In the Outdoors Since Childhood: The Baltimore Ravens’ Sean Considine
John E. Phillips 01.29.13
On Sunday, February 3, 2013, when the Baltimore Ravens come out of the tunnel to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, one of the men to keep your eye on is number 37, Sean Considine. Considine, an avid outdoorsman who is on Mossy Oak’s Pro Staff, will be living the dream he’s had for most of his life and his entire football career.
“This is my eighth year in the NFL,” Sean Considine explains. “Before that, I played five years at the University of Iowa, and before that I played running back and linebacker in high school in Byron, Illinois. I was one of the bigger kids in my high school. Then when I arrived at college, I started playing safety, a position I played along with special teams throughout my NFL career.” In 2005, Considine was the first pick in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played for four years. Next, he played two years for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last year, he played for the Arizona Cardinals. This year, he landed a coveted spot with the Baltimore Ravens.
“A lot of work on my part and a lot of luck had to come together for me to have this kind of opportunity,” Considine says. “I knew once I signed with Baltimore, I’d have a pretty good chance of making it to the Super Bowl. When a team has a plan come together like this, participating in the Super Bowl is a dream come true, not only for the Baltimore Ravens, but also for all their fans.”
Considine will be playing on all four special teams that the Ravens will use in this year’s Super Bowl.
“I’m Ed Reed’s backup, who is the Pro Bowl safety, for the Baltimore Ravens this year,” says Considine. If Reed gets hurt or needs to come out of the game for a breather, Considine will be taking his position and playing safety. He plays on the punt team, the punt-return team, the kick team and the kick-return team for Baltimore. Most believe that when you’re on the kick-return team or the punt-return team, your job is almost a suicide mission, because you have to get in front of and throw the force of your body into a 200- or 300-pound man who’s running full speed, wearing all his protective gear and trying to run over you.
“I study a lot of film,” Considine reports. “I try to block and set up a running lane, by using the techniques that I’ve learned over the years. I usually can analyze the situation as my opponent is coming down the field and make the correct block to counter my opponent and not get hurt. These days, professional football requires athletes to think more and use brute force less.”
When we asked Considine why he joined the Mossy Oak Pro Staff, he explains, “I’ve been an outdoorsman all my life, but because of my football profession, I really don’t have much time to deer hunt, but I am a whitetail deer junkie. When I was playing at the University of Iowa, I was fortunate enough to meet some people in the outdoor industry at a charity event called ‘Aiming for the Cure.’ At this event, I met Tim Anderson, who, at that time, was working in PR and advertising for Hunter Specialties. Tim became a close friend. Then when Tim went to Mossy Oak to head up that company’s Pro Staff, I went with him. By being on the Mossy Oak Pro Staff, I get to meet other NFL players and many of the TV hosts I watch on outdoor TV shows.”
To learn more about Mossy Oak, go to www.mossyoak.com. Outdoor Hub will be publishing more articles detailing Considine’s outdoors background in the lead up to the Super Bowl–keep checking back for more.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
