What do NFL players do if their teams don't make it into the big game? A handful of them played in a smaller game Thursday at the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl, which took place on a sand-filled football field in the South Bridge area of Scottsdale near the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall.
Musician Josh Kelly opened the afternoon event with a few songs from his album Just Say The Word. Kelly is best known for being the husband to Grey's Anatomy actress Katherine Heigl.
After Kellys four songs the referees, ESPN Analyst Michael Smith and Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, took the field. The game was broadcast live on Spike TV and therefore the player introductions included a lot of fanfare and melodrama.
ESPN analyst Michael Smith and Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs listened to complaints from players about a call that was eventually reversed. Watch a slideshow from the game.
The two teams were named after two of DirecTV's exclusive sports packages. Heisman Trophy winner and quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals Matt Leinart coached Team NFL Sunday Ticket and Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals Chad Johnson coached Team NASCAR Hotpass.
Fans that showed up to see the celebrities play flag football were probably disappointed. Most of the celebrities, like comedian and actor David Spade and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, only spent a few minutes in the game.
Fall Out Boy bandmates Wentz and guitarist Joe Trohman competed on opposing teams. Trohman didn't wear the blue Team NFL Sunday Ticket jersey like his teammates. Instead he wore a Green Bay Packers shirt.
Actress January Jones (We Are Marshall) and The Hills stars Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado were exceptions to the lazy-celebrity rule. All three of them spent a good deal of time on the field.
The audience -- which seemed to be stacked with Fall Out Boy fans judging by the inflated reactions to the two bandmates' plays (including one touchdown by Trohman) -- was invited onto the field after the game to get a better view of the end zone stage where Fall Out Boy performed.
The band opened with its first top 10 single Sugar, We're Going Down. They also performed Thanks Fr Th Mmrs, and This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race on live TV. During a commercial break they played a cover of Michael Jackson's Beat It.
Fall Out Boy performed immediately after the game. Bassist Peter Wentz didn't even have time to remove his eye black. Watch a slideshow from the game.
