ATLANTA -- While players and coaches leaguewide acknowledged that pragmatism likely played as significant a part as compassion in the NFL's decision to not have games this weekend, few questioned the motivation for the unprecedented move, and the one-week hiatus from the schedule was greeted with near-universal endorsement.

Along with a collective sigh of relief.

"There's got to be a human element to what we do," said Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Terance Mathis, whose social conscience has been well demonstrated during his tenure here. "And I think the league showed that with its decision. All over the NFL, on almost every team, we're hearing stories about players who lost friends or relatives, or maybe have someone missing. So from that standpoint and the even bigger picture, with what the entire country is going through, it was the right call."

	Michael Strahan was among many Giants players who did not want to play Sunday.

In deciding it is time, not touchdowns, that heals wounds, commissioner Paul Tagliabue scored points with some players who believed even early Thursday morning that the NFL would adopt a bottom-line approach in its deliberations and end up playing the games.

Some players had been privately angered by the reports the league was leaning that way, even after the rank-and-file made its feelings clear on the issue.

"It's good to know they paid some heed to us," said Washington Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith. "They made us a part of the process and that hasn't always been the case. In a matter like this, I think our opinion counted, both professionally and personally."

Noted one longtime veteran: "For once, they didn't treat us like (chattel) or the hired help and that's good. Most of us felt pretty strongly this was the only right thing to do." Certainly the players' overwhelming sentiments not to play this weekend, as voiced to Tagliabue by NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw, was a key component of the Thursday morning decision.

Other more practical elements, like security and travel concerns, also played a role in the decision. Several teams apprised the NFL office the last few days they were experiencing problems securing charter flights for road games. Owners fretted about the safety issues in their own stadiums.

But players surveyed after the Thursday announcement insisted their stance sent a strong message to the commissioner and league officials.

During a Wednesday night conference call between player representatives and Upshaw, the vote was 17-11 in favor of not playing, ESPN.com confirmed. There was one player rep who abstained from the vote.

Two player representatives to whom ESPN.com spoke said that the 11 teams that voted to play did so because their clubs felt the league should not permit terrorist groups to set this country's agenda. In a subsequent vote, the representatives then opted to unanimously support a resolution urging the league to cancel the games.

Players who were part of the conference call said the New York Giants, New York Jets, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles were staunchly against playing and threatened to boycott the games if the schedule went forward. Remarkably, sources within the owners' fraternity said that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was outspoken in his belief the games should go on.

League Vice President Greg Aiello told ESPN.com that under no scenario that was considered by the league would the Jets or Giants have played this weekend and that Washington would not have played at home.

There were at least two owners, Wellington Mara of the Giants and Baltimore Ravens' Art Modell, who strenuously objected to playing the games. Modell had urged then-commissioner Pete Rozelle not to play the weekend games in 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. One of the scenarios floated by the league earlier in the week was that the Giants move their home game against the Packers to Green Bay, a suggestion that Mara summarily dismissed.

"We've always been a league that takes the lead in things like this," Mara said, "and I'm proud we did that with this (decision) by the commissioner."

"They're still searching for bodies, fighting fires, treating people in hospitals, and it's all going on underneath our noses," said Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. "How could we have justified playing a game with life and death issues swirling around us like that?"

The members of the offensive line from one NFC East team had decided to boycott, a veteran member of the unit told ESPN.com. Buffalo Bills defensive end Phil Hansen allowed publicly he might skip the game.

Those threats, and player concerns in general, became a moot point on Thursday. Many teams immediately canceled the day's practice. San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci led a group of 49ers players and officials to a local blood bank to make contributions.

	“	They're still searching for bodies, fighting fires, treating people in hospitals, and it's all going on underneath our noses. How could we have justified playing a game with life and death issues swirling around us like that? ”
		— Michael Strahan, Giants defensive end

"As competitive as all of us are in this business," Mariucci said, "this was the right thing to do. Through the week, it's been hard enough to focus, and it's hard to say just what the level of concentration would have been (on Sunday)."

All week long, Jets' players, most notably quarterback Vinny Testaverde, made it clear their hearts were not committed to football and allowed they feared having to fly to Oakland for a road game with the Raiders. All four of the hijacked jets on Tuesday were headed to California destinations.

"All I can say is, 'Thank God,' because I don't know how we would have reacted if they told us we had to get on a plane and fly to Oakland," said Testaverde. "There are guys on this team, me included, who have friends missing. Or who know someone who has a story about someone missing or gone. To say it hasn't affected us would be (naive). There are a lot of distractions you can overcome, but this one might have been too big."

Jets coach Herman Edwards agreed that, when he looked into his players' eyes this week, there was an emptiness that indicated their preoccupation with real-world matters. Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy noted that, while he was "shocked" at the league's decision not to play, it was one he supported. Other head coaches conceded that practices during the week had been ragged and that their teams were mentally unprepared to play.

"How else are you supposed to react to something like this?" said Falcons coach Dan Reeves, who has a friend still missing in the World Trade Center collapse, and who broke down several times during his Wednesday press conference.

Dallas tailback Emmitt Smith, who is within shouting distance of Barry Sanders for the No. 2 rushing spot all-time, said he believed the NFL would have been "on thin ice" had it decided to play the games.

"We're paid to play, and so you have to go out and do your best, but it would have been a tough deal for everybody involved," Smith said. "Plus, have you heard a single person yet criticize the NFL for not playing? No, and you're not going to. People understand it's the best thing. And, hey, some of us feel like we need to be with our families, too, this week. This is a (tragedy) that affected all of us. Stack the (rushing) record up against something like this and how important is it, really? There will be other games to play."

Those sentiments were echoed throughout the league. Asked what he would do with his free weekend, Mathis said he will spend some time "hugging (my) family."

While questions remain about how the NFL will deal with the postponements, several owners allowed it was more important for the league to use an exclamation point for dealing with the country's nightmare. Most applauded Tagliabue's decision and said there is plenty of time for dealing with the one-week stoppage.

"I know there's been a debate back and forth about whether (normal) life should go on," said Philadelphia owner Jeff Lurie. "But for those affected, and I think that runs into the millions, I don't think (we) should be playing football. You shouldn't be asking people to watch football while you're still searching for people, while you have funerals going on or while you have services going on, or while you have security threats. I really think this is the right move to do. This is the difference between life and sports."

Said the Bills' Hansen: "Football is a sport of passion. What we need more than anything else right now is compassion. The country needs to get through this, and it doesn't have to have any kind of diversion like football to do that."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.