Dan Reeves: Falcons turned their backs on Michael Vick
Posted by Anthony Stalter (09/19/2011 @ 1:07 pm)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) looks to throw in his return to play the Atlanta Falcons as the starter for the Eagles, in the first half of their NFL football game in Atlanta, Georgia, September 18, 2011. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)
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.
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JaMarcus Russell could learn from Michael Vick
Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/11/2010 @ 11:24 am)
Here’s a shock: Michael Vick didn’t work hard when he was a member of the Falcons, or so he admitted in a radio interview with 790AM The Zone in Atlanta.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“There was a lot more I could have done off the field and in the film room that could have elevated my game to a different level,” Vick said. “I was complacent at the time, somewhat lazy, and I settled for mediocrity. I thought what I was doing was enough.”
“Just imagine what I could have been doing if I really would have been applying myself. That’s a regret I have.”
Considering that he’s complacent, somewhat lazy and is settling for mediocrity, I can envision JaMarcus Russell saying the same things about himself in the next couple years when he’s looking for a job outside of the NFL.
Russell’s on-field problems have been well documented. He doesn’t have good mechanics, his decision-making is horrendous and he has never been an accurate passer. But that doesn’t mean he lacks the athletic tools to become a decent starter. If he only applied himself more, then maybe he could make something out of the talent he does have.
The problem is that he’s just like Vick was in Atlanta. He has had everything handed to him in life and he’s never had to work for something he truly wants. He’s lazy, unmotivated and he settles for being a lush because he knows Al Davis will support him no matter how bad he is on the field. But if he would heed what Vick said in the interview, maybe he would take this offseason to try and turn his career around.
Personally, I wouldn’t bet on Russell succeeding. I don’t think he has the work ethic to become a good player and worse yet, I don’t think he cares. I agree that he’s not in the best environment in Oakland, but at some point you have to stop blaming other people and look in the mirror.
But maybe he’ll prove everyone wrong and take this offseason seriously. It took Vick going to jail to realize the opportunity he pissed away in Atlanta, but maybe Russell (who is only 24 mind you) won’t need a life-changing experience to turn his career around in Oakland.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Posted in: NFL
Tags: JaMarcus Russell bust, JaMarcus Russell lazy, JaMarcus Russell work ethic, Michael Vick, Michael Vick bust, Michael Vick Falcons, Michael Vick JaMarcus Russell, Michael Vick quotes, Michael Vick radio interview, Michael Vick work ethic, Oakland Raiders
Steroid dealer claims he supplied Vick
Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/23/2010 @ 12:07 pm)
A former steroid dealer named David Jacobs (now deceased) has come out and said that he supplied Michael Vick with steroids when Vick was a member of the Falcons.
From the Dallas Morning News:
Authorities said Jacobs ran one of the largest doping networks in the country before he was arrested in May 2007.
The new document, which summarizes Vick’s interview with investigators, surfaced because of open records requests by media outlets.
Agents told Vick that a DEA informant said that Vick was talking about steroids and human growth hormone with someone at the Falcons party and that Vick was overheard saying he “liked his product.”
Vick immediately denied to the investigators that the conversation ever happened and said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs.
Names, other than Vick’s, were redacted from the government summary, so it’s not clear whether the DEA informant referred to was Jacobs.
But in several interviews with The News that took place in the months before authorities say Jacobs killed himself and his girlfriend in June 2008, Jacobs said that at that 2006 gathering he was with Vick and other players who used his drugs.
Baseball has long been the focal point for performance-enhancing drugs in sports, but it would be naïve to think that drugs aren’t being used in other sports. After all, steroids first gained national attention thanks to the Olympics decades again. I don’t want to make generalized claims without having hard facts, but again, it would be naïve to think that baseball players are the only ones doping to gain a competitive advantage.
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2009 NFL Week 13 Top 5 Observations: Eagles 34, Falcons 7
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/06/2009 @ 6:17 pm)

“Hey, there are the two fans I gave the middle finger to a couple years ago!”
Here are five quick-hit observations for the Eagles’ 34-7 win over the depleted Falcons in Week 13.
1. God hates the Falcons and their fans.
The above sentence might read a little harsh, but there’s just no other explanation for when Michael Vick scores his first two touchdowns of the season in Atlanta against his old team. Shame on those Falcon fans for not raining down a heavy layer of boos on that turd after he went to the sidelines with a fat smile on his face following his two touchdowns. The guy single-handily sends the Falcons franchise into the depths of hell and then scores two touchdowns in the house he burned down. The only bigger injustice this season was when Brett Favre went to Lambeau and beat the Packers.
2. Eagles get a much-needed free win.
The only team that was more banged up offensively than the Eagles this week were the Falcons, who were without Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and two starting offensive linemen. Atlanta actually moved the ball decently today, but Chris Redman had zero time to throw the ball and the running game was non-existent. Considering they were without Brian Westbrook and DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia was incredibly fortunate to be in the middle of playoff contention and play a road game against the Falcons’ JV squad.
3. Leonard Weaver, aka “The Ultimate Weapon.”
The Eagles’ best offensive player today wasn’t Donovan McNabb, LeSean McCoy or even rookie Jeremy Maclin (who had a solid outing). It was actually Leonard Weaver, who made countless big plays to keep drives alive and put the Eagles in scoring position. His final stats might not show it, but Weaver came up huge today for Philly and made one of the best grabs of the week on a 59-yard reception in the first half.
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Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2009 NFL Week 13, Atlanta Falcons, Donovan McNabb, Jeremy Maclin, Leonard Weaver, LeSean McCoy, Michael Vick, Michael Vick Atlanta return, Michael Vick Falcons, Michael Vick vs. Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles
Michael Vick returns to Atlanta this week…not that anyone cares.
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/03/2009 @ 8:30 am)
What’s great about the majority of sports fans (and maybe the American public in general) is that we have short attention spans. For weeks, a topic can be talked about and debated on sports blogs ad nauseum, then a few months later it’s almost like the situation never happened.
Take Michael Vick for example. He’s making his first trip back to Atlanta this week since tap dancing on many Falcons fans’ hearts by throwing his career away for a sick hobby and yet more people are searching for Tigers Woods’ alleged mistress than Vick’s Georgia Dome re-appearance.
This was someone who was talked about day in and day out over the offseason in regards to whether or not Roger Goodell would allow him back into the NFL. Then when he was reinstated, countless rumors circulated the web daily about where he’d end up.
But now, he’s a nobody – a backup who won’t see much playing time barring an injury to Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb. Vick’s been out of the public eye for so long that people forget that he’s even in the league. Considering he almost single-handedly sunk an entire franchise and used to bring 80,000 people to their feet every time he left the pocket (and many more sick to their stomach when reading what he did to those dogs in his backyard), one would think that people would be interested in his return.
But we’re not.
Consider this: Chris Redman will be more significant in Atlanta this weekend than Michael Vick, proving that if enough time passes, we’ll make anyone irrelevant.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Falcons release Michael Vick – what next?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/12/2009 @ 10:05 am)

The Falcons have officially released quarterback Michael Vick, ending an eight year marriage that started with Vick being selected with the number one overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and ending with him spending the past two years in a federal penitentiary for dog-fighting.
The release of Vick was just a formality for the Falcons, who had zero plans of honoring the rest of his contract. The remainder of Vick’s signing bonus ($8 million) will count against the team’s cap this season but after that, all financial ties will be severed.
Atlanta tried trading Vick this past offseason and unsurprisingly found no takers. The Rams, Redskins, 49ers, Jets and Raiders were all mentioned as possible trade suitors at one point or another over the past couple months, but most teams declined having any interest in the end.
Vick is now free to sign with any team he wants, but he’s waiting to see if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate him first and if he does, whether or not another suspension is forthcoming. Once Vick was indicted on federal charges, Goodell suspended him indefinitely, but it remains to be seen if the troubled quarterback will receive any more suspension time.
Assuming he does get reinstated, I don’t think a GM with half a brain would take the risk of signing Vick. Not only will he probably be suspended again, but nobody knows what kind of shape he’s in and whether or not he’s even mentally ready to play football. Not to mention whichever team does sign him, they better be ready for the national media storm that will certainly blow in upon his arrival.
Oakland is about the only place I could see Vick winding up in. Al Davis doesn’t care what anyone thinks and if a player has talent (which Vick certainly does…or did), then Davis will find a spot for him. The only problem is that JaMarcus Russell is the team’s quarterback, so would Vick be willing to move to another position or take a backup role? Considering what he’s done, he better be willing to take whatever a team gives him, but who knows.
Let the Vick speculation begin.
Skins’ Snyder to go after Vick? Don’t count on it.
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/10/2009 @ 9:30 am)

According to a report by the Washington Post, the Redskins made a “quick and unanimous” decision to pass on signing suspended quarterback Michael Vick if he were released by the Falcons (which is inevitable).
Some figured that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder would consider making a move for Vick because well, Snyder usually makes decisions without completely thinking them through and signing the troubled QB would certainly play into his consistently clueless thought process. But Vick would have been a horrible fit for Washington for a couple of reasons.
Outside of the obvious reasons not to pursue Vick (i.e. he could be suspended by the league, he’s nowhere near in NFL game shape, and the little fact that he used to breed dogs in order to fight them in his spare time), he simply isn’t a good fit for the West Coast Offense.
When he became head coach of the Falcons in 2004, Jim Mora naively hired buddy Greg Knapp as offensive coordinator because he thought Knapp could teach Vick the WCO. The problem was, Vick’s main struggles surrounded around his inability to set his feet properly, making quick reads and getting the ball out of his hand in a timely manner – skill sets that are imperative for a quarterback to have in order to be successful in the WCO.
Vick not being an ideal fit to run the WCO would have been reason enough for the Redskins not to pursue him – pissing off Jason Campbell would have been another. Snyder has done a horrible job instilling confidence in Campbell this past offseason and if Washington actively pursued Vick, it might have sent Campbell off the deep end. I realize Campbell doesn’t have massive upside, but he does have potential and with a little support, he might even become a reliable QB for the Skins in the near future.
Either way, don’t look for the Skins to pursue Vick – Snyder be damned. It just doesn’t seem like an ideal fit when you look at the situation realistically.
Posted in: NFL
Tags: Daniel Snyder, Michael Vick, Michael Vick Falcons, Michael Vick NFL, Michael Vick Redskins, Michael Vick return, Michael Vick rumors, Michael Vick suspension, Redskins not interested in Michael Vick, Washington Redskins, Will Michael Vick play football again?
Rams interested in Vick?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/01/2009 @ 8:59 am)

According to a report by Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post, the Rams are interested in suspended quarterback Michael Vick, who was recently released from federal prison.
Michael Vick update: According to people I’ve talked to who are close to him, Vick is in great spirits and looking forward to the future. I’m told he’s in great “non-professional football shape” and is determined to prove he can regain his superstar status in the NFL. He’s also very determined to do all the little things he didn’t do previously. He intends to spend more time studying the game, more time preparing to play, more time working on his game. Two years alone with nothing but your thoughts can be a powerful motivational tool.
Several people in the NFL told me not to rule out St. Louis as a possible destination for Vick. The Rams might have some ownership issues to deal with before actually signing him, but they have genuine interest. They’ve been doing their due diligence on Vick, and if the Commissioner does reinstate him, look for them to actively pursue him. It makes sense — a new coach with an older quarterback who hasn’t played well. Playing in a dome on carpet would highlight Vick’s speed and athleticism.
As with all rumors, this should be taken with a grain of salt, but as Lombardi notes in his article – don’t rule the Rams out. Then again, the Rams organization is in complete flux because of a possible sale, so they have bigger things to concentrate on right now.
People are generally going to have two thoughts on whether or not a team should pursue Vick. One group will think it’s a disaster waiting to happen, while the other will look at a team signing him as a low risk, high reward type of situation. I guess it all depends on whether or not he’ll be suspended, when the Falcons will officially release him (don’t forget he’s still under contract in Atlanta), and what kind of shape he’s in.
But personally, no matter how high the reward might be, I wouldn’t invite that circus to town if I owned a team. I wouldn’t want to deal with PETA or the media storm that would come with his signing, nor would I want my team to endure that.
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