Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1494 of 1503)

Although it is early into offseason workouts and minicamps, Marcus Vick has impressed the Miami Dolphins coaching and personal staff with his athleticism. Although, his playmaking abilities have not come at the quarterback position, where Vick played while at Virginia Tech.

Dolphins head coach Nick Saban has already taken a liking to Vick’s speed and overall athleticism. It has been Marcus’ pass catching abilities, however, that is keeping him in Miami’s minicamps.

“I’m sure the multiple roles may not totally enhance his development as a receiver,” Saban said, “but he really only spends about two periods every day with the quarterbacks. The rest of the time, he’s with the receivers, and we’re pleased with the progress he’s made.”

Vick is also being looked at as a punt returner, although he hasn’t shown great form while getting under the kicks. Too many times it appears that Vick is catching the ball out in front of his body, as opposed to squaring up underneath the ball to return it.

His size also has come into question, which is why he is spending less time behind center and more time going over the middle. Listed at 6’0”, Vick is getting lost in the shuffle of an NFL pocket, but the team hasn’t completely ruled him out of being a quarterback.

I for one have never been a fan of converting a quarterback to a wide receiver, or any other position for that matter. It just never seems to work, unless it is a rare case like Matt Jones of the Jaguars who found a little bit of success last year as a rookie.

However, with Vick making next to nothing while being tried out in minicamps, this is a risk worth taking. If he doesn’t pan out or gets into trouble again, the Dolphins have no real investment in him.

If he turns into a decent third receiver option or gadget player, then Miami reaps all the benefits of Vick not being drafted in April.

After seven 1,000 yard rushing seasons, seven Pro Bowls and 38 100-yard games, your body starts thinking of other ways to better its time. At 33, Marshall Faulk is seriously contemplating retirement after 12 seasons in the NFL.

Faulk has decided to skip the Rams final minicamp this weekend in an effort to make a decision on whether or not his knees are strong enough to play this season.

Faulk had surgery on both of his knees this offseason in effort to clean out some of the cartilage that gets built up throughout the season. This isn’t the first time that he has done such a procedure, but new head coach Scott Linehan isn’t too optimistic that Faulk will return for another season.

“Guys that have played at such a high level for so many years and have taken so many hits, sometimes it starts to wear you down a little bit,” Linehan said. “He’s trying to figure out how he can manage it.”

Faulk, the 2000 NFL MVP, is ninth on the career rushing list with 12,279 yards, 34 yards behind Jim Brown. But he had a career-low 292 yards rushing last year and made only one start, in the season finale when Steven Jackson was out with a hip pointer.

It is always hard to watch a great player and one of the overall good guys in the NFL retire before he is ready. Of course at 33, Faulk is getting past his prime for a runningback, but he has given fans something to be in awe about for a very long time.

Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Chris Henry decided that two criminal violations in six months just were not enough. So naturally, he went for a third.

Henry was pulled over by the Ohio State Highway Patrol early Sunday morning while doing 82 mph in a 65 mph zone. Making matters worse, Henry was not only charged with speeding, but he was also charged with operating a vehicle under the influence (of alcohol) after being given a field sobriety test.

“Mr. Henry agreed to the test and he was polite, courteous and cooperative the entire time,” Long said, citing the police report. “He was issued a traffic citation and he [eventually] left with a friend. There was no bail involved and he was issued a court date.”

Henry is scheduled for a Friday appearance in Clermont County Municipal Court. The speeding charge, Long said, is a minor misdemeanor. The OVI charge is a first-degree misdemeanor. Any fines or further sanctions resulting from the incident will be determined by the court.

Back in December, the 2005 third round draft pick was arrested in Covington, Ky., and charged with possession of marijuana. He pled guilty to the charge to avoid jail time, paid a fine of $250 and agreed to spend 28 days in a drug rehabilitation program, a stipulation which he has already completed.

One month later, Henry was charged with possession of a concealed firearm in Florida on Jan .29. The crime, which is a third degree felony in Florida, is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Two other charges from that incident, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a weapon, were dropped.

Also on the Bengal law front, rookie A.J. Nicholson was charged Saturday with burglarizing the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.

Couple more felonies and we can start looking at the Bengals as the new Dallas Cowboys of the 20th century.

Aaron Schatz of foxsports.com has posted his NFL power rankings, with no surprises at the top. Team rankings were made subjectively by the writers of FOX Sports and were based on teams offseason moves as well as last year’s performance.

Schatz started off his rankings with the Seahawks and Steelers leading the way, which is a surprise to only someone who normally doesn’t view these power rankings on a consistent basis. The Colts took their annual place in the top five along with the Patriots.

It’s always fun to see what the chic teams are going to be every year and this year it looks like the Miami Dolphins are going to hold that honor. The Fish are ranked at No. 15 and Dallas is right ahead of them at No.14 (As written a few days ago, Peter King of SI has them going to the Super Bowl). I have a feeling that the Dolphins are going to get a lot of good pub with Saban heading into his second year.

Of course they still have to deal with the Ricky Williams fiasco.

The biggest drop would have to be the Tampa Bay Bucs at No.16. They are the only team that made the playoffs last year NOT to crack the top 15. Although, I do agree with the comment that the Bucs won’t have it as easy as they did last year. Chris Simms and Cadillac Williams shouldn’t sneak up on any defense this season.

The Browns ranked 22, with concerns about Charlie Frye taking the reigns as the explanation. The lowly Saints, Bills and 49ers rounded out the bottom three.

Even though these rankings mean absolutely nothing, is there anything greater in sports than a power rankings column? Especially when it’s football and the season isn’t even close to starting.