Falcon fans will be be forever grateful for what Dan Reeves did for their organization, which included leading them to their first and only Super Bowl appearance, and pulling the trigger on a trade that brought Michael Vick to Atlanta in 2001.

That said, Reeves missed the boat so badly with his recent comments about how the Falcons “turned their back” on Vick that he didn’t even hit water. He never made it to the dock, in fact. He tripped getting out of his car on the way to the dock with the boat 600 yards away, smacked his head on the ground and when he woke up dazed and confused, he foolishly said this:

“When Mike really needed them, they turned their back on him in my opinion. They could have been a big supporter and they let him go. I wasn’t there so I don’t know the organization’s standpoint, but I thought they could have been more supportive and instead they severed ties with him.”

Things didn’t end well for Reeves in Atlanta, so I don’t blame him for being a little salty towards the organization. But he still has a functioning brain, does he not? The Falcons turned their backs on Vick? They could have been more supportive? You’re kidding me, right? The Falcons should have showed Vick more support? Wow, that’s a new one.

First of all, there’s no way the Falcons could have kept Vick following his release from prison. It would have been a PR nightmare and the entire organization would have be viewed as weak for sticking by a quarterback who plunged them into the depths of NFL hell for at least one season. You don’t run a business that way and in the end, the NFL is a business first.

But the bigger point to be made here is that Vick wronged the Falcons, not the other way around. The Falcons didn’t decide to hold underground dog fighting rings in their backyard. That was Vick. The Falcons didn’t break the law, drown innocent animals, or participate in illegal gambling. That was Vick. When questioned about their involvement in the felonious activities, they didn’t lie to his face. Again, that was Vick.

And oh-by-the-way, the Falcons were the ones who rewarded Vick with millions of dollars for his on-filed play despite the fact that he never developed into a leader for them. He admitted as much last year when he told everyone with a microphone that he didn’t work nearly has hard for the Falcons as he does now in Philadelphia. There were also incidents that the Falcons covered up in fear that it would hurt Vick’s reputation, including an issue involving him and his posse stealing a watch at an airport early in his career.

Now, it was the Falcons’ own fault for coddling Vick for six years before he was hauled off to prison. Owner Arthur Blank has said that he mistakenly turned the Falcons into a one-man show instead of building a team. But no support? Someone should remind Reeves that Vick got to keep all of the money that the Falcons paid him, and that guys like Blank wrote to him when he was in prison. When Vick says things like, “I love Arthur Blank unconditionally,” that doesn’t sound like someone who has been unsupported. Blank loved Vick and would have done anything to watch “MV7″ lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

In some small way, it’s nice that Reeves is sticking by the guy whom he drafted. And before anyone suggests it, this isn’t about Vick and whether or not he’s paid his debt to society. This specifically is about Reeves’ comments, which are way off base. The Falcons did everything they could to make Vick a superstar in Atlanta. They paid him like a star, treated him like a star, and supported him like a star. And for six years, they sold a lot of tickets and jerseys while Vick ran around the Georgia Dome carpet every week.

But in the end, Vick left the franchise in ruins because he cared more about his hobby than he did about his craft. He also cost them millions of dollars, left them with no quarterback or direction, and stuck them with Joey Harrington for a season (which was his biggest crime if you ask me). Did they land back on their feet? Yes, but it took a lot of savvy moves by GM Thomas Dimitroff to turn the Falcons around so quickly. And let’s keep in mind that when Vick was constantly receiving bad press for his many off-field adventures, he was still a member of the Falcons. Thus, he was making the Falcons look bad with his actions – not the Eagles or anyone else. Now that he’s in Philadelphia, he’s viewed as the poster child for redemption and is the star of “The Dream Team.” Who does that benefit? Certainly not the Falcons.

The Falcons turned their backs on Vick? I think you’ve got it backwards, Dan.

From David Smoak’s show on KTBB-AM in Tyler: “I don’t think you ever talk to the Cowboys without Terrell Owens coming up. I can say there are definitely some mixed feelings about T.O. Most everybody you talk to has a different opinion of him. They definitely have a decision to make as far as to what they will do about T.O., and I really don’t know what that will be.”

From Galloway and Co. on ESPN 103.3 FM: “I did find out while I was down there that there are a lot of mixed feelings about T.O. within the organization. They’ve got to sit down and make a decision.”
From BaD Radio on 1310 The Ticket: “There are certainly some differences of opinion within the people within that organization. So that’s gotta be something that people that are there, that work with him everyday, they’ve gotta make those decisions. From an outsider, I certainly have an opinion. I think the more distractions that you can eliminate and get the team focused on the team and not themselves, then you’ve got a better chance.”

T.O. didn’t come up during Reeves’ interview on 105.3 The Fan’s Ben & Skin Show.

Here’s a question Jerry Jones ought to ask himself: Can T.O. be a productive member of the Cowboys now that there’s on-the-record confirmation that there are people in the organization who want to get rid of him?

The mess in Dallas is probably bigger than anyone could imagine. The Cowboys seem to be at a turning point as a franchise and it all starts with Jerry Jones. Read between the lines and it’s pretty clear that he stands on one side of the fence regarding a lot of issues, while several members of his front office (whoever they may be) stand on the other.

It’ll be interesting to hear what Owens has to say about all this. We all know he won’t let anything like this slide without making his opinion be known.

- SPORTSbyBROOKS.com also fills us in on how Michael Phelps is scheduled to appear at a handful of motivational speaking gigs in California later this month after being caught smoking the hippie lettuce.

- YepYep has the odds on which swimsuit model will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated this year.

- Larry Brown Sports writes that home schooling your kids is now more popular than ever thanks to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

- Kissing Suzy Kolber has the story of Dan Reeves quitting as a consultant for the Dallas Cowboys after only one day.

But Matt Maiocco’s of the Press Democrat.com mocks the idea in his latest blog entry:

Put all that together and it seems obvious to me that the 49ers have decided to acquire Vick when/if he is able to resume his career after serving his sentence, as well as any suspension Roger Goodell might impose.

But that is not all I’ve learned in recent days:

–The 49ers’ plan to go after Vick was actually Plan B. The first idea was to acquire Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss, and build a dome to replace Candlestick.

This would’ve been the plan if Scott Linehan had just said yes to the 49ers’ offer to become offensive coordinator. Linehan was coordinator of a top-4 ranked Vikings offense for three consecutive seasons with Culpepper and Moss as his main weapons under the roof of the Metrodome. But when Linehan declined the 49ers’ offer, the 49ers had no other choice but to rip apart that plan and begin their planning to get Vick.

–The 49ers will do whatever’s necessary to select Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher in the draft.

Oher’s first year in college was 2005. That is the same season that Micheal Spurlock concluded his Ole Miss career. The 49ers signed Spurlock to a contract this week. Hel-LOOOO! I mean, can you even conceive a scenario in which the 49ers would sign Spurlock if it wasn’t already a done deal that they’d soon be getting Oher? All you have to do is connect the dots on this one. Oh, yeah, and Patrick Willis is already on the team. This one is just way too easy.

–The 49ers plan to lure Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana out of retirement.

Coach Mike Singletary hired Tom Rathman to join his staff as running backs coach. Singletary is being just a little too obvious about his intentions. Obviously, the best way to get Montana out of retirement is to hire a former teammate to the staff. You read it here first.

Singletary has not announced Shaun Hill will be the starter in 2009 for one very good reason. How can Hill be the starter with Montana on the team?

Even though Maiocco has every right to mock the notion, the idea isn’t that far fetched. After all, Reeves did draft Vick in 2001 and the thought of Dan and Singletary teaming up to straighten Mikey out isn’t that bad of an idea.

But if you remember correctly, Reeves and Vick didn’t necessarily end on the best of terms. They had a great working relationship up until midseason of 2003 when Reeves questioned whether or not Vick was being overly cautious with the fractured fibula he suffered in a preseason game that year. Reeves, presumably worried about losing his job, wanted Vick to play a hell of a lot sooner than Week 13, which was the first time Mike returned to the field after suffering the injury. But Vick kept proclaiming he wouldn’t be 100% if he had come back any sooner than that, so why force it? Reeves was eventually fired a week and a half later and we all know what happened to Vick.

Not that the two couldn’t put that little squabble behind them (if they haven’t already) to work together again, but that’s just another thing to keep in mind if you want to buy the Vick-to-San Francisco rumors that have been circulating. Personally, I don’t think Singletary would take a shot on Vick. He wants players that will be dedicated on the field – not to their twisted hobbies off it.

Reversing the league-wide trend of relying on coaching youth, the San Francisco 49ers are bringing in former Broncos, Giants and Falcons head coach Dan Reeves on Friday afternoon to interview for their vacant offensive coordinator job, league sources said.

Reeves last coached in the NFL with Atlanta in 2003 and since has tried on numerous occassions to return to the league. Now he has what might be his best chance.

49ers coach Mike Singletary is looking for a veteran presence to run his offense, someone who relies on running the football, and after Scott Linehan turned down the job, thoughts turned to Reeves. Singletary has had a difficult time finding someone he trusts enough to call the 49ers’ plays, and the feeling is that he would be able to trust Reeves.

Reeves, who turned 65 on Monday, is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco today and could become the team’s offensive coordinator this weekend. Word began to leak out Thursday night that Reeves was flying to San Francisco, and there were questions as to whether it was for an executive job, a consultant job or the offensive coordinator job.

But every indication now is that it’s for the offensive coordinator job. The 49ers could get the type of coach they want, and Reeves could be back in the game.

Wow. There’s no doubt that Reeves was a great coach (he coached in four Super Bowls), but his play calling in Atlanta was as vanilla as they came. I used to joke around with my college roommate that Reeves’ offensive game plan was to run the ball up the middle three times and then get the punt team out there. Everything is predicated on running the ball and play action fakes, which is great, but imagination and in-game adjustments were never Reeves’ strong suits. And at 65 years old, I doubt he’ll change his ways. (He struggled as a GM, too, so it’ll be interesting to see how much input he has on draft day if he is hired.)

Still, he deserves a chance and he’s well respected around the league. And in terms of fantasy, Frank Gore’s value just went up sky high because there’s no doubt Reeves loves to pound the rock.