Jets QB McElroy Talks Health, Academics With Midstreams Students

New York Jets player Greg McElroy told Midstreams Elementary School students Wednesday that his NFL teammates would trade places with them if they had the chance to just be kids again, able to play with their friends outside after school.

McElroy, 24, a contender to become the Jets starting quarterback this season, was in Brick to talk to students about living and eating healthy, staying active, and doing well in school. The assembly Wednesday morning was sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Eat Right, Move Right program, a partnership between the department and the Jets to stress healthy lifestyles for children.

McElroy's appearance, complete with photos, autographs and plenty of Jets team merchandise, was the school's prize for being a past winner of the Eat Right, Move Right contest, said department spokeswoman Lynne Richmond.

Midstreams won the contest due to its morning breakfast program, which increased the number of students who ate breakfast daily by 400 percent last year.

"Good nutrition is absolutely important to our school," said Dr. John Billen, principal. "We have healthy habits that the students have learned to employ on a daily basis. We take pride in the health of our students and feel we are a model school in this aspect."

In addition to eating healthy, more than a third of Midstreams students walk to school, Billen said, adding that one day a month the school gives a prize to a student who walk to class, and has formed a "Recharge" program that tracks the miles students walk.

"It's so important for you guys to recognize at a young age how important it is to eat right, be healthy, be active and do things on a regular basis that allow you to be healthy and live a very fulfilling life," said McElroy.

There was some football talk – students asked McElroy questions ranging from how fast he can run to how many yards he can throw to how it feels to play in front of so many fans – and there was also plenty of talk about life.

McElroy said he graduated in four and a half years from the University of Alabama with both his bachelors and masters degrees, and academics was just as important as football for his coaches and him.

"It was really hard work, but one thing our head coach preached was having good grades all the time – you wouldn't step on the field without good grades," said McElroy. "He said what you did in the classroom was reflective of what you did on the football field."

McElroy, after the release of backup quarterback Tim Tebow earlier this week and a lackluster performance by starter Mark Sanchez last season, could compete with Sanchez to be the Jets' starting quarterback this season.

"It's great to have competitions," said McElroy, speaking to reporters outside the school's gymnasium following the assembly. "I know competition brings out the best in everybody."