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      Michael Vick pleads guilty to state dog-fighting charge

      November 25, 2008 /

      Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick officially pleaded guilty to a state dog-fighting charge in Virginia, which would make him eligible for early release.

      The 28-year-old Vick pleaded guilty to one charge and not guilty to a second count involving torturing or killing animals. The second count was dropped.

      Vick was given a three-year suspended sentence. The plea could potentially speed his return to the NFL.

      Federal law prohibits prisoners from being released to a halfway house if there are unresolved charges pending.

      Vick was expressionless throughout the brief hearing. He told the judge he apologized to his family and to children who looked up to him as a role model.

      He’s sorry all right.

      NFL

      Donovan McNabb will start on Thanksgiving

      November 25, 2008 /

      Andy Reid noted Monday night that quarterback Donovan McNabb would keep his starting job and start on Thanksgiving against the Arizona Cardinals.

      Donovan McNabb“Donovan is the quarterback. I don’t want to leave here until you understand that,” coach Andy Reid emphasized at his news conference Monday. “Donovan is the quarterback for this football team.”

      “Sometimes you have to step back to step forward in a positive way and Donovan will do that,” Reid said. “This has nothing to do with Kolb’s performance or Donovan’s performance.”

      “As I sit here right now, he’s my starting quarterback,” Reid said. “I need to coach better. Donovan needs to play better and the guys around Donovan need to play better.”

      “I think I know Donovan McNabb better than anybody in this room,” Reid said. “I know [seven] turnovers, that’s not him. That’s no part of his game. You back up an inch and you evaluate it and you should be able to step forward a mile after that.”

      So what if McNabb plays poorly again in the first half? Does an unprepared Kolb then go back in? The mess has only begun in Philly. McNabb could do himself and Reid a huge favor with a solid performance.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Waiver Wire Watch: Week 13

      November 25, 2008 /

      Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire of at least 50% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance, PPR scoring system.

      Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

      QUARTERBACKS

      I’d pick up Tyler Thigpen, Trent Edwards and Jeff Garcia ahead of Collins this week and Matt Hasselbeck after him, before moving on to the rest of the list:

      Kerry Collins (36.5)
      Over the last three weeks, Collins has averaged 254 passing yards and 2.0 TD per game.
      Shaun Hill (25.3)
      Hill has thrown for at least two TD in each of the last three games.
      Gus Frerotte (30.7)
      He has nice matchups in Week 14 and Week 15, which makes him a good QB2 for the playoffs.
      Sage Rosenfels (24.0)
      Joe Flacco (43.1)
      Ryan Fitzpatrick (6.6)
      JaMarcus Russell (24.1)

      RUNNING BACKS

      If Justin Fargas, Kevin Faulk or Leon Washington is available, they are worth consideration. I would grab Hillis and Morris first, however.

      Peyton Hillis (48.7)
      Hillis has posted 32 touches for 166 yards and three TD over the last two weeks. Not bad.
      Maurice Morris (15.7)
      Broke out with a big game against the Redskins and it looks like he is the RB1 in Seattle right now.
      Pierre Thomas (35.8)
      He was very involved in the Saints attack and looked much quicker and more effective than Deuce McAllister. But with Reggie Bush on the way back, his upside is somewhat limited.
      Cedric Benson (45.7)
      LeRon McClain (41.6)
      Carnell Wiliiams (35.5)
      Got some work in relief of RB1 Warrick Dunn. This role might grow to keep Dunn fresh.
      Antonio Pittman (28.1)
      Lorenzo Booker (0.6)
      Might get the start if Westy can’t go.
      Tatum Bell (25.8)
      Ahman Green (23.8)
      Ladell Betts (23.3)
      Jamal Charles (22.5)

      WIDE RECEIVERS

      Steve Breaston, Ted Ginn, Isaac Bruce and Anthony Gonzalez are available in 30-40% of ESPN leagues. With Greg Camarillo out, I like Ted Ginn’s chances to produce over the stretch run.

      Mark Bradley (24.1)
      Bradley left Sunday’s game with a calf injury. Monitor that situation before committing too much.
      Domenik Hixon (3.7)
      If Burress misses time, Hixon should produce. He went for 6-57 this week and 4-102-1 back in Week 5.
      Amani Toomer (34.3)
      With Burress iffy, Toomer is the most dependable WR option for the Giants.
      Devin Hester (40.5)
      Michael Jenkins (29.9)
      He just keeps churning out decent numbers in PPR leagues.
      Davone Bess (0.4)
      Bess is a deep sleeper who has posted 8-137 over the last two weeks. With Greg Camarillo out for the year, he could be a decent (albeit risky) play in PPR leagues.
      Matt Jones (44.0)
      Bryant Johnson (18.9)
      Fourteen catches over the last four games is nothing to sneeze at.
      Justin Gage (41.1)
      Gage has been inconsistent, but he plays the Lions this week.
      Ike Hilliard (18.1)
      He has a nice matchup this week with the Saints.
      Steve Smith (20.6)
      He would get a bump if Burress misses time.
      Antwaan Randle El (39.9)

      TIGHT ENDS

      If Kevin Boss is available, I’d pick him up if Keller isn’t available.

      Dustin Keller (49.8)
      Over the last three weeks, he has posted 20-236-1 and looks like a good TE start down the stretch. In fact, you might want to start him over some of these bigger-name guys that have been disappointing.
      Heath Miller (49.3)
      Zach Miller (46.8)
      John Carlson (40.2)
      Donald Lee (44.3)
      Marcedes Lewis (24.0)
      David Martin (15.6)
      With Camarillo out, he may get more of the underneath stuff.
      Desmond Clark (10.5)
      Robert Royal (10.7)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bill Simmons opens up the mailbag

      November 24, 2008 /

      As I was perusing the second part of the Sports Guy’s mailbag column, a few interesting tidbits popped up.

      First, there was this commentary on Anquan Boldin’s toughness:

      Q: For years, you’ve been asking for certain athletes to be wheeled out on the court or field in a Hannibal Lecter Mask. Well, isn’t Anquan Boldin perfect for that? For all the talk of T.O. and Brandon Marshall, Boldin has to be the strongest receiver in the game. You’ve got a better chance of your defensive coordinator stopping him with an elephant gun than relying on a 185-pound defensive back. Plus, the man BROKE HIS FACE. After hearing Eric Allen describe how they had to lift the skin on his face to insert the plates and he’s playing at such a high level three weeks later, is there any question that he could be one of the toughest men in the NFL?
      — William Evans, Columbus, Ohio

      SG: I would say he’s No. 1 on the list. The broken face story absolutely amazed me; I never fully realized how bad it was until the Monday night guys discussed it, and I ended up spending an hour Googling stories about it. First, can you imagine if that happened to Vince Carter? He would never be seen again. He would just sit in a dark room with a towel over his head moaning until 2057. Second, isn’t it weird that Boldin’s new face makes him look like a cross between Shannon Sharpe and Ervin Johnson? Do you think he’s angry at the doctor? Third, how does Boldin continue to run fearlessly over the middle after what happened to him? It’s like he took amnesia pills to forget the whole thing ever happened.

      Then there’s this bit about LeBron’s possible 2010 landing spot…

      Last time I checked, free agents were fleeing Detroit (Allan Houston, Grant Hill, Ben Wallace) and not signing there. And if you really think Detroit is landing a marquee guy in 2010 when big markets such as New York and L.A. and warm-weather cities such as Miami, Phoenix and Orlando will all be throwing money around — not to mention deep-pocketed Portland, which will have assembled a contender at that point and remains the most logical destination for LeBron if he only cares about winning titles and nothing else (and also, Nike is right there) — then you’re obviously in denial. Chris Bosh loves Toronto. He’s not leaving. Dwyane Wade isn’t leaving South Beach so he can wear a parka and live in Michigan. And LeBron wants to be the next Jordan and/or the most famous athlete on the planet; these things aren’t happening in Detroit just because Worldwide Wes likes the Pistons. Come on.

      Wait a second, I started that LeBron to Portland talk! Here’s an excerpt from my 2008 preview for the Blazers.

      The Blazers project to have a ton of cap space in the summer of 2010, when a number of stars will hit the free agent market. In fact, aside from the fact that Portland is not Brooklyn, the Blazers might represent LeBron James’ best shot at a championship. (Don’t worry, Nets fans, I don’t think that Portland is a big enough of a market for King James.)

      Okay, maybe I’m not the first one to write about it, but as I was typing up that preview and got to the part about LeBron, I was thinking to myself “I have to be the only person in the country talking about LeBron James landing in Portland.”

      Then Bill discusses how his picture ended up on the “experts” page of a website for an aviation company.

      Q: I work for a help desk and our e-mail box gets a ton of random e-mails. One e-mail we regularly get is from Western Aviation, which sells and buys planes and helicopters. I happen to click the link which brought me to their home page, and was like wait a minute, THAT IS BILL SIMMONS!! Click on their link and check out the photo used for “Experts,” the photo is definitely you, right? I figured, as a fan, it was my duty to let you know about this atrocity.
      — Mike G, Franklin Square

      SG: I can’t fathom how this happened. Was it an homage? Did they just like the picture and think that I look like someone who should be selling aviation? Were they hoping I would link to them in a mailbag? Do they have an expert who looks exactly like me and imitated my photo? Were they trying to coerce clients into thinking I worked for them or endorsed them? Are laws being broken here? Should I be flattered? It’s completely inexplicable. I don’t know whether I want to sue them or embrace them. Western Aviation, why don’t you donate $10,000 to the Jimmy Fund and we’ll call it even?

      Humor, NFL

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