enabling Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to escape with a 24-23 victory Sunday.Brees threw two touchdown passes, locked up two more milestones and engineered a fourth-quarter comeback that helped the Saints (5-1) wipe out a 10-point deficit.It was 24-17 before Baltimore's Joe Flacco directed a beat-the-clock drive covering 81 yards and ending with a 14-yard touchdown pass to John Brown.That seemingly set up overtime, given that Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history in terms of field goal percentage. Not only that, but he was 222 for 222 on conversions since breaking into the league in 2012, and was the only NFL kicker without a miss (112 for 112) since the placement of the ball was moved back in 2015.This attempt, however, went wide right — the deciding moment in a matchup between the NFL's highest-scoring offense and top-ranked defense."I can't tell you exactly what happened," Tucker said, "but at the end of the day I feel like I cost us the game."When the ball sailed right, Tucker looked incredulously at the goalposts , eyes wide and mouth agape."I thought I hit it well," he said. "The ball didn't go through and that's all it needs to do to keep the game going."The Saints were relieved to escape with their fifth straight victory."You're talking about one of the top kickers," coach Sean Payton said. "I'm sure we'll watch the tape tomorrow and think it shouldn't have come down to a missed extra point."Brees brought the Saints back against a unit that allowed only 12 second-half points all season. The 39-year-old quarterback threw a 5-yard TD pass to Michael Thomas with 4:58 remaining to put New Orleans ahead 21-17, and the Saints tacked on a field goal just before the two-minute warning.Earlier, Brees threw his 500th career touchdown pass, connecting with tight end Benjamin Watson for a 1-yard score to put New Orleans up 7-3 late in the second quarter.The NFL leader in career passing yardage, Brees joined Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in league history with 500 TD passes."It's a significant benchmark Willie Roaf Jersey Salute to Service , yet you're in the middle of the game and you're not really paying attention to it," Payton said. "I think more importantly, it's the final team he needed to beat."Indeed, Brees defeated the Ravens for the first time. Previously 0-4 against Baltimore, Brees is one of three quarterbacks — along with Favre and Manning — to beat every team in the league."You only get to play these guys once every four years, and not to put the pressure on it each and every time, but every time we play these guys, it's been a battle," Brees said. "They've had some pretty great defenses over those years."Brees went 22 for 30 for 212 yards. Facing a defense that made 11 sacks one week earlier in Tennessee, Brees escaped the tenacious Baltimore rush with the exception of a fourth-quarter sack by Terrell Suggs.Flacco completed 23 of 39 passes for 279 yards for the Ravens (4-3), including a 56-yarder to Brown that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson for a 10-7 halftime lead.An 8-yard pass from Flacco to rookie tight end Mark Andrews put the Ravens ahead 17-7 with 3:30 left in the third quarter.ALL FOR NOTHINGAfter converting three fourth-down plays during the opening series — including a successful fake punt — New Orleans misfired on its fourth attempt of the drive.New Orleans held the ball for 20 plays and 9 minutes, 58 seconds. But the Saints came away empty when backup quarterback Taysom Hill fumbled on fourth down from the Baltimore 4.It was the longest drive to result in no points since the Browns went 9:59 against the Jets in the first week of the 2015 season.Coming into the game, Baltimore's opponents were 0 for 4 on fourth down.INJURIESSaints: Guard Josh LeRibeus left with an ankle injury in the second quarter.Ravens: OL Bradley Bozeman left in the second quarter with a left calf injury, returned to action and left again in the fourth quarter. ... CB Marlon Humphrey (thigh), OL Alex Lewis (neck), OL James Hurst (back) were on the inactive list.UP NEXTSaints: A Sunday night game in Minnesota is next for New Orleans, continuing a stretch of three road games in four weeks.Ravens: Baltimore faces Carolina next Sunday, its fourth road game in five weeks. Custom Tennessee Titans Jerseys