Nick, NFL Team for Animated Short-Form Series

For the first time, Nickelodeon and the National Football League have partnered for the first time to develop an original, animated short-form series called "Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core" for Nicktoons.

The two-to-five-minute series will begin airing weekly at the start of the 2010 NFL season from September to February. It will also be available on Nicktoons.com and NFLRush.com, as well as for use on Jumbotrons in NFL stadiums. "Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core" will feature all 32 NFL teams and the voices of players and coaches, including New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

"It is great to be partnering with the NFL," says Keith Dawkins, Nicktoons' general manager and senior vice president of Nickelodeon Programming Partnerships. "To be able to bring the power of two brands that boys love, the NFL and Nickelodeon, together under one roof and leverage the best of what we both do is extremely exciting.  This new series combines fantasy, sports, game play, team work, competition and the age old theme of good vs. evil, under one compelling new narrative."