Day: July 19, 2007

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Jon Gruden, who is never shy to flirt with any veteran quarterback, met with free agent Daunte Culpepper Thursday. Why? I have no idea, but I’m sure someone has a good reason for it.

I must not be getting something with the Bucs. They extended Chris Simms’ contract, drafted Bruce Gradkowski, signed Jeff Garcia, traded for Jake Plummer and now are talking with Culpepper. I know the Plummer thing fell through, but what the hell are they doing, trying to set the Guinness Book of World record for quarterbacks on a roster?

Garcia has to be feeling good with Tampa trying to acquire every quarterback who has ever taken a snap in the NFL to compete with him. “Hey listen Jeff, uh, we know we signed you to be the man, but you’re going to have to beat out Simms (both of them), Gradkowski, Plummer, Culpepper, Vick (both of them), Elway, Young, Montana, Namath, Theismann and Marino to start next year. Good luck hoss.”

Lets cut through the crap: Michael Vick new what went on at that house. He didn’t just buy his cousin the home, turned around and never went back. Anyone with ¼ a brain would have questioned what all the kennels, equipment and dogs were for, or at the very least, would have taken more responsibility for who was allowed on the property. If Vick doesn’t wind up in jail or suspended, nothing short of a Ray Lewis-type miracle is going to save Vick’s image.

With that said, the Falcons should cut ties. Are there major cap ramifications with an outright release? Absolutely, around $6 million-plus this year and $15 mil next year. So what? At least the cap figures are larger now thanks to the CBA deal signed last year. The Chargers cut Ryan Leaf and eventally wound up with LaDainian Tomlinson. The Bengals cut Akili Smith and still nabbed Carson Palmer. New prospects and “face of the franchise” players come out every year, but you fail to do the right thing and it can haunt you. The Atlanta Falcons are bigger than Michael Vick and now it’s finally time for them to show it.

Don’t forget the Falcons just put together a nice draft and next year have an extra second round pick from the Matt Schaub trade. Even if they were handicapped in free agency, they’d still have the opportunity to play the youngsters, develop them under Bobby Petrino and have a nice core heading into 2009. Maybe the Falcons lose big next year without Vick, but what if Brian Brohm falls into their laps because of it?

More importantly than the on field stuff, however, the Falcons should think about their integrity above all else, including winning and selling tickets. Worried about people not showing up to the Georgia Dome? Start D.J. Shockley and watch UGA fans pack the place. Otherwise, there are more important things in life than winning football games and making money. Your franchise is hemorrhaging from within and the problem can be pinpointed. At the very least, the Falcons should usher Vick to the side until the legal matters take flight, then decide if a full release is the best move. But eventually, I think the outcome is still going to result in an ugly ending to Vick’s days in Atlanta, so why wait?

The NFL has decided to hold off on suspending Michael Vick until the legal process determines the facts. None of this means that Vick won’t be suspended next month, tomorrow, in an hour – it just means that commissioner Roger Goodell is holding off for the time being.

This decision, at least at this point, doesn’t surprise me. If the league doesn’t release an immediate statement either way, it will be vilified for not taking action. If it acts too quickly, then it might get hammered for having a knee-jerk reaction. So staying status quo for the time being at least allows Goodell and the NFL to catch their breath and get their footing before moving on with a possible suspension.

If I was a betting man – and damn it, I am – I’d say a suspension is still forthcoming in the near future. As I’ve stated in previous blogs, Goodell already has enough to hand out a punishment.