Are you ready for some football?
Seven long months after the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI, the start of the NFL season is almost here. The regular season officially kicks off when NFC division rivals Dallas Cowboys and the Giants face off on the gridiron for the on Sept. 5.
Here at the Daily Dot, we’ve gathered our own NFL Twitter team: one player to follow for each offensive position on the field, plus a couple special teams players to round out our fantasy squad.
1) New York Jets center Nick Mangold // 116,916 followers
Manigold offers witty commentary with his #coldtubtweets and contests on his feed every so often. He also tweeted his support for his younger sister, U.S. Olympic weightlifter Holley Mangold, and he was able to get a couple days from training to watch her compete in London.
“Saw a new Mike’s Hard Lemonade commercial which was a new low for them. No real man would be caught dead offering a MHL while fishing #fail”
2) Philadelphia Eagles offensive guard Evan Mathis // 19,772 followers
Self-described as a “sit-down comedian,” Mathis will poke fun at people’s grammar, tweet and retweet posts about his hair, and just might be a Justin Bieber fan. He also adds snarky back comments to followers. When someone tweeted that he ran over a squirrel, Mathis replied, “In the South we call that a free meal.”
“It’s a very stressful 3 seconds before I realize I have the walking directions selected when I’m using my phone’s GPS.”
3) Denver Broncos offensive guard Zane Beadles // 13,793 followers
Aside from having one of the coolest names on this list, Beadles posts lots of photos, giving fans an inside look at the Broncos team.
“Man those trash cans were formidable opponents today…”
4) Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Bryant Mckinnie // 71,877 followers
Mckinnie constantly retweets his followers and posts positive messages as he posts about life on and off the field. He’s also a tennis fan, and he never forgets to wish his followers “Rise & Grind!” every morning.
“I put ppl around the resources they need, & they lazy a$$ don’t do nothing wit it. Get off that treadmill cause u running n place.”
5) Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo // 11,647 followers
Castonzo might not tweet as often as his other NFL counterparts (and he also has the fewest number of followers on our list), but when he does, he tends to tweet about whatever’s on his mind, whether it’s about sushi, The Dark Knight Rises, or what would happen if football became an Olympic sport.
“I will name my two first born Sub-zero and Scorpion so that when they r grown they can settle their blood feud in MOOORRRRRTAL KOOOMMMBAT!”
6) Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III // 283,825 followers
Griffin appreciates his fans, and he often interacts with them. He also retweets reactions to his recent commercial, updates from training camp, and posts inspirational sayings for his followers.
“Remember people… When it comes down to it, just being you is good enough”
7) Houston Texans running back Arian Foster // 208,319 followers
Foster is just like any of us on Twitter. He doesn’t take life too seriously. According to his Twitter bio, he wants to use Morgan Freeman’s voice, lives his nightlife through television, and even has an opinion on how to place a roll of toilet paper. He recently went vegan and has encouraged some of his followers to do the same.
“Lol, MySpace. Asking your boy, “I’m not in your top 8 bro?”
8) Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson // 3,637,338 followers
By far the most popular NFL player on Twitter on this list, Johnson has a history being outspoken on the site. He famously bought 200 of his followers dinner back in March and invited one Twitter fan to his wedding. Johnson’s personal life has headlines recently–a recent arrest for domestic violence, impending divorce and firing by the Dolphins, which was caught on video–but after a short break and releasing a statement, Johnson is back and and retweeting fan support.
“I thoroughly enjoy these early morning surprise NFL Drug Tests… nothing compares to pissing excellence at 6 am for the higher ups…”
9) Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Terrell Owens // 1,256,832 followers
Owens is long known for his antics off the field, which is a plus for Twitter followers since he was recently cut by the Seahawks. Owens’s feed is largely composed of retweets and promotions, but every so often he’ll tweet an inspirational message, random thoughts, or interact with old teammates.
“Good morning everyone! I think Burger King should offer more options 4 the more health conscious ppl like myself. #justathought”
10) Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson // 465,028 followers
Jackson’s one of the more cocky players in the NFL. His Twitter feed is hard to understand for some. (Someone even made a parody account that translated Jackson’s tweets in 2010.) He’s also big on using Instagram, gives some insight into his personal life, and retweets positive messages from his fans.
“Ima franchise player an I rather own a team .. An they only EnvY mE .. Cuh I’m on a winner spree ..”
11) New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski // 306,366 followers
Gronkowski certainly isn’t known for being shy on Twitter; he once offered to give Kate Upton birthday spanks in 2011. He is still just as candid these days, and he even has a friendly competitive Twitter relationship with his brother, Denver Broncos fullback Chris Gronkowski.
“Walking around in @zubaz pants after taking 2 cialis #YOLO @TiccoJohn”
12) Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe // 48,898 followers
Kluwe might just be one of the Internet’s favorite NFL players. He’s quite opinionated, is interested in the Curiosity landing, and he’s a gamer; he plays War Machine and replayed Final Fantasy I recently.
“Wooo, downloading War Room. Finally have something to do during team meetings. If any coaches are reading this, it’s, uh, a play book app.”
13) Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely // 62,074 followers
Rounding off our list is Feely. During the NFL lockout he was vocal on Twitter, but now he tends to be more interactive with his fans. He will talk to fans, give a little insight into his personal life and tweet the occasional photograph.
“Pretty inspiring walking through the Pro Football hall of fame in Canton. Made me want to go play better than I ever have before.”
Photo via @RGIII/Twitter