If you missed part 1, you can catch it at Vick, Culpepper, Quinn, Favre, Marbury – Part I – which one does not fit?

Stephon Marbury has backed off

Let’s move to that 3 ring circus called Oakland, where we find the search for the Quarterback feverishly going on.

We all know that JaMarcus Russell is going to start at quarterback, right?

Oops, Oakland forgot to get his signature on a contract.

Lane Kiffen from USC is the new coach and his old boss, Pete Carroll, is not too happy.

“This is not helping the kid’s career,” Carroll said of the holdout. “It’s unfortunate for the kid, and the Raiders have come up with a tremendous quarterback situation by getting Daunte. source

But, who cares, this is about Daunte Culpepper. He might have marched right in and stole the QB job.

Lane Kiffin didn’t name Culpepper the starter, but he was happy to see Culpepper working to master the Raiders’ new system. “I know this about Daunte – he’s buying into what we need, and I don’t think that’s what he’s used to,” Kiffin said on Saturday. The Raiders don’t need a scramble-happy freewheeler. They need a strong-armed veteran who can keep the offense competitive while Kiffin assembles more pieces. Culpepper looks like the man.
source

So, we have Michael Vick in deep doo doo, Favre with maybe a lighter load to carry, Quinn just aching to make an appearance that counts, Culpepper gaining a bonanza, and now quarterback number 5, Stephon Marbury.

Stephon Who berry? Oh, you mean the point guard for the Knicks? He isn’t a quarterback.

Well, some would say that, even though Stephon plays point guard, which makes him the quarterback for the hoop team. (Squibster note: Stephon is one of my favorite players, even though he is selfish and admits to playing only for the money and would never be allow on any of my teams, not even my rec league team. One night he buried 11 shots in the fourth quarter from all over the court against my Pistons. It was awesome.)

It appears that now that Michael Vick has admitted guilt that Stephon is no longer defending him.

New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury backed off his defense of Michael Vick, according to newspaper reports Friday.

“What Michael Vick did was wrong, and he has admitted his guilt,” Marbury said in a statement released by the Knicks to New York newspapers. “He should be punished. However, he should be given a second chance, as others have received for more serious crimes.” source

So we say goodbye to Vick, wish a fond farewell to the soon to retire Favre, say Hello to Culpepper, don’t see Quinn to be able to say anything, and hope Stephon will shake his own hand.

NFL Football Fan Question The team leaders are lining up. Will JaMarcus sign in time to play? Will the Vick backers disappear?

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Vick, Culpepper, Quinn, Favre, Marbury – Part II – which one does not fit?

Brett says, “Have you heard? We have a defense!”

It’s a tale of 5 quarterbacks.

Michael Vick pleaded guilty in court and suddenly he was all sorry and felt dog fighting was so terrible. Come on.

The plea was accepted by Hudson, who asked: “Are you entering the plea of guilty to a conspiracy charge because you are in fact guilty?”

Vick answered yes, and Hudson emphasized his broad latitude in sentencing.

“You’re taking your chances here. You’ll have to live with whatever decision I make,” he said.

U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said a first-time offender ordinarily might receive no jail time for the dogfighting conspiracy.

“We thought, however, that the conduct in this conspiracy was heinous, cruel and inhumane,” he said. source

As Michael Vick was busy squandering a less than dynamite career, Brett Favre was finding out he may have a better team than he first thought.

The Packers defense was fantastic against the Jaguars. I was really impressed how Mike McCarthy’s defenders flew around the field. Desmond Bishop nearly took Reggie Williams head off on one play. In talking to cornerback Al Harris the day after the game, the veteran said that a play like that really inspires the entire unit.
Harris says the defense is on the same page and that a second year in the same system will go a long way. You could see how cohesive the Green Bay defense was. Harris also believes that he and Charles Woodson will form one of the best cornerback combinations in the NFL. source

So Vick faces jail time and Favre may have a defense to support him.

Over in Cleveland, they continue to fiddle while Cleveland fans burn.

Nobody has to remind Cleveland’s Romeo Crennel of the importance of making the right choice at quarterback entering the Sept. 9 season opener against Pittsburgh.

The decision is among the toughest Crennel has had to make since becoming Browns head coach in 2005.

There is heavy local pressure to name rookie Brady Quinn the starter based on how well he has performed in two preseason games, especially compared to the generally non-descript efforts of turnover-prone teammates Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson. source

Cleveland does not get it. Fans will flock to see Brady Quinn usher in the new era of Browns football. Don’t judge him by Tim Couch!

There are some pretty good, no make that excellent quarterbacks that have started right off the bat.

Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman took their lumps during miserable rookie seasons as starters in Indianapolis and Dallas but still forged careers that will ultimately find both of their busts in Canton. And it didn’t take long for another Hall of Famer who slid in the draft’s first round — Miami’s Dan Marino — to make an immediate impact.

Ok, Michael Vick is taking his lumps, Brett Favre is optimistic, and Brady Quinn is in no man’s land.

Read Part II tomorrow.

NFL Football Fan Question Wouldn’t you love to see Brett have an awesome year? (Except against my Lions, right?)

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Vick, Culpepper, Quinn, Favre, Marbury – Part I – which one does not fit?

It appears that NFL trading cards of Michael Vick that were chewed on by dogs are selling on E-bay for more than his rookie cards.

This is most excellent!

Once Monte, her 6-year-old Weimaraner, and Roxie, her Great Dane puppy, were done worrying them, nearly two dozen $1-$10 cards were crumpled, crimped, chewed, torn and generally in a sorry state. Some even had corners missing.

As of Thursday evening, the highest bid on the lot of 22 cards had risen to $455 and more than 2,000 people had viewed the posting. Seventy-seven people already have bid on the auction, which ends Sunday. source

As good as that is, it does not stop there.

There is the popular T-shirt business devoted to Michael.

Steffen’s cards join a collection of newly released items on sale. T-shirts are being sold online with slogans that say “Ignorance Breeds Ignorance. Neuter Mike Vick,” and “ConVICKt” and others that show dogs urinating on footballs and jerseys.

A few fans also have released “Free Vick” shirts.

There is the dog toy business devoted to Michael.

The St. Paul Saints, a minor league baseball team known for campy promotions, gave out Vick chew toys Tuesday to the first 15,000 fans with some game proceeds going to the Humane Society. Fans got the St. Paul pig mascot with a No. 7 printed on the back and a tag around its neck with Vick’s picture.

And, of course, the improving donations to the Humane Society.

The Atlanta Humane Society also has reported former Vick fans mailing in jerseys — often accompanied by financial contributions and letters of outrage over the charges. Those former fans have suggested the Falcons jerseys become animal bedding or rags to help scrub up the messes that dogs leave behind. Other branches of the Humane Society have said they’ll take donated Vick items to resell on eBay

The moral of the story is don’t mess with my dog or you will go to jail and someone will make a buck!

NFL Football Fan Question Do you have any Michael Vick dog toys?

Post from: EveryJoe

Michael Vick – Dog tattered trading cards, t-shirts, and more!

Johnny Depp says “They are more like guidelines, savvy?”

Well, the supposed secret is out and it looks like Michael Vick will be suspended for the year.

Oddly enough, it appears that there is a way out of the suspension, since it will be Michael’s first offense.

Commissioner Goodell is way serious at this point, making it clear that Michael will not be allowed to return during the year.

Pacman has a 1 year suspension with the Titans, but if he can clear his name will be allowed an early return. No such luck for Michael.

There are a few odd twists to this story.

First, the NFL wants to get this out of the way before the season begins.

Said the other source: “The plan was to make sure it was announced before the season. Given what everybody has seen from what (league) security found and what the feds are telling us, there’s really no choice.”

From a public relations standpoint, the NFL would like the matter dealt with before the opening week of the season. The feeling is that if the league can resolve the matter now, any further news on Vick will not detract from the buildup to the season. source

Second, Michael may be able to return under the current rules.

The most careful element of the suspension is how it will be worded. Under the league’s new personal conduct policy, there is some belief that Vick could escape punishment because this is the first time he has been charged with a crime.

However, Goodell hinted last week that because Vick was charged with multiple counts, including gambling on dogfights, the league may have a way around that. In an interview with USA Today, Goodell said that while he was disturbed by the dogfighting accusations, the gambling aspect is just as meaningful.

Guess the rules were more like guidelines, to steal from the Johnny Depp movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

Third, the NFL is more concerned about the gambling aspect.

What? What about the dogs?

No, it is not that the NFL was not sickened by the treatment of the dogs, it is just that gambling is one of those things that you just don’t do in sports. Ask Pete Rose, Alex Karras, Paul Hornung, Michael Jordan, and others. Gambling by the athletes could bring down the sport and Commissioner Goodell knows this.

The NFL’s gambling policy, which was established long before the personal conduct policy, has resulted in the suspension of players in the past. Both Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were suspended for the entire 1963 season after admitting they placed bets on NFL games.

Players can be banned for life for illegal gambling.

Yeah, Michael is in trouble. Can anyone say Joey Harrington?

NFL Football Fan Question Did you even consider the gambling aspect to this crime?

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Michael Vick gambled his future, Johnny Dep says savvy – Go Joey?

This is the look of Michael Vick’s Owner, Arthur Blank. Does not look too happy, does he?

Michael Vick has become a problem for the NFL. Why they have not acted to do more is beyond me. Michael was told not to come to camp. That is training camp, big deal.

“To our fans and all fans of the NFL, we want to emphasize that this team and the entire organization is committed to doing the right things both on and off the field,” Blank said.

“No one will compromise what we stand for.” source

Uhh, yeah, right.

It is more like, hey we got a chance to win some games and draw some fans with Michael. What are we going to do with Joey Harrington?

Too bad, so sad.

Think how the new coach feels.

This was not the scenario that first-year coach Bobby Petrino envisioned when leaving the University of Louisville to assume head coaching duties in Atlanta. Petrino says, however, that he has no regrets.

“I absolutely have no regrets of taking the job,” Petrino said. “This is a big obstacle …but I do believe this is the best job.” source

Uhh, yeah, right.

It is more like, now what are we going to do? We struggled to score with Vick. What will we do without him? The whole offense was set up with him in mind.

Over 1,000 yards. That is how many yards the inestimable Michael Vick ran for last year. That, my friends, is an NFL record. What a waste.

The happy smiles of friend, fan, and foe have been replaced with frowns.

NFL Football Fan Question Why is the NFL not doing something?

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Michael Vick removes all the smiles

Michael Vick – The boy who would be king will now be on a leash!

The NFL announced that it wants Michael Vick to stay out of the Falcons camp.

Michael Vick was ordered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons’ training camp until the league reviews the dogfighting charges against him.

“While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy,” Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback. source

Michael still gets his preseason pay, but the league wants to review the allegations and see if Vick deserves to play. That is what it comes down to, does he deserve to be in the NFL. This is the new Family Friendly NFL and they are cracking down on bad behavior.

There is a new sheriff in town and his name is Roger Goodell. Word of advice. Don’t mess with him.

In related discussions, the league has had to deal with various groups like PETA and the Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. But let’s face it, pretty much everyone is upset about this deal.

Now the companies that have endorsed Michael are being pressured as well.

Activists also put pressure on companies that have endorsement deals with Vick to sever their ties. Nike said it would not release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the four shoe products and three shirts that currently bear Vick’s name will remain in stores.

Protestors were outside Falcon headquarters.

About four dozen people took part in the protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They held signs reading “Kick Vick,” “Tackle Cruelty” and “Sack Vick!”

“Just because he’s famous, he shouldn’t get off the hook,” said Emory Lewman, 12, of Sandy Springs, who came with three of her friends. source

When the 12 year olds turn your back on you, You Are Toast!

Roger Goodell has a stated mission to clean up the NFL and Michael is not his first test, but he may be the biggest. For the league to give sanctions to Tank or Pacman is not a big deal. For the league to give sanctions to Michael Vick, the fifth best selling jersey, is a big deal.

Of course, it will soon be the worst selling jersey!

Long live Roger Goodell!

NFL Football Fan Question Do you like the way Goodell is handling things?

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Michael Vick vs. Roger Goodell, no contest

Here comes da Judge!

This is the way it will work. The Army National Guard that comes out to hold the flag for the National Anthem and will then shoot the opposing team’s quarterback, if that player had a bad game the week before.

Another possible plan, that was voted down, was to have the quarterbacks enter the arena against some Lions, but, of course the Lions would probably not fare well.

(**)It will be known as getting rid of quarterbacks not up to par.

Teams losing a quarterback will get some relief against the salary cap. The amount has not yet been determined.

On a more serious note, Michael Vick drew a tough judge.

Legal experts describe U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson as a tough but fair jurist who, in five years on the federal bench, has become known for handing down stiff sentences, for being prepared and for allowing both sides to show their cards source

Don’t expect Michael Vick to be cut any superstar status breaks either.

“I would not expect Judge Hudson to make any special allowances because Mr. Vick plays in the NFL,” said defense lawyer Craig W. Sampson of Richmond, who has had several cases before Hudson. “Virginia courts, both state and federal, are generally very businesslike in the way they run their dockets.”…

Hudson is “generally known as a hard sentencer,” Dinkin said, and is not likely to treat Vick any differently because of his superstar status and $130 million contract.

Fortunately for Michael, he has money to burn and with money you can buy excellent legal defense. Just go ask O.J.

Considering the stakes, though, and Vick’s ability to afford the best legal team money can buy, it seems unlikely he’ll pass on a trial and his possible exoneration.

While Falcons owner Arthur Blank on Thursday echoed the stances of the NFL and the player’s union in saying his centerpiece quarterback is due his day in court, Tobias said the grisly allegations in the 18-page indictment are difficult to ignore.

The legal defense better be good!

Vick’s appearance July 26 along with three other defendants will be to enter pleas to charges of competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting, and conducting the enterprise across state lines. If convicted of both felony charges, the four face up to six years in prison, fines of up to $350,000 and restitution.

It appears more and more likely that Vick is going to prison and probably done with football.

**Just Kidding. The NFL does not want to execute quarterbacks.

NFL Football Fan Question What do you think happens next?

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Post from: EveryJoe

Michael Vick – **NFL announces executions for quarterbacks dogging it!

Michael Vick sporting the new forlorn look

He is done.

This is the proverbial stick a fork in him.

This is the all she wrote and the Fat Lady has sung.

Michael Vick should play no more.

Don’t give me “due process.” Look around you. Do you see a court of law? Do you see a judge, a jury, a lawyer, a bailiff? The NFL is not the U.S. judicial system, and for the sake of this argument, Michael Vick is not a defendant. He’s a football player who has been accused of something so serious, something so heinous, that the NFL cannot in good faith allow him to represent the most popular sports league in this country. source

Michael Vick should be given no special rights.

Don’t give me “innocent until proven guilty.” Michael Vick has no inalienable right to play football this season or any season for the Atlanta Falcons. Our colonial militia didn’t throw tea in the Boston Harbor so Michael Vick, some 230 years later, could play football for the Falcons.

NFL Football Tea Party factoid The Boston Tea Party was fought to, oddly enough, raise taxes. The English were forcing a tax on all other tea and not on English tea. This was forcing the merchants to sell English tea only to make a profit. So they threw the English tea in the harbor.

Your intrepid author has never received as venomous comments as those brought on by the Michael Vick dog killings. We tend to react stronger to the killing and abusing of dogs than we do humans.

As one friend of mine argued, we fans will chant for the return of a player that drinks, uses drugs, cavorts with known criminals, or attempts murder, but a dog slayer? Forget it!

NFL Football News Flash

July 26: Vick is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the day of the Falcons’ first training-camp practice. source

But maybe, just maybe, Michael Vick will get off? Did any of us consider that?

But he has been charged, and not just anywhere. He has been charged in federal court, and for those who don’t know what that means, let me tell you: It means Vick is almost certainly guilty. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 99 percent of the people indicted by the federal government between 2000 and 2005 were convicted.

Woah, baby, 99 percent conviction rate?

Let’s go back to stick a fork in him.

NFL Football Fan Question What move would you make as Falcons owner?

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Michael Vick has no tomorrow in the NFL

Michael contemplates life without football

Nike has lowered the boom on Vick.

Michael Vick ’s legal troubles prompted Nike on Thursday to suspend the release of its latest product line named after the Falcons quarterback.

Nike has told retailers it will not release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. The four shoe products and three shirts that bear Vick’s name will remain in stores. source

It will not stop here. The consumer has had it with Michael Vick.

“In the consumer’s mind, it’s very different than in the minds of jurors,” said Jeff Bliss, president of The Javelin Group, a Virginia-based sports marketing firm. “Whether it’s true or not, the association with that is going to be very difficult for him to overcome.” source

It only gets worse for Michael. Now they are talking a voluntary leave of absence.

There are, however, two critical components that must be resolved: Falcons owner Arthur Blank must be on board with a plan that has generated considerable discussion at the league level the past two days. And Vick, who might be reluctant to accept even a paid hiatus from the game, might have to be convinced that the leave could be his best option. source

The word is that Vick could miss the entire 2007 season!

Kind of reminds me of when Michael Jordan decided he could play baseball. Eventually, it was agreed that Jordan could not play baseball and whatever time he ‘gambled’ away was forgotten as Michael returned to star for the Bulls.

We might as well pile it on for Vick here.

Get this; Michael Vick signed a 10 year contract extension for over 100 million bucks in 2004. Now the Falcons may pursue getting some of that money back.

Atlanta officials might contend that the two most recent bonuses paid Vick, totaling $29.5 million, were converted to signing bonuses, and that they should be permitted to pursue a prorated share of that money. The Vick camp would likely counter that, while the money was paid as signing bonuses, it was actually earned as roster bonuses. source

How bad do you think the Falcons wish they had traded away Vick instead of Schaub?

And whose idea was it to give Vick over 100 million dollars?

As Betty Smith of Hashack Wisconsin wrote to Squibkick, “They ought to lock him up at the dog pound and throw away the key!”

OK, that is a fake quote, but actually much tamer than most of the comments that came to your intrepid author.

No doubt about it, now that Vick has been collared by the Feds his life has gone to the dogs!

NFL Football Fan Question Should Michael take a year off?

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Michael Vick is having a ruff ruff time

The Home of Michael Vick

The Savannah Morning News Online Edition reports that Michael will play, even after a federal indictment.

This much we know: Michael Vick won’t be on the field when the Atlanta Falcons open training camp next Thursday. He’ll be in a federal courtroom. What happens after that was anyone’s guess Wednesday, and there was no shortage of opinions.

Suspend him. Cut him. Let him play until he’s proven guilty of felony charges that he sponsored a gruesome dogfighting operation.

For the time being, that’s what the NFL intends to do with the star quarterback— let him play. source

The Savannah paper also took a poll of its most famous citizen.

In Atlanta, where Vick’s name dwarfs all others in pro sports, about 46 percent of respondents in an overnight telephone poll conducted by Atlanta-based InsiderAdvantage think the Falcons should release Vick. About the same percentage said the team should keep him until a verdict is returned. About 8 percent of the 859 people polled had no opinion. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The NFL has a problem here, in that Michael is a player that the league wants desperately to market and yet, Michael continues to do things that embarrass the NFL. Roger Goodell is going to have to step up and suspend Michael Vick!

Outside of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, there isn’t a bigger name in the NFL than Michael Vick. This indictment, regardless of the outcome, has put a black eye on the popular Vick — and the NFL — in the process. source

Should Vick not play, the Falcons will take an enormous hit.

The Falcons signed Vick to a 10-year, $130 million contract in December 2004. He has been paid about $44 million, including $37 million in guaranteed bonuses, and is due to earn a base salary of $6 million this season.

Teams can amortize the salary cap implications of signing bonuses, but if a player is cut, all bonuses paid but not yet factored into the salary cap must be accounted for within two years.

The Falcons face an estimated salary cap hit of about $6 million this year and $15 million in 2008 if they release Vick — devastating hits to any team’s budget. source

Michael Vick is nothing but bad news. Nobody wants to see Vick suspended, because of the raw football talent Vick displays.

Endorsements

Vick could lose big time in the endorsement world.

Bob Cramer, a sports marketing expert in New York, said Vick’s federal indictment in the Virginia dogfighting case could make it difficult for Vick to sign new marketing deals or keep the ones he has….

If the allegations prove true that Vick was a part of a competitive dogfighting operation in which some dogs were tortured and killed, “he’s pretty much done in the marketing world,” Cramer said.

Cramer agreed that even if Vick is cleared of the charges, the perception could spell trouble for his endorsement deals.

“I think his reputation has already been damaged,” Cramer said. source

Jim Rome

The Jim Rome indicator went off the scale today as Romie talked about Vick incessantly. Rome all but convicted Vick. When Rome is down on you, then you are in real trouble.

NFL Football Fan Question Are you down on Michael Vick?

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Post from: EveryJoe

Michael Vick, so far league says Dog gone it