Category: NFL (Page 681 of 1282)

      Five reasons Vick makes sense for the Eagles

      August 14, 2009 /

      To the surprise of many, the Eagles went out on a limb and signed free agent quarterback Michael Vick to a one-year, $1.6 million deal with a $5.2 million team option for 2010. Below are five reasons why this move makes sense for Philadelphia.

      1. The Eagles are going for broke this season.
      This offseason, Philly traded a first round pick to Buffalo in exchange for Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters and also signed lineman Stacy Andrews. They also added playmakers Jeremy Maclin and LeSean “Shady” McCoy via the draft, so it’s clear that the Eagles are stocking their roster with as much offensive talent as they can. Vick was once highly regarded as the best athlete in the NFL and at $1.6 million, Philly is willing to take the risk in hopes that they just added even more talent to their brimming roster.

      2. The Eagles offer a solid support system.
      The Eagles have always been a model organization and they wouldn’t have made a move like this if they hadn’t first consulted Tony Dungy (who is mentoring Vick) and weighed all of their options. Vick leaves a lot to be desired as a human being, but Andy Reid, Joe Banner and Tom Heckert must believe that he can turn around his life and are willing to take him in. Plus, one would assume that Vick will be on his best behavior and Reid isn’t going to put up with an attitude. Another key to this situation is Donovan McNabb, who has the respect of his teammates and will certainly take some of the attention away from Vick’s arrival.

      3. Kolb’s knee injury maybe worse than the Eagles are letting on.
      While Vick doesn’t pose a threat to McNabb’s starting job, he does put pressure on backup Kevin Kolb, who was carted off the practice field at the beginning of the week after spraining his left knee. While reports state that Kolb should be fine, the signing of Vick may indicate that Philadelphia wants some insurance behind McNabb and Vick, despite his two-year playing absence, was the best QB on the market.

      Of course, it’s entirely conceivable that the Eagles were working on a contract with Vick before Kolb’s injury, in which case maybe Philly just isn’t that high on Kolb’s development after two years. It’s a shame to think that a team would give up on a 24-year old former second round pick after just two years (especially a quarterback), but maybe the Eagles just don’t see much of a future in Kolb.

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      Daily Six-Pack: NFL Preseason Thursday

      August 13, 2009 /

      Four games are on the Week 1 NFL preseason schedule tonight and there are some interesting headlines to follow. Below are six quick-hit thoughts on tonight’s action.

      1. Brady returns to live action
      The last time Tom Brady took a snap in a live NFL game, he tore both his MCL and ACL after suffering a season-ending hit in Week 1 of the 2008 season. Brady returns to action tonight and will start against the Eagles in Philadelphia. He probably won’t get more than a series or two, but if everything goes well, it’ll be yet another promising sign that Brady has recovered from the devastating knee injury that almost ruined his career.

      2. Is Flacco in store for a major sophomore slump?
      Reports out of Baltimore haven’t been promising for second-year quarterback Joe Flacco, who has struggled in the passing game thus far in training camp. He apparently has struggled reading defenses, is missing open receivers and has thrown a high number of interceptions. The Ravens would like to open the playbook more in Flacco’s second year, but if his struggles carry into the preseason, then the team might have to scale back his responsibilities and once again make him more of a game-manager like he was as a rookie.

      3. How will the T.O.-less Cowboys look?
      During the offseason, one of the main reasons the Cowboys cut toxic (but highly productive) receiver Terrell Owens was so that quarterback Tony Romo wouldn’t have any distractions entering the 2009 season. Dallas wants Romo to step up and be more of a leader both in the locker room and on the field and it would appear that the 29-year-old’s career is at a crossroads. One preseason game in Oakland isn’t going to answer whether or not Romo is ready to become the leader that Dallas wants him to be, but it’ll be interesting to see how well he gels with his receivers without T.O. commanding his attention. Apparently Romo and Roy Williams are finally starting to get their timing down.

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      Michael Vick to the Bills?

      August 13, 2009 /

      Rumors are swirling that the Bills are going to eventually sign free agent quarterback Michael Vick, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

      From Bills.com:

      The latest comes from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who tweeted the following:

      Adam_Schefter: Here are the two sleeper teams on Vick not getting mentioned, but that I now sense could be in play here: Buffalo and Dallas.

      Schefter doesn’t mention that he got that info from a specific source. He also tweeted this morning that there will not be a Vick signing today. Though he did say that Friday through Monday is now on his radar.

      Rich Eisen of the NFL Network also tweeted that the Bills had set a press conference up for 3:00 p.m. today, but then posted that there was no presser.

      While these are just rumors, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to believe the Bills would be interested in Vick. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Gibran Hamdan are the two quarterbacks listed behind starter Trent Edwards on the Bills’ depth chart and neither of them offers much long-term potential. Plus, the offseason signing of Terrell Owens proved that Buffalo isn’t afraid to take on potential distractions.

      But something to keep in mind (besides his dog fighting habits) is that Vick compiled a 15-16 record as a starter the last two years he was in the NFL. He’s also been out of football the past two seasons, is two years older and was also in prison during that time. Who knows what kind of shape this guy is in?

      If Schefter is reporting it, there’s a good chance that there’s some truth to the rumors, so we’ll just have to wait and see. That said, a team has more reasons not to sign Vick than they do to sign him, so it could be a while before the Bills or anyone else pull the trigger on the idea.

      Update: The Bills are reiterating that they don’t have any interest in Vick at this time.

      NFL

      Stallworth suspended for 2009 season

      August 13, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the NFL has suspended Browns receiver Donte’ Stallworth for the entire 2009 season without pay.

      In a letter to Stallworth made public Thursday, commissioner Roger Goodell said, “I believe that further consequences are necessary” in addition to the punishment handed down by the legal system.

      “There is no question that your actions had tragic consequences to an innocent man and his family, and that you have violated both the Substances of Abuse and Personal Conduct Policies,” Goodell said. “In that respect, you are clearly guilty of conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL.”

      “Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man. The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations,” Goodell said.

      People are immediately going to compare this suspension to the one that Michael Vick will receive (four to six games) and think that Goodell was harder on Stallworth than he will be on Vick. But don’t forget that Vick already served 23 months in jail, so that plays into the length of his suspension.

      Then again, even though the 30 days Stallworth got for killing a pedestrian was light, he has showed remorse from the moment of the accident and has accepted his punishment. Vick, on the other hand, lied from the get-go about his involvement with dog fighting and, at least in some people’s eyes, has yet to show much remorse. He lied to Goodell, lied to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, and lied to the public. So why should he only get a four or six game suspension while Stallworth is suspended 16 games? It’s an interesting debate.

      Either way, Stallworth’s career is definitely in jeopardy. It’s highly doubtful that he’ll ever play for the Browns again and given his age, (lack of) production and durability concerns, other teams may pass on him as well.

      NFL

      Vick-to-Panthers rumors won’t die

      August 12, 2009 /

      While head coach John Fox continues to dodge questions about whether or not the Panthers are interested in Michael Vick, rumors persist that the free agent quarterback is bound for Carolina.

      From FOX Sports.com:

      “As I’ve said before, you always keep all options open,” Fox said Wednesday. “I can’t say that’s something that we’re heavily involved in at this point. I hate ruling out really anything.”

      The rigid philosophy has left the Panthers on the short list of teams that haven’t officially ruled out signing Vick, who is attempting a comeback after completing a prison sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation.

      Fox wasn’t budging under a barrage of questions Wednesday, and apparently wasn’t concerned about the television debates on the merits of Carolina signing Vick.

      “I don’t think we should be high on the radar, but I don’t like to limit anything,” Fox said.

      This is one of the hot rumors in NFL circles right now, but it’s still doubtful that the Panthers will pull the trigger on Vick. They like all three of their quarterbacks (Delhomme, Josh McCown and Matt Moore) and have also been a team that has avoided distractions since the Rae Carruth incident.

      I think Fox is just being coy with the media.

      NFL

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