Flowersƒcandyƒeven a wedding. Those are some of the gifts NFL players have in store for mom this Sunday, MotherÍs Day.

But this year, a group of NFL moms are turning the tables and giving their sons a gift Ü a from-the-heart poem that tells their offspring just how much they have meant to their lives.

Two members of the two-year-old Professional Football Players MothersÍ Association (PFPMA) Ü CASSANDRA OGDEN (mother of the Baltimore RavensÍ JONATHAN) and SANDY MC CRARY (mother of the RavensÍ MICHAEL) Ü have written a "Special MotherÍs Day Message" that will be posted on NFL.com this week for all NFL players Ü and fans -- to read.

The poem (full text at end of release) tells their football-playing sons that their mothers are proud of them and their accomplishments on and off the field.

Lines from the poemÍs final stanza summarize the mothersÍ feelings towards their sons, and also touch on the message the PFPMA will deliver this year in local community relations projects. The organization will also send representatives to the annual NFL Rookie Symposium in June that is conducted for all drafted rookies. The poemÍs final stanza:

"This MotherÍs Day you have honored us, and proud of you we are On the field or off the field, youÍll always be our star A few have faced disappointments, but for most your dreams have come true Stay strong, be responsible, continue to make good choices This is our MotherÍs Day prayer for you"

While NFL players will be reading about how Mom feels about them, they also will be showing how they feel about her. A sampling of NFL playersÍ plans for MotherÍs Day:

IÍM GETTING MARRIED, MOM!: What a present Jacksonville Jaguars tight end KYLE BRADY has for his mom (VALERIE) this weekend! HeÍs getting married (to KRISTI JACOBSEN) on Saturday. On Sunday, Kyle will follow up with a full-day spa treatment for Valerie.

KyleÍs biggest problem for the weekend? Enough flowers for the ceremony. "Florists donÍt do weddings this weekend," he says.

CARDSÍ MOTHERS COMING & GOING: OneÍs heading west, the other east. Arizona Cardinals tackle L.J. SHELTON is flying his mother PAULA RENEE from her home in Michigan to Phoenix for MotherÍs Day. "IÍll take her out to dinner," says L.J. They can rehash his high school days. "My best memories of my mom," says L.J., "were of when I won the state championship (at Rochester Hills [Mich.] High School). She was always there watching me play and sheÍs the first person I remember seeing after games."

Cards center MIKE DEVLIN will fly back home to New Jersey with wife JULIE, mother of his son and two daughters, and "treat Julie like the queen she is."

BUDDYÍS BARBECUE: New York Jets cornerback BUDDY CRUTCHFIELD will return to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina to join in an annual neighborhood tradition Ü a MotherÍs Day barbecue in which Buddy and all his boyhood friends salute their mothers by holding a community cookout.

BILLS VISIT NURSING HOME: A group of Buffalo Bills who will be away from home on MotherÍs Day, including MIKE CAWLEY, DREW HADDAD and ROBERT HICKS, will visit a Buffalo nursing home on Friday to give bouquets of flowers to all the resident mothers who are also away from home.

GOOD TO HAVE MOM HOME: Minnesota Vikings punter MITCH BERGER doesnÍt have anything too unusual planned for his mother this Sunday, other than spending the entire day with her. BergerÍs mom had heart surgery six weeks ago and simply wants her family around her on her special day. And thatÍs fine with Mitch.

"ItÍs a chance to express to my mom that I love her and let her know that she is everything to me," says Berger. "IÍm blessed to have a mother like I do. ItÍs a great day to let her know just how much I love her."

DIAMONDS ARE A MOMÍS BEST FRIEND: TAKEO SPIKES wants to pay his mother back for giving him his toughness. The Cincinnati Bengals linebacker will be getting his mother LILLIE a diamond for MotherÍs Day. ThatÍs because, according to Takeo, she made him "rock hard" when he was a youngster. "When I was sore or hurt from football, sheÍd say, ïThatÍs nothing. DonÍt be such a baby. Get back out there and play. YouÍll be fine.Í"

KAY & KRISTY KLEAN UP: Chicago Bears tackle BLAKE BROCKERMEYER is a wise man. HeÍll send flowers to both of the mothers in his life Ü mom KAY and wife (and mother) KRISTY.

MOTHERÍS DAY GIFT FOR ROOMATE: The Denver BroncosÍ first-round draft choice this year, cornerback DELTHA OÍNEAL, promised his college roommate a special gift four years ago. HeÍll deliver it Ü his sociology degree -- the Saturday after MotherÍs Day to that roommate Ü and mother -- SHERYL JESSIE.

"He wanted me there with him," says Sheryl about the mother and son sharing a townhouse near CalÍs Berkeley campus. "I told him how important it was for him to get his degree. I said: ïThat will be ---