Jul 11
AndrewSports Football
Favre has reportedly asked for an unconditional release from the Green Bay Packers in a letter sent to the Packers organization today. The move will make him available to sign with another team for the upcoming NFL season and undoubtedly quashes any public denials that Favre is not interested in playing again after he retired from professional football at the end of the 2007 season.
Packers management has been reluctant to embrace any Favre unretirement talk. The team has spent the offseason transitioning Aaron Rodgers into the starting quarterback position. During a conference call earlier this week, Favre reportedly was explicit about his intent to play again. When the Packers rebuffed him, his agent drafted the letter requesting unconditional release and sent it off. If the Packers force Favre to honor his contract, he could still be traded but an unconditional release will allow Favre to sign with the organization of his choice.
Nov 12
AndrewSports Football
Forget Indianapolis vs. New England, the supposed-Super Bowl 41½ championship game preview. Turned out, that match-up was notable only for the most blatant one-sided refereeing ever in a football contest. The game itself was dull and predictable compared to last night’s romp in San Diego. For New England fans (yeah, them again) it was vindication watching Adam Vinatieri blow two field goals (one at the end of each half) and watch Peyton Manning misstep with poor reads to a 6 interception game with two (count ‘em -- two!) opportunities in the final two minutes of the game to steal the victory.
If you went to bed early, or assumed that San Diego would be walloped by a Colts team seeking revenge after losing to the New England Patriots in the 4th quarter of last week’s game, then you missed a primetime contest for the ages. Sure, it looked like the Colts were going to come back and put a stake in the Chargers season. In the fourth quarter, with :32 elapsed, the Colts had scored a touchdown, made a two-point conversion and recovered a Chargers fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. San Diego’s 16 point lead evaporated in less than a minute, and the only saving grace was a second unsuccessful two-point conversion that allowed San Diego to retain a slim lead.
No one, not in San Diego, not in Indianapolis, and sure as hell not in New England, though the Chargers were going to pull out a win at that point. Many a television switched themselves off on the east coast, with the time rapidly approaching 11 p.m. and Indianapolis verging on another nauseating comeback.
There were two reasons this seemed inevitable. First, on the last drive of the 3rd quarter, the Colts finally reverted to their usual make-it-look-easy form. Manning deftly completed five passes for 66 yards, mixed in a couple of rushing plays and in about four and a half minutes, took the Colts from their 10 yard line to San Diego’ s 10 yard line. Suddenly, it was vintage Colts, even though there injury report looks like a team roster (Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez were all out for the game.) With two snaps in the fourth quarter, the Colts were suddenly a touchdown and a two-point conversion away from tying the game.
Second, San Diego’s offense had sputtered to a halt. Unable to take advantage of the turnovers or the Colts’ injury-riddled defense, the Chargers scored on a kick-off return, a punt return and a field goal in the first half. And anyone who watches the Colts knows that a 16-point lead is a precarious one going into halftime. The Colts can, and did, erase the deficit in the blink of an eye. Only the Patriots adjust better to opponents in the second half of games, and no one doubted Manning, even after four interceptions left the city of Boston giddy with pleasure.
The stats tell an interesting story. San Diego’s 177 total yards were split pretty evenly between the pass and the rush. The Colts only rushed for 75 yards (compared to 119 yards against New England, 112 of those belonging to Joseph Addai) but Manning passed for 311 yards. Indianapolis easily reigned in time of possession. And even stranger, San Diego was vastly more penalized than Indianapolis, 10 for 78 yards versus the colts 4-21. There was no reason for the Chargers to have won this game.
The obvious game-changing stat was Manning’s six interceptions -- a team record, and Manning’s personal best. Vinatieri’s two missed field goals were obviously factors, too (one from 42 yards, the other from 29 yards, for a man of Vinatieri’s reputation, both relative chip shots.)
Though all the focus now will be on the Colts losing two straight, San Diego is now leading its division at 5-4 and it’s hard to give Denver or Kansas City the edge on the second half of the season. Especially since San Diego still has to face each of its division rivals again and it’s only division loss was to Kansas City. San Diego’s defense came through yesterday while it’s offense looked strangled. And when it gets right down to it, that is probably what is going to rub Manning the most. Oh, and that 9-0 team the New England Patriots
More Notes from the Cheap Seats
The Green Bay Packers have found ways to win with the passing attack that sustained them in the first half and suddenly there is a possibility of a rushing attack with Ryan Grant having his second career 100-yard rushing game. Some of the pressure in the division has been relieved by Detroit’s loss yesterday, but what is more amazing is that Green Bay is playing good football. Compared to last year, this is a revelation (and squashing Favre retirement rumors temporarily.) Okay, look, Minnesota rolled over in Sunday’s game, it looked like the Packers versus a practice squad; but it was an important division rivalry. And if the Packers are the elite team this season, they have to beat the teams they are expected to beat. That’s what elite teams do. Though there is still plenty of season left, there is less pressure for Green Bay to win out, and a respectable loss at Dallas, or even a split with Detroit, and the Packers can still handily take the division.
It was tough to watch the Cleveland Browns give away that game to the Steelers. Maybe I should be giving more credit to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, but I can’t help thinking about how often emerging teams falter in the second half of games. The elite teams adjust in the second half and that’s exactly what the Steelers did. Roethlisberger made the adjustments to his game, and you could tell in the second half that he had Cleveland’s number.
Aside from a few anomalies (particularly the game against New England,) Browns quarterback Derek Anderson has been pretty good. The Browns need to gel, and a lot of their performance can be chalked up to a combination of inexperience and the specter of losing seasons. Everyone expects the Browns to suck, but a loss to Pittsburgh isn’t the worst thing. It would have been nice to see a better second half performance overall, but you could definitely make the case that Cleveland is on the rise.
A lot of people were amped up about the Dallas Cowboys game yesterday. But didn’t it seem a little business as usual? Quarterback Tony Romo is the kind of QB that does better in the spotlight, and Terrell Owens has managed his game better this year (a lot of unwarranted dropped passes last season.) The Giants did just enough to lose, a typical display of QB Eli Manning prowess combined with what once was chalked up to inexperience. But now? Maybe Manning will always be less than perfect because he gets compared to his brother more often than is really fair.
Either way, while everyone was impressed with the Cowboys performance, the entire game was a little bland. Yeah, it was nice to see the Cowboys play up to their elite position in the NFL, but it was also a disappointment to have the Giants become less competitive in the one game they needed a grander performance.
Oct 08
AndrewSports Football
The time of year in the NFL when the contenders and pretenders show their true colors. When the win-loss record starts to separate the teams into the good, the bad and the ugly. Heading into the October stretch with a 5-0 record doesn’t guarantee a perfect season, but heading into October with a 0-5 record pretty much does guarantee a long and protracted whupping. Just ask the Miami Dolphins.
The Ugly: Miami Dolphins
This is a dicey analysis. Where do you put the blame in Miami? In the offseason, Miami traded away Sammy Morris and Wes Welker to the Patriots leaving them to essentially rely on Ronnie Brown for both their running game (114 yards on 23 carries yesterday against the Texans) and their passing game (39 yards on 5 receptions.) Only wide receiver Marty Booker has made any significant contribution this season in the passing game. (Chris Chambers started strong but has evaporated in the last two games.) You could make a pretty good case that QB Trent Green was the best player on the offense, and he took a knee to the brain in yesterday’s game when he went on a low block against Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson. Green was back at the stadium after the game, but no word yet on whether he will be able to start next week.
On Sunday, Miami took the lead in the first quarter against the 2-2 Houston Texans and did not relinquish it until a third quarter field goal by Texans kicker Kris Brown, who then tied the game again in the fourth and went for the go-ahead score on the final drive the game. The 57-yard kick sealed Miami’s woeful season with 00:01 on the clock. Let me recap in case you missed it: Miami had zero offense in the second half except for a field goal kick by Jay Feely from 48 yards, and Houston had not one, not two, but three successful field goals from over 50 yards that allowed the Texans to catch up and pass the Dolphins for the win.
You can trace some of the roots of Miami’s problems to Dan Marino. Since Marino, Miami has had a string of only moderately successful QBs including Jay Fielder, Ray Lucas, Brian Griese, A.J. Feeley, Sage Rosenfels, Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon and Trent Green (if I missed anyone, just let me know…) Miami hasn’t dealt well with its quarterbacks. Fielder was the quarterback of choice until he went down in the 2004 season. The Dolphins essentially rolled his body into a carpet and dumped it into the Everglades hoping nobody would notice. That’s what they do with underperforming QBs, just ask…well any quarterback since. But even when Fielder when the anointed starter, he always seemed to feel the heat of his back-up QB (Lucas in 2002, Griese in 2003, Feeley in 2004) and that is not a recipe for an inspiring offense.
Take the Daunte Culpepper era: four games 2 TDs, 1 interception (1-3 record.) Sure, Culpepper was damaged goods, and the team might have been better served by starting the season with someone else. But to dump Culpepper for Harrington, and then dump Harrington for Lemon (who may have regained his starting job this season in the absence of Green?) was just piling on one desperate decision after another. Long ago, the lack of consistency at quarterback was slowly strangling this team.
Miami’s future looks grim. Because for all that, and we never got around to dissecting the defensive woes (age,) Ricky Williams, Nick Saban, or the fact that the Dolphins play in the Patriots division. As to the latter, it’s not so much that the Patriots are the runaway team to beat, again. It’s that the Jets and the Bills have such a lock on mediocrity that the Dolphins can barely compete at their level. Let the John Beck era begin!
The Bad: Cleveland Browns
The Browns missed an opportunity. New England’s sloppy play on Sunday was ripe for an upset, but instead of capitalizing, the Browns played the Pats close to the vest and lost. Fortunately for them, it may have gone unnoticed since the Indians became the only team in a close-out division series game that failed to sweep their opponent.
Cleveland can only blame itself. New England was horrible. QB Tom Brady had a hard time finding receivers, and they had a hard time finding the ball. The stats don’t tell the tale properly of how out of sync the Pats offense was (in fact, in the end, at least statistically, it was business as usual.) The Pats were penalized more yards on one fewer penalties. Randy Moss was non-existent (46 yards on 3 receptions, no touchdowns.) But Brady also had three touchdown, and no interceptions (he’s only got two on the season) found his groove with Benjamin Watson and Donte’ Stallworth and Sammy Morris ran for another 102 yards, his second consecutive game over 100 yards.
The Browns had 3 first half tipped interceptions by quarterback Derek Anderson, running back Jamal Lewis left the game with an injury, as did wide receiver Joe Jurevicius. It was all too much for the Browns offense to overcome. They did manage a respectable fourth quarter, and put points on the board to bring the game within 10. Browns defense recorded zero sacks and couldn’t break through New England’s massive front line to pressure Brady.
Look, the W was a long shot anyway. But the Pats waited all the way until 0:52 left to put the game out of reach, and the Browns, especially head coach Romeo Crennel, should have sniffed out the opportunity. They are in a ridiculously competitive division and a win in New England could have muffled some of the naysayers. The Pats gave them that chance. Hey, on the upside, next week the Browns are at home against Miami.
The Good: New York Giants
The Giants are kind of a mixed bag so far this season. They lost to Dallas and Green Bay (both undefeated at the time) but lost badly. Then they went into Washington and pulled out a win and a week later, trampled the Philadelphia Eagles, giving them two consecutive division wins (much needed if Dallas continues to roll.) A win against the Jets yesterday wasn’t critical, except that good teams don’t lost to crappy teams. And the Giants desperately want to be a good team.
Give the Giants credit on both sides of the ball. The offense scored four touchdowns (plus an Aaron Ross interception for a touchdown) and the defense stifled the Jets (admittedly, it doesn’t take much.) Quarterback Eli Manning’s stats aren’t spectacular, but he seems to be making better adjustments in the second halves of games.
But being a good team may not be enough. Dallas is steamrolling and Washington is playing competitively. The Giants upcoming games are at Atlanta, at home against San Francisco, and at Miami (score!) There next gut check game isn’t until early November when they host the Dallas Cowboys. By then, though they could likely have surpassed Washington in the standings, but can those three wins really mark the Giants as a legitimate postseason contender?
(Washington’s schedule in that same span: at Green Bay, home at Arizona and at New England. And don’t tell me the Packers and the Cardinals -- both of whom currently lead their respective divisions -- don’t have something to prove in the next couple of weeks. At the very least, Washington has a challenge ahead of them.)
This, then is the critical issue, can the Giants prove that they are a better than average team until they play a better than average team?
More Notes from the Cheap Seats
There are two 5-0 teams left in the AFC and Dallas has a reasonable chance to be the only 5-0 team in the NFC after tonight’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Indianapolis will always be a Super Bowl contender so long as they are led by Peyton Manning. That said, the Colts are depleted. Marvin Harrison and Joseph Addai are both out with injuries. Freddy Keiaho, Bob Sanders and Rob Morris are too (Morris has a season-ending knee injury.)
Thankfully, Manning still had Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne to play catch with (plus wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez ably filling in) as they destroyed the Tampa Bay Bucs. Going into a bye week, with the potential to get at least some of their starters back in the mix before a game against Jacksonville, don’t expect too much concern.
Can Indianapolis possibly be looking ahead to the match-up against New England on November 4? Why not, sure as hell everybody else is. Expect head coach Bill Belichick to come down hard on the offense for their undisciplined play against Cleveland yesterday. And likewise, expect that New England will be focused on winning out their next three games before heading to Indianapolis. New England is scary this season and all the talk of a perfect season will go into overdrive when the Pats beat the Colts. And don’t think a little revenge for last year’s AFC Championship game isn’t on Brady’s mind. Sure, it was two Reche Caldwell drops that sealed the Indianapolis win in that game, but the bottom line is that the Pats could smell the Super Bowl and it was the Colts that took home the rings.
Dallas has an almost guaranteed free pass to 5-0 with a Bills match-up tonight. To give the Bills a whupping on national television will give Dallas the credibility they’ve been aching for. Romo is a spotlight player; he plays best on primetime. Expect this game to be over in the first half.
Sep 10
AndrewSports Football, NFL
Week 1
1. Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre is tied with John Elway for most victories for a starting quarterback after his team’s 16-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday. The win wasn’t authoritative, but for the Packers, who have been back and forth between winning and losing seasons, this season appears to be an upswing.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy made it clear that he was going to rein in the wild west ways of his starting QB, but restraint has never been Favre’s cup of tea. It would be nice if the Pack didn’t have to live and die by Favre’s arm, and that appears to be what we learned from Sunday’s game.
The Packers won because of special teams play and on the shoulders of their defense. Favre was mostly the same gunslinger he always is, 23/42, no touchdowns and one interception. But by keeping the Pack in the game, the defense squashed Philadelphia’s mostly tepid offense, they were able to win on 3 field goals and a fumble recovery in the end zone.
That’s not a great recipe for the postseason, but for now, I’ll take it.
2. Minnesota Vikings
Was it just by virtue of playing the disheartened Atlanta Falcons, or are the Vikings ready to make a legitimate chase for a playoff berth, the first since 2004? Things could have been shaky under Tavaris Jackson, who is only in his first year as a full-fledged starter and only his second year in the league overall.
But his first game stats were decent. He finished with 75.1 quarterback rating, one touchdown and one interception and 13-23 passing attempts for 163 yards. The defense for the Vikings really stepped up their game, and hey, playing against Joey Harrington probably didn’t hurt either.
It’s disingenuous, though, to put the win on the Falcons poor play instead of giving credit to the Vikings. They suffocated Harrington and exposed an offense that wasn’t clicking. And Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson earned his keep, rushing for 103 yards on 19 carries. He also showed some nimble fingers.
In a crowded NFC North, where even the Lions are showing signs of life, the Vikings are going to succeed if they can get consistent production from week to week.
3. Carolina Panthers
I’m rooting for a good season from the Panthers. Last year, they finished 8-8 and were bounced from playoff contention in week 15 so that their last win against the Saints was meaningless as far as the postseason was concerned.
But it’s nice to see a resurgence of Steve Smith, who sealed the victory in the third quarter with a 68-yard dash to the goal line. And Jake Delhomme was one of the better quarterbacks in Sunday’s match-ups, with three touchdown passes and 18/27 for 201 yards. With a nice compliment of players around the superstars, it was refreshing to see the Panthers return to form.
More Notes from the Cheap Seats
I can’t let a week 1 column go by without mentioning the Chicago Bears. They don’t really fit in this column because, let’s face it, yesterday’s game against San Diego was more of the same. You can talk about the enormous expectations because of the Super Bowl appearance, or how they faced the San Diego Chargers, who legitimately had a case to make the Super Bowl themselves last season. But the bottom line is this: they gave away Thomas Jones to rely on Cedric Benson and the other Adrian Peterson (you know it’s bad when you’re a six-year veteran and you’re only getting noticed as “the other guy.”) And no matter what you say about the Bears, their starting quarterback is Rex Grossman. Here’s an snippet I wrote about Grossman back in January. The assessment today is virtually unchanged.
The key sequence in the New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys match-up last night was the 80-yard Giants possession that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Ward. Then after a horrible interception that probably had Dallas fans cocking a pistol to their foreheads, the Giants scored again bringing the score within 3 points in the fourth quarter with four minutes of game left.
Dallas QB Tony Romo redeemed himself with the final scoring drive of the game which sealed the win. What shouldn’t pass unnoticed, though, was that Giants quarterback Eli Manning showed some of the poise that makes his brother, Peyton, the outstanding quarterback that he is. The younger Manning still looks a little rough at times, but it is easy to forget he is only playing in his fourth season. If he can even bring half of what Peyton does to the field, the Giants are going to major contenders in the NFC East for years.
Tonight’s match-up of the Arizona Cardinals at the San Francisco 49ers is notable because both teams have the potential to improve their game tremendously. The Cardinals are their own worst enemy, but they have the players, and now the coach, to make a successful play-off run.
Last season was all about transition. They swapped starting QBs, benching Kurt Warner who was washed up three years ago, for rookie Matt Leinart, and shipping out head coach Dennis Green for a great hire in Ken Whisenhunt. But the fans are tired of transition and want to see some wins and maybe a playoff appearance. The postseason dry spell is verging on a decade.
Probably the biggest change is Ken Whisenhunt who will bring some creativity to the offense and hopefully some consistency to a generally inconsistent team. Leinart is starting is first full year as starter and he could establish himself as a splashy phenom if he can bring success to Arizona. It’s hard to put all the pressure to succeed on one QB, but Leinart is going to have to produce because Arizona is starving for something positive.
Sep 09
AndrewSports Football, NFL
Week 1
1. Indianapolis Colts
Did anything about Thursday night’s win over the New Orleans Saints convince you that Colts aren’t repeat favorites to at least make it to the AFC Championship game? Most of their major players on offense, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai and the inestimable Marvin Harrison, are back again this year. Peyton Manning looked sharp, throwing 288 yards and three touchdown passes. Hey, they even let Adam Vinatieri kick two 33 yard field goals for good measure.
The big difference this year is the Colts defense played remarkably. In the Saints post-game interviews, both coach and players accounted for their lack of productivity by calling it rust and distractions. But give credit to the Colts defense for stiffening the line, particularly on third down. The Colts recorded two interceptions, one for an 83 yard touchdown and held the Saints to 293 yards and just two scoring drives.
The Colts will dominate another season.
2. New England Patriots
My buddy said it best, “Coach Belichick loves to shove it down the Jets’ throat.”
Everyone was worried about the New England defense, which lost two key players this week (Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour; 4-game suspension for drug policy violation and minimum 6-games on the physically-unable-to-perform list respectively.) But the truth was much simpler, defense can be average if your offense is stellar.
Much was made of the improvements to the offense of the New England Patriots. Wide receiver Randy Moss was the big one (a steal in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice) but New England also sealed wide receiver Wes Welker with a 5-year contract and added tight end Kyle Brady and running back Sammy Morris and all four had an impact in Sunday’s game against the Jets.
The performance by Moss was a return to form from his Minnesota days (let’s face it, he’s going to bury his time as an Oakland Raider faster than Fox buried The Loop) 9 receptions for 183 yards, 1 touchdown. But in classic Pats fashion, Brady distributed the ball to 8 different receivers and the Pats gave running back Laurence Maroney a bigger role since Corey Dillon retired.
The Pats made a convincing case for a Super Bowl run, but this was the Jets. The game against the San Diego Chargers will be more of a challenge.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are out to prove that last year was just a turn of bad luck. That, and they can dominate the AFC North without coach Bill Cowher, who is in the studio this year for CBS.
Like the Pats, this game was against a division rival, and the Steelers expected to burn them. The Browns, let’s face it, started Derek Anderson under center (refusing to give in to the pressure and start rookie Brady Quinn) and have an almost no-name rushing core. (In case you missed it, they signed running back Jamal Lewis in the offseason, whose offense production has been pretty consistent over the years.)
But the story wasn’t the Browns failure but whether the Steelers could return to the dominance of their Super Bowl season. They pounded the ball down the Browns’ throat and Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers. The Steelers dominated every statistical category except…turnovers.
Pittsburgh was handed a dream schedule by the NFL. Here are the next four games: Buffalo, San Francisco, at Arizona, Seattle. If the Steelers are for real, this is an easy 4-0 start.
Notes from the Cheap Seats
San Diego was one of the teams that showed some legitimate rust in the first half of their win against the Chicago Bears. The Chargers looked fast asleep until half time, but fortunately for them, Rex Grossman pulled a Rex Grossman yesterday, was an abysmal 12-23 for 145 yards and 1 interception. That gave the Chargers ample opportunity to shake off the drowsiness and charge back to a 14-3 win, scoring both touchdowns in the second half.
Quarterback Philip Rivers looked like a rookie (this is his second season as a starter) for most of the first half, and seemed flustered by the Bears and the refs. In the end, Ladainian Tomlinson led the charge. He had 25 rushing yards on 17 carries, 7 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown pass to Antonio Gates. Sure it doesn’t sound great, but it was clearly all the spark the Chargers need to wake up.
Neither the Denver Broncos nor the Buffalo Bills looked sharp in their first game of the season. The Broncos outscored the Bills by 1 point, and most of their offensive productivity was the result of Jason Elam field goals. Elam is a veteran kicker with 14 seasons under his belt. But what does it say about your team when your best player is a kicker?
Jay Cutler was average, and his receiving team (which includes ex-Colt Brandon Stokley) was okay. But the only real offensive threat was Travis Henry (most recently of Tennessee by way of Buffalo.) I don’t feel great about the Broncos, which has pretty much been the case since Elway retired. Okay, I know it’s stupid to pin all their hopes on a quarterback that hasn’t played in ten years, but the Broncos in that entire span have looked completely flat, even in the 2005 playoffs.
Is it time to cheer for the Buffalo Bills? I’m not convinced. I really wanted the Bills to play with a little more inspiration, but their offense just looked limp. Their defensive unit put on a good show, keeping the Broncos scoring to all field goals but one. And considering how the Broncos offensive production was stirring compared to the Bills offensive (470 total yard to Buffalo’s 184,) it’s amazing the game was as close as it was. But the Bills lost three, three!, defensive starters in the game: Ko Simpson, Jason Webster, and Coy Wire (broken ankle, broken forearm, sprained knee respectively.)
The Bills look to stew in mediocrity for another season, which is tough to do in the AFC East. You know the Pats are going to dominate, but it’s a three-way tie for second because none of the other teams (including Miami and NY Jets) look good. Again.
Jul 20
AndrewSports Falcons, Football, Michael Vick
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is facing charges of animal cruelty and sponsoring dogfighting operations across state lines, but his legal problems are the least of the concerns facing the Atlanta Falcons franchise. Though ultimately Vick is facing jail time if convicted, what happens between now and then could very well affect the organization for years to come.
The indictment puts the Falcons into an uncomfortable position. There are many people who were outraged by the grisly details of torture and abuse the dogs suffered at the hands of Vick and associates, outlined in the 18-page indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. There is some expectation that the team should take a hardline against Vick. Others are pleading for Vick to get his day in court before he’s crucified by public opinion.
Formally, the latter is also the opinion of the Falcons organization, who want nothing more than Vick to stand trial in order to prove his innocence, if he can. Truthfully, the outcome of the legal action probably won’t make a difference to the team from a business point of view. If Vick is found guilty, he won’t be playing for the team anyway. And even if Vick is found not guilty, he has already poisoned the team’s season just by the virtue of being indicted. Maybe that’s unfair to Vick, but that is exactly what has transpired in just a short time.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank issued a statement that read in part, “This is an emotionally charged and complicated matter.” And further, though he didn’t say it explicitly, this is also a no-win situation for his team. Vick is their star player, the face of the franchise, and has been a huge draw for ticket sales since the day he was drafted the first overall pick in 2001. And there is a financial consideration as well. He is owed $6 million this year alone in salary. Blank must find some way to balance what Vick represents as the organization’s star against what consequences there will be if Vick simply plays as much of the season as he can.
The problem is that if Vick plays, he is going to draw the ire of protesters all season long as well as considerable attention from fans and media alike. Every single Falcons press conference, every single Michael Vick news story is going to mention the indictment and the trial, whether or not Vick is eventually found innocent or guilty. And what happens if the Falcons have a losing season? All of the sudden, that scrutiny gets exacerbated to an extreme.
The alternative may come down to a quiet agreement between Blank and Vick. Blank also said in his statement that “there are a wide range of interests and legal issues that need to be carefully considered as we move ahead, including our need to respect the due process that Michael is entitled to.” While it might sound like Blank prefers to wait out the conclusion of the legal action, it may also ultimately signal a gentleman’s agreement that Vick would take the season off, likely a paid leave of absence. This, too, is a less than ideal solution. The Falcons traded proven back up quarterback Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans. Heading into the season, they have Joey Harrington and Chris Redman to back up Vick.
Regardless of who steps up to replace him, releasing Vick may not be an option for financial reasons. Vick will count for $13.57 million against the salary cap this season, and $15.1 million in 2008. Because of his 10-year contract and $37 million signing bonus, the Falcons would save essentially nothing to cut him in either year.
And none of this takes into account the fall out that will affect the Falcons in tangential ways. It already started after an announcement by the National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell that Vick would be allowed to practice and play with the Falcons while federal investigators pursue their case against him. Activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals immediately issued a public protest, and will take their complaint in person to the league front office today. PETA spokesman Dan Shannon has called the charges against Vick “staggering” and there is talk of boycotts against the Falcons organization and/or the NFL itself if Vick is allowed to play. The Humane Society has also said it will protest in some fashion.
Also after the indictment was announced, Nike pulled a line of signature shoes bearing Vick’s name. The Air Zoom Vick V has been indefinitely shelved, though Nike’s other Vick-branded shoes will still be available at retail stores.
There will be more of these types of reactions as businesses and other athletes all scramble to get as far away from the negative stigma that Vick’s actions have brought upon himself, the Falcons and the NFL. Some people will unconditionally support Vick. Others will claim he’s being singled out because of his status as a high profile athlete. But all of these things are really besides the point. As NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy succinctly put it, “We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him.”
That’s right, guilty or not, the price has already been paid.
This article is available on
Older Entries Newer Entries
RSS
