Friday, May 29, 2009

Facebook Fight


It has actually been a little while since an Atlanta player has gotten in trouble with the law. I am Jack's complete and utter sense of shock!
It seems that Falcons' offensive tackle Quinn Ojinnaka thought it might be fun to rough up his wife, and even spit in her face a little bit.
Arrested Tuesday night, Ojinnaka, 25, is charged with simple battery. He posted $2,400 bond and was released from jail hours later. Police responded to the domestic dispute call at Ojinnaka's residence about 9 p.m. The 6-foot, 6-inch offensive tackle told police he'd settled down to watch the Cleveland-Orlando NBA playoff game about 8 p.m. when his wife approached him about the online acquaintance. Apparently Quinn had been "poking" a Facebook friend, and his wife wasn't hip. When he ignored her, she unplugged the television to get his attention, and he became angry, the police report says. I'm just surprised that this wife of a Falcons player didn't know the rules.
1. You don't unplug an Atlanta player's TV
2. You don't bring home weed with ANY stems
3. You don't tell him who he can or cannot "poke"
I'm pretty sure that it's understood that if either of these rules are ever broken, simple battery will surely follow. I understand that the Falcons' current QB has a few rules of his own, I'm just not entirely sure what a "reach-around" is...so we'll skip that one.

The couple's accounts of what happened from that point differ. Ojinnaka claims he "grabbed her and put her outside" twice, until she went for a walk. The argument later continued upstairs, where he said his wife tried to stab him with a pen, which prompted him to spit in her face, the report says. Ojinnaka's wife, Ebony, told police her husband threw her on some stairs, then tossed her out of the house twice. She claims he verbally assaulted her and grabbed her by the neck before spitting in her face, the reports says. Quinn Ojinnaka denied putting his hands around his wife's neck. "Neither person had visible injuries or complained of any injuries," an officer wrote. "All medical assistance was refused."
Falcons spokesman Matt Conti said the team is aware of the situation but declined futher comment. "Head Coach Mike Smith has spoken to Quinn," Conti said in a release. "Because this is an ongoing legal matter, the Falcons will have no further comment at this time."
A product of Syracuse University, Ojinnaka played in eight games last season, his third year as a Falcon. He started seven games in 2007.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Bucs Interested in Burress


Plaxico Burress could be headed to prison. If convicted, he faces a minimum 3 ½ year sentence for unlawful carrying of a handgun during an incident in which he accidentally shot himself at a night club last November. However, IF he's available to play in the NFL soon...Raheem Morris would love to see him end up in Tampa.

It seems that the call Tampa recently made to Burress will likely not be their last contact with the receiver. Though he didn't get into specifics, Bucs coach Raheem Morris sounded Thursday like someone who would jump at the chance to add Burress to his roster if Burress can clear himself from his legal issues. "He's a great player,'' Morris said of the 2nd Amendment fan, "Anytime you have an opportunity to get a great player, you'd love to see a great player come to Tampa.''

"He has to deal with his issue with the league and we'll see how that plays out and their timing and everything of that nature, but he's a great player,'' Morris added. "But we really don't know what that situation is right now. We're really talking about ghosts to be honest with you because we're talking about a suspended guy.''

No mention was made about the fact that Burress sort of resembles a Gremlin.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Will the Real Dwayne Jarrett Please Stand Up


Just as the '09 season may be a make-or-break year for Robert Meachem, it will probably mean just as much to Dwayne Jarrett. Jarrett was taken by the Panthers in the second round of the '07 NFL Draft. After an amazing season with the USC Trojans, Jarrett entered the league with high expectations. Unfortunately, his first two years were complete flops.
Good news Carolina fans! Pat Kirwan (of NFL.com) thinks Jarrett will have a "Breaston-like jump in '09". That, of course, is referring to the amazing bump Steve Breaston of the Arizona Cardinals made last season. He increased his receptions by 69 from '07-'08...and he's just the #3 guy in Arizona.

Kirwan expects Jarrett to jump from 10 receptions to 50-60 in the '09 season. With Muhsin Muhammad close to retirement, this would be a perfect time for Jarrett to do just that. Moose isn't getting any younger, and Steve Smith always seems to be covered like white-on-rice. A third receiving threat could really help the Panthers new-look offense quite a bit. I know DeAngelo and J.Stew would sure appreciate it.

Only one other NFC South receiver was mentioned in Kirwan's article. That was Atlanta Falcons' receiver Harry Douglas. Kirwan indicates that he expects QB Matt Ryan to use Douglas in the slot like Tom Brady uses Wes Welker.
When asked if he could execute a multiple receiver offense like Tom Brady, Matt Ryan responded, "He's got great hair."

Friday, May 22, 2009

Saints' "Who's Hot" Award Goes to Bobby Meachem


As a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm very happy to talk about the Saints' hottest player right now. Though it might be hard to believe, that player is actually (former Vol) Robert Meachem.
His first two years with New Orleans were far from "hot". He has struggled with adjusting to the league, and he's also experienced a few injuries. This just might be Meachem's make-or-break year, as fans in the Big Easy might begin to lose patience.

Here's a bit I found on the Saints' official blog, The Saints Beat.
"If we were busting out our "Who's Hot" award today, I'd give it to third-year receiver Robert Meachem. Meachem made at least two spectacular catches while consistently getting open and reeling in the ball. His best catch came on a deep ball against new cornerback Jabari Greer, who would have been flagged for pass interference on the "tight" coverage if it were a real game.
Later in practice, Meachem landed hard on his shoulder after making a terrific diving catch on a deep ball behind cornerback Tracy Porter. It took him a few seconds to get up and get the feeling back in his fingers, but he made it back into the huddle just fine.
Saints analyst Bobby Hebert went so far as to call it Meachem's best practice to date as a Saint. Both Coach Sean Payton and Brees said Meachem's confidence has continued to grow, and he's taking advantage of getting the extra reps while starting receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore are recovering from injuries."

Although Meachem was taken in the first round of the '07 NFL Draft, he still might have benefitted from sticking around for his senior year with the Vols. On that note, Erik Ainge could have benefitted a lot from that too. Meachem definitely has the talent to succeed with the Saints. The question for this year is simply, will he step up or not.
It's very possible that he could earn the #2 receiver spot for New Orleans this offseason. If he could pull that off, it would be huge! I'd love nothing more than to see Robert Meachem do the "new Tweeter end-zone dance" in the Georgia Dome this season.


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Ron Mexico Goes Home


Former Falcons QB Michael Vick left federal prison earlier this morning and went home to Hampton, Virginia. That's where he’ll serve two months of home confinement and subsequent three years’ probation.
Much has been made of whether Vick can meet the standards of atonement set forth by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who vaguely outlined his criteria for Vick’s reinstatement earlier this week. But more important will be salvaging enough forgiveness from the football-watching public that one of the league’s 31 other teams would consider taking the PR hit that would come from bringing him into camp. That burden of bringing The Dog Killer into the fold is one that even the minor league arena teams aren’t willing to bear.
The truth of the matter is that Michael Vick will never be more than The Dog Killer. No matter what kind of PETA work he puts in, or humane society events he speats at...he'll always be somewhere between Kobe (in Colorado) and O.J. in the minds of sports fans.

Most teams have already expressed a lack of interest in Vick. Then again, it would probably be a dumb move to show interest right now, if it a team actually was considering that PR gem.
He’s still the property of the Falcons (the Falcons suck), though Atlanta does seem anxious to trade him and unable to find any takers, even for a seventh-round pick.
Still, someone will pick him up if Goodell allows him to play. I just wonder which place would be as good of a fit for him as Atlanta was.

According to the "Most Dangerous U.S. Cities" list for 2008, there are a few spots that could make him feel right at home...as he did in Atlanta. These cities are actually ranked above Atlanta...

New Orleans (the Saints have already expressed no interest)
Detroit (Lions have also expressed no interest)
St. Louis (he'd be dead or in prison by Thanksgiving)
Oakland (too obvious)
Cleveland (too much money wrapped up in other QBs)

My prediction - Ron Mexico will be a St. Louis Ram!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

"Bush Did Seven Gs!"


On the field, the primary goal for the New Orleans Saints offense will be to improve the ground game this offseason. But off the field, stars Reggie Bush and Drew Brees have been having some fun in the air. Reggie Bush enjoyed what he called the "ultimate, most scary ride ever invented" when he got tossed around in a Red Bull Air Race World Championship two-seater earlier this month. Check out the video link below.

Bush signed an endorsement deal with Red Bull earlier this year, but maybe he should have read the fine print. In the video, he recounts having his life flash before his eyes. I seem to remember Reggie Bush puking after being hit in a game against Carolina last season. Somehow, he seemed to keep his lunch down during his flight.
I'm sure he would have rather gotten the Axe Hair endorsement deal, but they had already hired some metro dude.
Brees, meanwhile, went up in an F-15 with the 159th Fighter Wing unit in Belle Chasse last week. Brees, an adrenaline junkie and big-time supporter of the military, has also been up with the Blue Angels a few times, among other aerial endeavors.


I'm pretty sure I would have yacked like Billy Bob on Varsity Blues.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Gruden Replaces Kornheiser at MNF


Tony Kornheiser has decided to step down from the Monday Night Football broadcasting team. Jon Gruden (former Bucs head coach) will fill the open spot.
“I am totally grateful for the MNF opportunity that I truly enjoyed the last three seasons,” Kornheiser said in a release issued by ESPN. “I feel we got better each year. My fear of planes is legendary and sadly true. When I looked at the upcoming schedule it was the perfect storm that would’ve frequently moved me from the bus to the air. I kept looking at the schedule the past month and wanted to find a way to quietly extricate myself. If I could handpick a replacement of a football guy, I would cast a net and drag in Jon Gruden. He is the two things you most want — smart and funny, and has the two things I don’t...good hair and a tan. I love PTI and am looking forward to continuing to yammer and yodel with Wilbon until the end of time.”

This whole thing is pretty interesting to me, because I'm not so sure the traveling really had anything to do with this move. Kornheiser has a lot of personality, but then again, so does Dennis Miller. That doesn't mean we want to listen to them while watching a big MNF game.
Don't get me wrong, I love Tony on PTI...he just annoyed the crap out of me on MNF with his constant blabbering about nothing at all. Sure, there will be a few more cross-country flights on this year's MNF schedule than in years past, but c'mon! Do you expect me to believe that this was all truly Tony's decision?
I do like the Gruden hire. He's got passion, knowledge, and a temper. I'm rooting for a few red-faced freak outs on Gruden's account very soon. Ever see the video of Bill O'Reily going nuts in the newsroom...or how about even Dan Marino losing his cool just because of simply getting tongue-tied??? Gruden has the potential to blow those two jokers right out of the water. He'll probably just do it for a year anyway. I hope he makes the most of it!
Oooooo, I also love this hire because of Gruden's past with ESPN. Do you remember in 2007 when Bucs QB Bruce Gradkowski was being mentioned in the Toledo points-shaving scandal? Here's what Jon Gruden had to say then, "I don't watch ESPN. I don't believe half the [bleeping] people on the channel, personally. No disrespect, but if Bruce Gradkowski is throwing games in Toledo, how in the hell does he lead the NCAA in passing percentages? That is a crock. You know, these reports make me sick. Really. I don't believe there is any truth to it, and I'll go to my grave believing that. I hope ESPN 3 or 4 has real sources behind this story, because it has nothing to do with the kid. He's a great kid. He wants to be great. This is very uncharacteristic, in my opinion, of 'professional' journalism."

Nice! This also makes it possible that Gruden has never even seen Monday Night Football. I can't wait for that first game. Buffalo @ New England, September 14th.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Warren Sapp is a Character!


When I think of Warren Sapp, I realize that he really is a lot like a cartoon character. He's goofy, funny-looking, and most what he says is ridiculous. You know what I mean? He's the kind of guy who's never really taken seriously. Still, people always want to see what he'll do next. Kind of like Peter Griffin, Scrappy-Doo, or even Lou Holtz.
Oh yeah, and he likes to dance!

As he has shown before, he loves to talk about past teams and teammates with perfect honesty/creativity. Then again, he also has to be very careful about what he says. He'd hate for his mom to come out and make him publicly apologize to someone (i.e. Keyshawn Johnson). For the record, I thought Sapp was on to something with that one.

Recently, he sat down with NFL.com to speak "openly" about the Bucs. When asked if he thought they were headed in the right direction, he replied, “I like their offense. They have a championship caliber offense, now they got to get their defense back on that level.”

When asked about how the Bucs could find success with a QB like Luke McCown taking the snaps, he shot back, “Antonio Bryant, Kellen Winslow Jr., Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward in the backfield. Who just won the Super Bowl? Name one offensive lineman on the Pittsburgh Steelers. It isn’t the names, it’s the cameraderie. Stop being a fan, might want to learn something. I actually went to the facility. I don’t read the newspapers.”

McCown recently stated that the starting job is his to lose. It might be, then again, he might also have to fight to keep his roster spot while he's at it. The Bucs might not want to keep the seven-figure salaries of both McCown and Byron Leftwich. Instead, look for one of them to possibly be traded or cut, and for the depth chart to consist of Freeman, the winner of McCown-Leftwich, and Josh Johnson. I'd bet almost anything that Johnson will be the one to go.

So, with uncertainty at the QB position, and a struggling defense (bad field position)...how exactly is it that the Bucs are going to have a strong offense this year? I wish them well (when they play Atlanta at least), I just don't see this year's team getting it done. Then again, I also thought the Dolphins were going to suck again in '08 too...so what do I know?!

I love Sapp's creativity and passion for the game. I just hope he doesn't develope a lisp anytime soon. I couldn't handle an NFL version of Dr. Lou.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Beason Talks About Surgery, Peppers, and Meeks


After an outstanding sophomore season in the league, Jon Beason earned a spot on the 2009 NFC Pro Bowl team. Since the end of the season, he's gone through quite a bit in his football world.

He had shoulder surgery to repair an injury he suffered in October of 2008.
He's had to listen to all of the drama surrounding his friend and fellow Pro-Bowler Julius Peppers.
He's even gotten a new defensive coordinator, in Ron Meeks.

As Beason really is one of my favorite Panthers to ever play in Charlotte, I've been checking out his personal blog (http://www.jonbeason.com/blog.html). Here's a little bit from his latest entry, where he comments on all he's had going on this offseason. I'm just glad to finally see someone from the inside who's willing to comment on Meeks and Pepp.

"It’s been 13 weeks since my shoulder surgery and I’m coming back fast. I feel good right now, I’m just starting to do a lot of the strength stuff and the shoulder feels great. It won’t be 100 percent for a while but the fact that I can lift now and start getting my strength back is a key. Until now all I could do was legs and abs, but now I can start to get aggressive in the weight room.
Our new defensive coordinator is Ron Meeks. I really like his system, its a fast aggressive system. He wants guys who will chase the football and that’s my style, so we’re on the same page. We had an immediate connection.
We also brought in some help from the draft, guys who will hit, extremely athletic and fast guys.
So I feel good about what I’ve seen so far.
Everybody is still asking about JP, and at this point I’m pretty sure he’ll be a Carolina Panther this year. I don’t know more than anybody else does but free agency has pretty much run its course this season.
He said if he’s back he’ll be ready to go and that’s definitely good news for us and from a fan standpoint. Some fans have been rough on him but hopefully he can just push through it and stay focused. Its tough for fans to understand the business part of football and how things work. You have to play long enough to earn the luxury of free agency and he should have the opportunity to move on if he wants to. He’s a hometown guy who went to North Carolina and was drafted by the Panthers and he’s had a good run here. I think with 99.5% of the players it would be about money, but JP is a special guy, very genuine, and I truly believe that for him its not about the money.
I look forward to having him back. We were right there last year close to the Super Bowl, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be right there this season too."

Again, this is a quote directly from Jon Beason's personal blog.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Saints Draft Rugby Dude


For those questioning the New Orleans Saints' drafting of a punter in the 5th round of this year's NFL Draft...they might have known what they were doing.
Thomas Morstead considers himself a pro at one of the rarest plays in American football, the dropkick. It seems to be something only a true rugby-lover could appreciate. “My family’s from England so I grew up kind of learning rugby,” Morstead explained during the Saints’ rookie camp earlier this week. “That’s kind of how I learned doing drop kicks at first, then I started kicking and punting” in America. Morstead may never get a chance to try a dropkick in the NFL (Doug Flutie is the only one to convert one in the past six-plus decades) but one could argue that Morstead’s ability to hit them helped his kicking career.
Morstead said a 60-yard dropkick he hit to win a bet during practice at Southern Methodist persuaded coaches to let him take over punting and place-kicking duties for the past three seasons.

His performance at SMU obviously impressed the Saints, who not only took him in the fifth round of the NFL draft, but traded up to get him. “You can see that he’s got a live leg, certainly,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said. “We’re excited about the prospect. When we drafted him we felt the same way. He was a guy we spent a lot of time on researching.”
He was a soccer player at his high school in Texas, and didn’t start kicking for the football team until his senior year. The Saints used three punters last season before settling on Glenn Pakulak, who averaged nearly 48 yards on 24 punts. Payton said he wanted competition for the punting job in training camp and traded up to draft the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Morstead because Saints scouts didn’t believe he would remain available beyond the fifth round. Morstead said he also would be comfortable place-kicking if New Orleans needed him to.

In addition to his strong kicking abilities, Morstead also brings other rugby-like talents to the football field. He gained 34 yards on a fake punt against Tulane last season in the Louisiana Superdome.
[My little sister played for Team USA's Women's Rugby team when she was 18. I can tell you, even when it's girls playing...that's a tough sport! I'd also like to slip in a quick congratulations, as the high school team she coaches just won the Tennessee state championship. Way to go Maryville Lady Rebels.]
Morstead smiled when asked if he saw himself as a threat to take off on fakes in the NFL. “I’m kind of crazy,” Morstead said. “I’ve told coaches before and I’ll tell them again that I’m up for anything. I kind of have no fear, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m up for whatever they want to do.” The last part of that quote has also been used quite often in Atlanta's locker room whenever "time to hit the showers" comes around.

It's still too early to tell whether or not this guy will amount to much in the NFL. But as of right now, it looks like the Saints might have enough evidence to justify the pick.


Tuesday, May 12, 2009

S.I. Shows No Love to NFC South



Sports Illustrated's Peter King has already released a ranking list for the 2009 season. Yeah, it's still 10-11 weeks before anyone even enters training camp...but somehow, he's ready to call it. Nevermind that we don't know who Anquan Boldin will be playing for, or even if Brett Favre will be back this year. Still, it's never too early to start looking at how the league stacks up.

The top ten spots on his list look like this...

1. New England (please no!)
2. Pittsburgh (okay)
3. NY Giants (one of the best NFC teams...sure)
4. Chicago (are you serious?)
5. Indianapolis (will miss the playoffs this year...yeah, I said it)
6. Philadelphia (probably better than 6)
7. San Diego (nah)
8. Baltimore (will miss playoffs)
9. Dallas (hahahahahahahaha)
10. Tennessee (hit or miss)

Hmm! No NFC South teams in the top ten. That seems a little dumb to me, since this is the best division in the NFL. Well, at least is was last year.
The NFC South is like the SEC in College Football. The teams are strong, they just beat up on each other every weekend. It's tough to make it through the South as the champion and still have juice left over. If the Saints had beaten Carolina in N.O. on the last regular season game of the season, that would have completed an amazing trend in the division. When the Panthers won that game, it was the only time all year that an away team had won a division game in the NFC South.

Here's where the division teams rank on King's list...
11. Atlanta (The Falcons Suck)
18. Carolina (playoff team)
24. New Orleans (I could see them in play to win the division)
26. Tampa Bay (they had the talent to win the division last year. they won't fall THIS much)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Falcons Mini-camp Report


Here’s a look at Day One of the Falcons’ full-squad minicamp.

Falcons first-round pick Peria Jerry was slightly injured this weekend. "He got banged up," Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. "We don't know anything about it. He bumped knees, and we'll know something by the end of the day. They took him in the training room to ice him." After practice, the injury was identified as a mild sprain. No mention has yet to be made about his Greg Oden syndrome. I know he's entering the league as a 25 year-old, so he's already an old dude for a rookie...but I'm pretty sure he looks 40.

--Rookie QB John Parker Wilson, an undrafted free agent, could be more than a “camp arm.”
--DT Troy Lewis pulled himself out of practice during a Friday evening session; he’s recovering from two surgeries on his right knee.
--DE John Abraham (neck/shoulder), K Jason Elam (hip), DB Von Hutchins (foot), OL Alex Stepanovich (back), and CB David Irons (knee) were held out of practices.
--TE Tony Gonzalez didn’t participate in the second Friday session. Neither did C Todd McClure.
--G Harvey Dahl and DT Jason Jefferson found themselves in a Friday morning cat fight. How cute!
--QB Matt Ryan already has a man crush on Gonzalez: “It’s big for us to pick up Tony,” Ryan said. “He’s one of the greatest players of all time. . . . I threw a couple of balls his way, and he didn’t disappoint.” Carson Daly is gonna be jealous.
--Coach Mike Smith is giving his rookies a baptism by information overload: “As a staff we try to throw as much at them as we can. It’s really by design. We put the whole package out there at the beginning of the practices and then we come back and break it down into small parts. I think it’s important that we see how they handle that learning curve.”

As Roddy White enters his fifth and final season on his contract with the Falcons, he's hoping for an extention. Through the first two years of his career, he had less than 1,000 total receiving yards. In the past two years of his career, White has generated nearly 2,600 yards.
He says he'd like to get an extention signed before the season begins.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Leftwich "Was a Smokescreen"


New Bucs QB Josh Freeman said in a chat on NFL.com that the Bucs' signing of Byron Leftwich was meant to convince other teams that Tampa wasn't interested in the Kansas State product.
"They told me it was a smokescreen, everybody would think they didn’t want a QB," Freeman said in the chat.
"They said they were ready to trade up. I think it worked out great. I was sitting there with my family and enjoying it, and I got to go to the team that I wanted to go to."
The Bucs traded up from 19 to 17 to select Freeman. They leapfrogged Denver, which, after trading Jay Cutler this month, may have been interested in Freeman.
Bucs coach Raheem Morris was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State early in Freeman's time at the school.
Tampa signed Leftwich, the Steelers backup last season, to a two-year, $7.5 million deal in April. The team also re-signed Luke McCown, a backup last season, and said he will have a chance to win the starting job last season. Veteran Brian Griese is also on the roster, as well as second-year player Josh Johnson.
At least one, and possibly two, of the bunch will be gone by the time the season begins.

I'm just hoping to see Leftwich beat out Freeman for the starting job, and then print "Smokescreen" on the back of his jersey.

In a related note, it has not yet been determined whether or not the Bucs' four-game skid at the end of last season was also a smokescreen...to get Freeman, of course.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Matt Ryan/Carson Daly Bromance


Many NFL QBs choose to endorse various products they enjoy. Peyton Manning appears in Gatorade commercials with other sports stars. Brett Favre tosses a football around with friends in Levi spots. Jake Delhomme even pitches Bojangles restaurants in regional TV ads. Matt Ryan has chosen a diferent sort of product to support. He is now pushing Axe Hair products.
I'm not entirely sure what Axe Hair is, but if it's anything like the Axe Body Spray...I'd say this is very fitting. In case you're not familiar, Axe Body Spray is that stuff that 14-17 year old boys use before realizing that it isn't cool to be a metrosexual. Now, the Falcons QB has decided to offer confessionals in an attempt to help Axe sell their new metro hair product.

On the media circuit for Ryan to pitch his Axe Hair junk (and perhaps talk a little football), he visited Carson Daly's show. FYI, there is no reason to feel bad for not knowing that Daly wasn't still on Total Request Live on MTV. Very few people have watched MTV, or his new show on NBC for that matter, in a long time.
While on Daly's late night talk show (right around the time of the Super Bowl), a new bromance was revealed. Carson Daly tried desperately to talk about football (and act straight) for a short period of the interview. That's when his true character came out...so to speak.
Daly brought up the topic of Axe Hair junk, and couldn't get out of the interview without hitting on Ryan. He said, "This may be a bit of a gay moment, but your hair looks beautiful." To which Ryan responded, "Likewise!" They both painted on a Kool-Aid smile, and began touching each other. Not in a joking way. They went in for a handshake, and Daly couldn't resist but to put his hands on Ryan's shoulders. Ryan then smiled bigger, and used his second hand to complete the very-touchy handshake.
This is, afterall, the same NFL QB who admittedly loves musicals.
"NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!!"

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA)


In a comical attempt at clearing his name, Michael Vick has decided to become PETA's next spokesperson. Yeah, that's People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The organization that makes an average liberal look like Charlton Heston.
Of course, Vick is currently serving prison time for funding an illegal dog-fighting ring. Vick's actions were even far worse than Navin Johnson's illegal cat-juggling show (The Jerk).
"I'm familiar with [the plan]," said Dan Shannon, director of youth outreach and campaigns for PETA. "We have been in discussions with Michael Vick, with his management team, about the possibility of him putting out a public-service announcement with PETA when he's out of jail. We want him to discourage people from taking part in dog-fighting. I can do it until I'm blue in the face and it might not convince anybody. Michael Vick sure can. He can say, 'Look, I did it, I was wrong, and it ruined my career."

Believe it or not, this isn't even the end of Vick's attempt to change his public image. He's also considering the development of his own animal rights group.
This might be the mother of all PR jobs. His obstacles are many: a hard-line NFL commissioner who wants to see "genuine remorse" before reinstating Mr. Vick to the league; individual franchises that might be wary of the backlash and potential damage to their brands from signing Mr. Vick (i.e. THIS BLOG); and an incredulous public that remains shocked by the story.
Just so we're clear, I hated Michael Vick/The Falcons waaaay before his dog-fighting arrest.
I really think he might be taking it all a little too far. There's a fine line between a sincere apology and a disingenuous act of dramatics.
His own animal rights group???? C'mon dude! Nobody is going to buy that for one minute. He'd be far better off just sitting down in front of Goodell and quoting "Red" from Shawshank Prison.
"Rehabilitated? To me it's just a made up word. A politician's word, so young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie, and have a job. What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did? There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. Not because I'm in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone and this old man is all that's left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It's just a bullsh*t word. So you go on and stamp your form, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don't give a sh*t."

THIS is the only way to guarantee Goodell's stamp of approval.

Monday, May 4, 2009

When You Gotta Go...You Gotta Go!!!


New Orleans Saints wide receiver Biren Ealy and tight end Kolomona Kapanui (both signed as free agents) were charged Sunday with obscenity, disturbing the peace and lewd conduct for allegedly being drunk, urinating in public and exposing themselves.
Apparently, two women, were cruisin around in their car when they saw Ealy and Kapanui urinating in the parking lot of an apartment complex around 12:42 a.m. Sunday. One of the women told Ealy to stop (like he could have if he wanted to). Authorities said Ealy turned around while exposing himself and began making lewd comments. Moments later, Kapanui allegedly exposed himself to the driver of the vehicle and made lewd comments, according the the sheriff's office.

Both players were jailed on $4,250 bonds.

It is now very possible that both players could be cut by the Saints. If cut, they will most likely be picked up by Atlanta.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Peppers a No-Show at Mini Camp


Still unhappy in Carolina after trade requests were virtually ignored, veteran defensive end Julius Peppers exercised his right as an unsigned franchise player to skip the Panthers’ minicamp.
As first reported by Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com on Thursday, two league sources indicated that the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end wouldn’t be showing up today.
Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney, whose second-round draft pick, Everette Brown, took extra work with Peppers not on the practice field, reiterated that his conversations with Peppers’ agent have, “all been positive.”
Under rules governing franchise players, Peppers isn’t required to attend any offseason activities or training camp until he signs his one-year, $16.7 million tender. So, the team can’t fine him.
Peppers sure isn't doing a lot to make himself look better to the rest of the league. At this point, there seems to be no resolution in sight on this saga.


Some good news for the Panthers is that Mark Schlereth recently mentioned that Everette Brown could have more of an impact than any other rookie this season. He said Brown has so many pass rushing moves to get to QBs that he might not be an everydown player, but should excel in pass rushing situations. At least the Panthers have Brown and Charles Johnson...just in case Peppers isn't in Carolina in September.