Will you cheer on a team with grads from Army or Navy?

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/sports/2015/09/09/nfl-opener-feature-army-navy-grads/71892514/

The only service academy graduates on active NFL rosters this season will square off Thursday night when former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva and the Pittsburgh Steelers visit newly minted naval officer Joe Cardona and the New England Patriots to open the regular season.

Take a break from last-minute tweaks to your fantasy football lineup for eight quick hits about these two men in uniform(s), as well as a few other players with military ties who fell just short of suiting up on Sundays:

1. Super-sized Steeler. Villanueva left active service in 2014 to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive lineman, then switched sides of the ball and sides of the state to join the Steelers practice squad. He also joined the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in nearby Coraopolis, where he serves as a captain in the Army Reserve.

Recruited by Army West Point as a tight end, the 6-foot-9 Villanueva played on the offensive and defensive lines during his time with the Black Knights before spending his senior season as a wide receiver. After receiving his commission in 2010, he made three war-zone deployments and earned a Bronze Star with "V" device, among other awards, and served with 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.


ARMY TIMES

Since leaving service, he's adjusted to the demands of an NFL offensive lineman, one of which involves a whole new set of physical standards: Villanueva's reportedly tipping the scales at 335 pounds, nearly 100 pounds more than his weight while in service. He's listed as backup left and right tackle on the Steelers' depth chart.

2. Active-duty snapper.The Patriots drafted Cardona out of the Naval Academy in the fifth round and didn't re-sign long snapper Danny Aiken, clearing Cardona's path to a roster spot. One hurdle remained — the 2015 grad's service obligation.

While the snapper's post-academy plans included, at different points, becoming a Marine or heading to Norfolk, Virginia, for assignment with the surface fleet, he ended up serving at the Naval Academy Prepatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, about an hour from the Patriots' home in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Cardona told The (North Attleboro, Mass.) Sun Chronicle that he's received support from both the command and the team as he combines his NFL and active-duty schedule.

3. Belichick's background. Cardona's not the first Naval Academy grad grabbed by the Patriots. Head coach Bill Belichick, whose father served as an assistant coach in Annapolis for more than 30 years, also snapped up former Navy fullback Eric Kettani on Aug. 4 for what would've been Kettani's second stint with the club after spending parts of 2011 and 2012 on the team's practice squad. He was released Aug. 25.

4. IR update. Another academy fullback, Army West Point's Collin Mooney, had an impressive preseason for the Atlanta Falcons, hauling in a 60-yard pass against the New York Jets on Aug. 21 and scoring on a fumble recovery against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 3. But Mooney, who saw action with the Tennessee Titans in 2012 and 2013, injured his elbow later in the Baltimore game and ended up on the injured reserve list, likely keeping him on the sidelines the entire season.

5. Prior-enlisted standouts. Clemson grad Daniel Rodriguez, who earned a Bronze Star with "V" and a Purple Heart for his actions in combat in Afghanistan, just missed the final cut in his attempt to catch on as a free agent wide receiver with the St. Louis Rams. Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who practiced his long-snapping while in the war zone during his time at the University of Texas, also got a shot as a free agent, but couldn't crack the Seattle Seahawks roster.

6. Airman out. Offensive lineman Ben Garland, a 2010 Air Force Academy graduate and a captain in the Colorado Air National Guard, missed the cut for the Denver Broncos after playing in eight games last season. Garland switched from defense to offense during his time on the team's practice squad in 2012 and 2013, but slipped down the depth chart during the preseason, The Denver Post reported.

Denver general manager and resident quarterback legend John Elway told the Post that the move wasn't an easy one to make because Garland "is the kind of guy you'd like to have your daughter marry."

Blessed to of had the opportunity to play for the Broncos. Class act organization top to bottom,God has a plan for me pic.twitter.com/McFCuQ80K0
— Ben Garland (@BenGarland63) September 5, 2015
7. From court to comeback? The Indianapolis Colts removed former Army West Point linebacker Josh McNary from their active roster following his Jan. 14 arrest on rape charges. After his acquittal last week, the Colts added McNary to their practice squad. He saw time on the main roster in 2013 and 2014, playing in 20 games.

8. Knight of the Hudson. Former Army West Point quarterback Trent Steelman, who rewrote a good chunk of the team's record book as a four-year starter (2009-12), attempted to catch on with the Baltimore Ravens as a wide receiver this preseason, but was waived Aug. 31. Steelman hasn't given up his pro hopes, however, signing with the Hudson Valley Fort of the Fall Experimental Football League.

It's the Fort's first season in the FXFL, which debuted last year, and the team will play its home games in a minor league ballpark in Fishkill, New York, about 40 minutes north of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. League commissioner Brian Woods confirmed the signing, first reported by Sal Interdonato of the (Middletown, N.Y.) Times Herald-Record.