I have officially moved to www.omnipresentsports.com part of the rant sports network.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ramble On - Michael Vick
Just when you thought that the sports news had dried up completely, it just got worse. The big story floating around today was Michael Vick's appearance on Hot 107.9 FM in Atlanta, GA on a program called "Gangsta Grillz." Yes the radio show is called Gangsta Grillz, but that's beside the point. Vick mentioned that of all the possible suitors for him as a starting quarterback in the NFL next year, he would love to play for the Carolina Panthers. When asked for his reasoning, he mentioned that he liked their uniforms and that being able to play against Atlanta twice a year while being close to home was important to him. Likes the uniforms? Wants to play twice against a team that dropped him amidst a humongous dog fighting scandal? Give me a break.
Carolina would be a great place for Vick to settle into a starting role, I am not doubting that. Jake Delhomme is iffy at best as the Panthers starting Quarterback. One day he looks like an all-pro, and the next he is throwing five picks and still only losing by one score. For someone that isn't even a free agent however, Vick shouldn't be labeling teams that he wants to be a part of. He is still a Philadelphia Eagle the last time that I checked. I haven't heard a response from the Philadelphia Eagles organization or fan base at this point, but if I were them I would be a little ticked off. Philly has three mediocre starters in Kevin Kolb (120+ passing attempts total in his career), Donovan McNabb (a city divided over whether the "almost there" aging quarterback will ever get them a championship), and Michael Vick (notorious, and apparently a "Gangsta Grill?). Vick actually gives this team the best chance to win in the National Football League next year. A career stopped dead in its tracks amidst being the highest paid player in the league after going into Lambeau Field and handing the Packers their first home playoff loss ever. It remains to be seen whether or not he is the same player he once was, but once thing is for sure; Vick needs a chance to be a starting quarterback in order to get the reps needed to perform at a high level.
So let's say that McNabb or Kolb stay with the team as starter and backup for another season in Philadelphia (contracts expiring). The Eagles at that point would obviously not want to pay Vick his five million dollar option for the 2010 season. It almost seems like the Eagles originally signed Vick in order to create some diversity on the team and have some trade bait. Getting him for just over one million for the first year with a steady increase in the second shows that they were more than likely going to release him or use him as trade bait. This could definitely work to their advantage, however any team that has a chance to keep Vick should do so. Though he hasn't proven much since his return, he has proved that he has the ambition, drive, and ability to get the job done. Coming into that playoff game against Dallas and throwing a bomb on his first play of the game after watching Donovan struggle immensely had to be eye-opening for many people. He's still got it folks whether you want to admit it or not. The throwing ability has always been a little softer than a Joe Montana, but he's got a cannon for an arm. Not to mention his running back like skills moving out of the pocket with his feet the way that guys like Vince Young and Pat White could only dream of accomplishing on the NFL level. What this guy did to dogs was disastrous (coming from a vegetarian), but as a football player this guy is all-world. Given the chance as a starter in this league once again will prove this point, I guarantee it.
Possible suitors for Vick include the recent talk regarding the St. Louis Rams GM Billy Devaney showing some interest in either McNabb or Vick. Drafting Ndomukong Suh and grabbing Vick could be just what this team needs with Kyle Boller and Marc Bulger not cutting it at the quarterback position. The other route would be to just draft a quarterback like Sam Bradford and go to town Detroit Lions style. Another suitor for both McNabb and Vick is the Minnesota Vikings. I really don't even want to get into that as there is no telling if Brett Favre is actually serious about his retirement (again). There's a clear notion that neither Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels are being shown clear confidence from the men upstairs. Aside from those two, there's the Chicago Bears, San Fransisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and a host of other cities out there who would be glad to give the veteran a shot.
Hopefully it will trump the Brett Favre saga as the NFL's most exciting off-season news, but it's still not very exciting. I just hope it doesn't drag on for months so that we can start preparing for our fantasy leagues early (sad, I know).
My prediction - Even with all of the trade talk, I am not convinced that the Eagles will trade McNabb because of coach Andy Reid's loyalty to him. Vick will end up signing with another team, let's say Buffalo. There's really no way to tell where he's going to land, so this is just a long shot. So many different things have to fall into place before he's even moved. Who knows, the Eagles might want to continue their wildcat formations and have a go at another year of that idiotic system.
All I know is that although Carolina is Vick's first choice, I think he should be careful with the way he addresses this question in the future. He's still on a team who hasn't decided what they want to do with him yet, and there are a ton of possible suitors out there that he does not want to turn off. Being a starting quarterback next year in the NFL is a must for Vick if he wants to get the reps that he needs to resume his career and become successful once again.
Carolina would be a great place for Vick to settle into a starting role, I am not doubting that. Jake Delhomme is iffy at best as the Panthers starting Quarterback. One day he looks like an all-pro, and the next he is throwing five picks and still only losing by one score. For someone that isn't even a free agent however, Vick shouldn't be labeling teams that he wants to be a part of. He is still a Philadelphia Eagle the last time that I checked. I haven't heard a response from the Philadelphia Eagles organization or fan base at this point, but if I were them I would be a little ticked off. Philly has three mediocre starters in Kevin Kolb (120+ passing attempts total in his career), Donovan McNabb (a city divided over whether the "almost there" aging quarterback will ever get them a championship), and Michael Vick (notorious, and apparently a "Gangsta Grill?). Vick actually gives this team the best chance to win in the National Football League next year. A career stopped dead in its tracks amidst being the highest paid player in the league after going into Lambeau Field and handing the Packers their first home playoff loss ever. It remains to be seen whether or not he is the same player he once was, but once thing is for sure; Vick needs a chance to be a starting quarterback in order to get the reps needed to perform at a high level.
So let's say that McNabb or Kolb stay with the team as starter and backup for another season in Philadelphia (contracts expiring). The Eagles at that point would obviously not want to pay Vick his five million dollar option for the 2010 season. It almost seems like the Eagles originally signed Vick in order to create some diversity on the team and have some trade bait. Getting him for just over one million for the first year with a steady increase in the second shows that they were more than likely going to release him or use him as trade bait. This could definitely work to their advantage, however any team that has a chance to keep Vick should do so. Though he hasn't proven much since his return, he has proved that he has the ambition, drive, and ability to get the job done. Coming into that playoff game against Dallas and throwing a bomb on his first play of the game after watching Donovan struggle immensely had to be eye-opening for many people. He's still got it folks whether you want to admit it or not. The throwing ability has always been a little softer than a Joe Montana, but he's got a cannon for an arm. Not to mention his running back like skills moving out of the pocket with his feet the way that guys like Vince Young and Pat White could only dream of accomplishing on the NFL level. What this guy did to dogs was disastrous (coming from a vegetarian), but as a football player this guy is all-world. Given the chance as a starter in this league once again will prove this point, I guarantee it.
Possible suitors for Vick include the recent talk regarding the St. Louis Rams GM Billy Devaney showing some interest in either McNabb or Vick. Drafting Ndomukong Suh and grabbing Vick could be just what this team needs with Kyle Boller and Marc Bulger not cutting it at the quarterback position. The other route would be to just draft a quarterback like Sam Bradford and go to town Detroit Lions style. Another suitor for both McNabb and Vick is the Minnesota Vikings. I really don't even want to get into that as there is no telling if Brett Favre is actually serious about his retirement (again). There's a clear notion that neither Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels are being shown clear confidence from the men upstairs. Aside from those two, there's the Chicago Bears, San Fransisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and a host of other cities out there who would be glad to give the veteran a shot.
Hopefully it will trump the Brett Favre saga as the NFL's most exciting off-season news, but it's still not very exciting. I just hope it doesn't drag on for months so that we can start preparing for our fantasy leagues early (sad, I know).
My prediction - Even with all of the trade talk, I am not convinced that the Eagles will trade McNabb because of coach Andy Reid's loyalty to him. Vick will end up signing with another team, let's say Buffalo. There's really no way to tell where he's going to land, so this is just a long shot. So many different things have to fall into place before he's even moved. Who knows, the Eagles might want to continue their wildcat formations and have a go at another year of that idiotic system.
All I know is that although Carolina is Vick's first choice, I think he should be careful with the way he addresses this question in the future. He's still on a team who hasn't decided what they want to do with him yet, and there are a ton of possible suitors out there that he does not want to turn off. Being a starting quarterback next year in the NFL is a must for Vick if he wants to get the reps that he needs to resume his career and become successful once again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
