Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The number they focused on was in the win column, and that grew because of their leadership and individual excellence. Theres no denying quarterbacks Vernon Adams Jr. of Eastern Washington, Justin Arias of Idaho State and John Robertson of Villanova were at the head of the class in the FCS this season. All three have been invited to the announcement of the 28th Walter Payton Award, given to the nations outstanding player and considered the Heisman Trophy of the former Division I-AA level. The winner will be announced at The Sports Networks FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation on Dec. 15 in Philadelphia. The winners of the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS outstanding defensive player), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman of the year) and Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) also will be feted that night. Awards voting, conducted by a national panel, is based on the regular season. Following are short descriptions of Vernon Adams Jr., Justin Arias and John Robertson, and then the voting totals for fourth through 25th place for the 2014 Walter Payton Award: VERNON ADAMS JR., EASTERN WASHINGTON, QUARTERBACK, REDSHIRT-JUNIOR The first jersey Vernon Adams Jr.s son, Vernon III, received after being born in June was a Russell Wilson Seahawks No. 3. At our (school) bookstore, theyre not making (Eastern Washington University) No. 3 jerseys yet, weve just got No. 1 jerseys, said the Eagles star quarterback, who draws comparisons to the signal caller with the same number. Ill get him a No. 3 jersey here soon. No doubt, an EWU No. 3 jersey would sell out. Adams has been a human highlight reel for three seasons, helping the Eagles to win the Big Sky Conference title each time. Last years Walter Payton Award runner-up is back for another chance to win FCS outstanding player honors. When he redshirted in 2011, Adams watched as EWU quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell captured the Payton to put alongside the Eagles 2010 national championship trophy. Bo Levi has both of them. Thats what makes him one of the greats, if not the greatest quarterback, to ever come through Eastern Washington, Adams said. My goal is to win a national championship. If the Walter Payton comes along, then it comes along. I tell guys all the time, thats a team award. Ironically, what EWU has in the 6-foot, 200-pounder from Pasadena, California, was even more evident this season because the Eagles played without the redshirt junior for four games after he broke his right foot. All he did in his return against FCS power Montana on Nov. 8 was pass for 410 yards and four touchdowns. The Big Skys all-time leader in touchdown passes threw for 30 in only eight regular-season games, and he would have led the FCS in total offense per game (391.5 yards) if he had played one more game to qualify for the NCAA statistics. Adams, a recreation management major with a coaching minor, and his girlfriend Cheyenne Merritt, a nursing major at EWU, will have plenty of fond tales to tell Vernon III. JUSTIN ARIAS, IDAHO STATE, QUARTERBACK, GRADUATE STUDENT One of Justin Arias hobbies is to build something from scratch, like his new desktop computer. His big project in the fall, though, was helping rebuild what was a struggling football program at Idaho State University. I like new challenges, the quarterback said. I really like to do things Ive never done before because I like the process of learning and becoming good at it. The Bengals had won only nine games over the previous six years, but this season they went 8-4, tied for second place in the Big Sky Conference and became nationally ranked for the first time since 2005. The 6-foot, 213-pound Arias was one of the chief architects of the turnaround, throwing for an FCS- high 4,076 yards and a school-record 38 touchdowns, while putting himself in the running for the Walter Payton Award which honors the outstanding player in the FCS. Idaho State trusted the vision of its coaching staff and seemed to find a higher level of achievement with each game. With the Bengals establishing a more consistent run game, their composed signal caller was even more dangerous throwing downfield, and the offense accounted for 6,744 yards, which is a Big Sky record for a 12-game schedule. I think its pretty special to come into a program and help rebuild it, said Arias, a former transfer who will earn a graduate degree in athletic administration in December. Hes from Agoura Hills, California. Last year I did pretty well, had good stats, but we just didnt win. Its awesome to get those stats and win games. It was definitely a team effort; I couldnt have done it without the team, without the O-line, without my receivers. It was awesome to accomplish it together. JOHN ROBERTSON, VILLANOVA, QUARTERBACK, REDSHIRT-JUNIOR On the night Villanova University quarterback John Robertson received national freshman of the year honors at the 2012 FCS Awards Presentation, Wildcats offensive coordinator Sam Venuto told the Jerry Rice Award recipient, You better be back here for the Walter Payton Award eventually. Two years later, Robertson has followed the order. One of three players eagerly awaiting the announcement of the 2014 Payton winner, the 6-1, 221-pound dual- threat has shredded opposing defenses throughout his redshirt junior campaign. He was named CAA Football offensive player of the week an incredible six times during the regular season while Villanova went 10-2 with only a pair of one- point losses. He was then named the conferences offensive player of the year. One of the big differences from this year and last year was just the amount of weapons (on offense), said the economics major from Paramus, New Jersey. Last season, he placed ninth in the Payton Award voting for the FCSs outstanding player. As the quarterback, you need help out there, and theyre really just giving it their all. During the regular season, Robertson led the FCS in passing efficiency (182.99), throwing for 2,629 yards and 34 touchdown passes against only three interceptions. He rushed for 978 yards and nine touchdowns, and was responsible for 260 points - the most in the nation. Robertson is on pace to graduate after the spring semester, but he plans to pursue a masters degree next year and direct the Nova offense again as a redshirt senior. He hopes to work on Wall Street in the future. For now, he will keep doing his best work in an opponents end zone. 2014 WALTER PAYTON AWARD VOTING In the 2014 Walter Payton Award voting, there were 160 ballots cast by a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. The results for No. 4-25 were as follows: 2014 Walter Payton Award.......1st....2nd....3rd....4th....5th....Total 4. Vad Lee, James Madison...........9.....18.....12.....17.....12.....199 5. Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State.8......8.....20.....16......8.....172 6. Zach Zenner, South Dakota State..5......5......8.....17.....11.....114 7. Alex Ross, Coastal Carolina......3......8......8.....11......7.....100 8. R.J. Harris, New Hampshire.......3......8......8.....10......3......94 9. Gus Johnson, Stephen F. Austin...3......4......9......7.....14......86 10. David Johnson, Northern Iowa.....2......6......5......8.....13......78 11T.DeAndre Carter, Sacramento State.1......8......3......4.....17......71 11T.Jacob Huesman, Chattanooga.......1......6......6......7.....10......71 13. Dakota Prukop, Montana State.....2......4......6......6......3......59 14. Tyler Varga, Yale................0......4......7......4......8......53 15. Chase Edmonds, Fordham...........0......2......6......9......6......50 16. Khairi Dickson, Saint Francis....1......4......5......3......6......48 17. Malcolm Cyrus, Alabama State.....2......3......1......2......1......30 18. Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington..1......1......3......1......5......25 19. DyShawn Mobley, E. Kentucky.....1......1......1......4......4......24 20. DaMarcus James, Jacksonville St..1......0......2......2......3......18 21. Bryan Bennett, SE Louisiana......0......1......1......3......1......14 22. Herb Walker Jr., Morgan State....0......1......1......2......1......12 23. MyCole Pruitt, Southern Illinois.0......1......0......1......0.......6 24. Connor Kacsor, Dayton............0......1......0......0......1.......5 25. Rob Hollomon, Central Connecticut0......0......0......0......1.......1 A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point. Nick Rimando USA Jersey . -- New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has no concerns about the health of shortstop Derek Jeter, who was limited to 17 games last season due to leg injuries. Omar Gonzalez USA Jersey .ca. Kerry, In the closing minutes of the second period of Game 4 between Pittsburgh and Columbus there were the remnants of two broken sticks behind the Pittsburgh net. http://www.usasoccerauthority.com/matt-besler-usa-jersey/ . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. 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We know he will have a chance to sign with another team and by releasing hiim now, he will have a full offseason to make the necessary adjustments.dddddddddddd I had a chance to speak with him today and he handled himself like the true professional he is." The eight-year veteran has spent his entire career with Philadelphia. The University of Michigan product was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. He ranks 11th in Eagles history with 297 receptions for 3,646 yards and 12 touchdowns. ' ' '