Japanese comic has a Birds touch.

Philadelphia Inquirer, The, January, 2006 by Don Steinberg

So you think you've heard every bizarre Eagles story this season? Wrap your helmet around this: A comic book in Japan, which has sold more than nine million copies, is partially inspired by the Eagles.

Eyeshield 21 , illustrated in Japanese manga -style, features a high school kid who plays a somewhat fantastical version of American football. Sena Kobayakawa is a wimpy boy who, after a lifetime of running away from bullies, turns out to have blazing speed and awesome moves. He joins his school team, the Demon Bats, anonymously, known only by his uniform No. 21 and the eyeshield on his helmet.

Along the way, he is tormented by team captain Hiruma and helped by gigantic center Kurita, "who inexplicably has a head shaped like a chestnut," according to the comic....