Sunset is getting notably earlier and the back to school goods are on display in all the stores. While it’s only natural to feel a melancholy sinking feeling knowing summer’s end approaches, the most dramatic marker of the transition of the seasons occurs this weekend as NFL training camps open across the country. Some teams set up shop in obscure locations, isolated from the attention of anxious fans and local media when there’s hard work to do and keeping the players distraction free on task for their mission ahead toughening up and learning the playbook to be one of the twelve out of thirty two teams that will make the playoffs with a shot at the Lombardi trophy in February.
Entering camp the two biggest stories involve the tale of two quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Michael Vick. Their stories couldn’t be more different.
Last year, NFL fans followed the heated soap opera playing out between Favre and Green Bay Packers’ management on Favre’s desire to rescind his intention to retire and continue his career with the Packers. When the Packers’ brass made it clear that they had committed to a new path behind Aaron Rodgers, how could Green Bay save face but still yield to let Favre play elsewhere. Speculation ran wild just where the great #4 would land, ultimately he landed with the New York Jets where he helped lead the Big Apple’s bridesmaid franchise to a winning record looking much like Favre of old despite inconsistent play in the early season before being rendered ineffective by a shoulder injury. At season’s end, once again, it looked like retirement was inevitable. The Louisiana sportsman would at very least require surgery, an option he clearly balked at initially. Still, through it all, there was a mutual flirtation going on between the disillusioned veteran and his former arch rival, the Minnesota Vikings. It became hard not to recognize that perhaps Favre’s greatest sports fantasy before marching off into the NFL record book would be to stick it to his former team’s power suits for not welcoming his desire to continue as a Packer. To be able to return to Lambeau Field and embarrass the green and gold would settle the score.
So will he or won’t he? Brett Favre has been working out with a dedicated cadre of local high school players down in the Bayou, but he won’t indicate his intentions as the Vikings brass and even overtures from some players openly entice the legendary QB to join them as perhaps the missing piece for a playoff ready team who could play deep into January given their possible opponents in the NFC playoffs.
While one year ago, at least in the opening stages, fans were clearly sympathetic to Brett Favre and supported his desire to return; however, a year later, his act is starting to wear thin. His desire to continue to play is tainted by his obvious contempt for the leaders of his former team. While continued successful play will continue to fortify his lofty credentials and many records on the all-time NFL legends list, at what cost does his possible continuation tarnish his great reputation? This saga is making him look selfish, spiteful, and like a fellow who simply can recognize and accept the inevitable in all athletes’ careers has arrived. Enshrinement in Canton, Ohio as one of the greatest Green Bay Packers ever awaits him in a few short years. He’ll have many bridges to mend before than eternal day arrives somewhere in the middle of the next decade.
Michael Vick has paid his debt to society according to law for the hideous dog fighting ring he lead. Here’s a former rising star with unbelievable unique skills as the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback who electrocuted and tortured dogs whether it was ones who didn’t stand up as competitors or helpless beagles used as attack bait to help toughen the pit bulls supposedly bred specifically to be killers. No human being who has ever been captured by the pleading gaze of a dog’s sad eyes can stomach any of this story without a feeling of total repulsion and anguish.
From one standpoint, Vick has paid his price, at least by law, for his crimes, and should be able to rebuild himself as a valuable member of the workforce. In his age and condition, he still has the physical makeup to be an extremely capable football player. However, having paid his legal debt, is he now subject to some additional sanctions from the NFL for the horrible disgrace he brought on the sport? Does his jail time also equal compensation for his misdeeds as an NFL player? Granted he was placed on indefinite suspension as the legal charges developed, but the commissioner, David Goodell must way the appropriate response from the league.
While we absolutely hate what Vick has done and openly confess to being real dog lovers who can’t resist the joy beagles bring their human companions, we attempt to bracket those feelings and put Vick’s situation in perspective. Ultimately, once the NFL has determined he has paid the price for his horrible sins, the league should allow Michael Vick to be signed as a free agent should any team want to give Vick the opportunity if he has a roll to play for that team’s success. Saying that, as a Baltimore Ravens fan, even at the expense of a Super Bowl trophy, this fan would NEVER want to see him play in this town and would openly encourage fans to bark and howl to taunt Vick should he ever do battle on the field of M&T Bank Stadium. Yes, Mr. Vick, you will have to live with your crime for the rest of your life regardless of what the law provides. No law says the public has to forgive and forget, but we must at least have some degree of civility, something hard to define in these circumstances.
If Michael Vick is to return to the NFL, it would probably be best for all concerned for him to play in one of the alternate leagues or Canada to dust off the rust and reconstruct his reputation. How he melds with a future team and what he does as a private citizen will go a long way to determine his fate. There can be no nightclub outings where bad things happen. There can be no reports of attendance at strip joints. There’d darn well better be reports of community work or church service. Selective good behavior will not cut it.
We’ll have to see how teams gel in training camp before making preseason predictions for 2009. A few things do stand out. It’s hard not to like the Pittsburgh Steelers to put up a strong defense of their Super Bowl trophy. That team remains largely intact and they are the kind of pros who won’t let success go to their heads.
The New England Patriots look reloaded and ready to be one of the best bets for the AFC crown. The Indianapolis Colts could be a team in transition. How much will the loss of Tony Dungy’s steady guiding hand affect Payton Manning and the boys with some of the key players from their strong run for most of the decade having moved on?
The AFC East could be the most interesting division to watch as it’s hard to imagine the Miami Dolphins will be as fortunate as their remarkable comeback in 2008 provided with their rivals looking stronger. How will Rex Ryan’s tough guy approach and defensive genius improve the New York Jets? Do the Jets have a quarterback who can play winning offense? Then what of the Buffalo Bills, usually a very low profile team especially since the Marv Levi era with four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, all losses, now that Terrell Owens comes to town after making scorched earth of the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room?
It’s hard to generate any excitement for the NFC west, while Indianapolis and Tennessee should compete for the Southern title with Houston continuing to look for how to be a winning team and Jack Del Rio does the same in Jacksonville.
How good will the Ravens be in the AFC North? They would seem to be in desperate need of an impact receiver or two to help Joe Flacco run a more balanced offense. Will Derek Mason report to camp or was the dispatch on his agent’s blog correct that he intends to retire. Early indications point toward Cleveland and Cincinnati being improved over the last couple years, but how much?
The NFC is clearly the weaker conference. Surely, the Arizona Cardinals get lots of attention as last year’s champ, but do they have the depth and power to repeat? The biggest off season move appears to be Chicago finally gaining a potential quality quarterback snatching up Jay Cutler from Denver, a clubhouse in apparent free fall after firing long standing coach, Mike Shanahan. No doubt, almost by default, most of the attention will fall on the Dallas Cowboys in their new billion dollar palace, a new stadium as big as only the Lone Star state could envision. Without the distraction and turmoil created by Terrell Owens, the pressure is clearly on head coach Wade Phillips who must deliver a strong post season presence or it’s impossible to think he’d return to the sidelines next year. Further, offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett looked like the man groomed to be the next head honcho in Big D, but Tony Romo’s failure to grow as a quality quarterback last year and numerous other offensive deficiencies has certainly taken the luster off his Dallas star. Two years ago, he was openly courted for open head coach positions. That his name did not come up with the many vacancies this past off season also helps to serve as an assessment of his diminished reputation.
As the fantasy drafts heat up and the football pundits start preaching their prognostications, could anyone ever dare to predict a dull or routine upcoming NFL season?
No doubt about it, the AFC will be loaded with all kinds of exciting developments as the Steelers and Patriots fend off an impressive list of challengers. Meanwhile, the NFC scene could be wide open where the conference is more noteworthy for trying to forget one of its own, the Detroit Lions, suffered a winless season and for them, three wins in 2009 would probably be triumphant. St. Louis can pretty much be written off as a no chance in hell team as well, but beyond those two lowly organizations, right now, it doesn’t take too much imagination to draw up a respectable fantasy to put any of the remaining 14 teams at least in the Wild Card hunt while one could just as easily write a script of how miserable even the better teams stack up against rather bland AFC counterparts.
Entering camp the two biggest stories involve the tale of two quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Michael Vick. Their stories couldn’t be more different.
Last year, NFL fans followed the heated soap opera playing out between Favre and Green Bay Packers’ management on Favre’s desire to rescind his intention to retire and continue his career with the Packers. When the Packers’ brass made it clear that they had committed to a new path behind Aaron Rodgers, how could Green Bay save face but still yield to let Favre play elsewhere. Speculation ran wild just where the great #4 would land, ultimately he landed with the New York Jets where he helped lead the Big Apple’s bridesmaid franchise to a winning record looking much like Favre of old despite inconsistent play in the early season before being rendered ineffective by a shoulder injury. At season’s end, once again, it looked like retirement was inevitable. The Louisiana sportsman would at very least require surgery, an option he clearly balked at initially. Still, through it all, there was a mutual flirtation going on between the disillusioned veteran and his former arch rival, the Minnesota Vikings. It became hard not to recognize that perhaps Favre’s greatest sports fantasy before marching off into the NFL record book would be to stick it to his former team’s power suits for not welcoming his desire to continue as a Packer. To be able to return to Lambeau Field and embarrass the green and gold would settle the score.
So will he or won’t he? Brett Favre has been working out with a dedicated cadre of local high school players down in the Bayou, but he won’t indicate his intentions as the Vikings brass and even overtures from some players openly entice the legendary QB to join them as perhaps the missing piece for a playoff ready team who could play deep into January given their possible opponents in the NFC playoffs.
While one year ago, at least in the opening stages, fans were clearly sympathetic to Brett Favre and supported his desire to return; however, a year later, his act is starting to wear thin. His desire to continue to play is tainted by his obvious contempt for the leaders of his former team. While continued successful play will continue to fortify his lofty credentials and many records on the all-time NFL legends list, at what cost does his possible continuation tarnish his great reputation? This saga is making him look selfish, spiteful, and like a fellow who simply can recognize and accept the inevitable in all athletes’ careers has arrived. Enshrinement in Canton, Ohio as one of the greatest Green Bay Packers ever awaits him in a few short years. He’ll have many bridges to mend before than eternal day arrives somewhere in the middle of the next decade.
Michael Vick has paid his debt to society according to law for the hideous dog fighting ring he lead. Here’s a former rising star with unbelievable unique skills as the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback who electrocuted and tortured dogs whether it was ones who didn’t stand up as competitors or helpless beagles used as attack bait to help toughen the pit bulls supposedly bred specifically to be killers. No human being who has ever been captured by the pleading gaze of a dog’s sad eyes can stomach any of this story without a feeling of total repulsion and anguish.
From one standpoint, Vick has paid his price, at least by law, for his crimes, and should be able to rebuild himself as a valuable member of the workforce. In his age and condition, he still has the physical makeup to be an extremely capable football player. However, having paid his legal debt, is he now subject to some additional sanctions from the NFL for the horrible disgrace he brought on the sport? Does his jail time also equal compensation for his misdeeds as an NFL player? Granted he was placed on indefinite suspension as the legal charges developed, but the commissioner, David Goodell must way the appropriate response from the league.
While we absolutely hate what Vick has done and openly confess to being real dog lovers who can’t resist the joy beagles bring their human companions, we attempt to bracket those feelings and put Vick’s situation in perspective. Ultimately, once the NFL has determined he has paid the price for his horrible sins, the league should allow Michael Vick to be signed as a free agent should any team want to give Vick the opportunity if he has a roll to play for that team’s success. Saying that, as a Baltimore Ravens fan, even at the expense of a Super Bowl trophy, this fan would NEVER want to see him play in this town and would openly encourage fans to bark and howl to taunt Vick should he ever do battle on the field of M&T Bank Stadium. Yes, Mr. Vick, you will have to live with your crime for the rest of your life regardless of what the law provides. No law says the public has to forgive and forget, but we must at least have some degree of civility, something hard to define in these circumstances.
If Michael Vick is to return to the NFL, it would probably be best for all concerned for him to play in one of the alternate leagues or Canada to dust off the rust and reconstruct his reputation. How he melds with a future team and what he does as a private citizen will go a long way to determine his fate. There can be no nightclub outings where bad things happen. There can be no reports of attendance at strip joints. There’d darn well better be reports of community work or church service. Selective good behavior will not cut it.
We’ll have to see how teams gel in training camp before making preseason predictions for 2009. A few things do stand out. It’s hard not to like the Pittsburgh Steelers to put up a strong defense of their Super Bowl trophy. That team remains largely intact and they are the kind of pros who won’t let success go to their heads.
The New England Patriots look reloaded and ready to be one of the best bets for the AFC crown. The Indianapolis Colts could be a team in transition. How much will the loss of Tony Dungy’s steady guiding hand affect Payton Manning and the boys with some of the key players from their strong run for most of the decade having moved on?
The AFC East could be the most interesting division to watch as it’s hard to imagine the Miami Dolphins will be as fortunate as their remarkable comeback in 2008 provided with their rivals looking stronger. How will Rex Ryan’s tough guy approach and defensive genius improve the New York Jets? Do the Jets have a quarterback who can play winning offense? Then what of the Buffalo Bills, usually a very low profile team especially since the Marv Levi era with four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, all losses, now that Terrell Owens comes to town after making scorched earth of the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room?
It’s hard to generate any excitement for the NFC west, while Indianapolis and Tennessee should compete for the Southern title with Houston continuing to look for how to be a winning team and Jack Del Rio does the same in Jacksonville.
How good will the Ravens be in the AFC North? They would seem to be in desperate need of an impact receiver or two to help Joe Flacco run a more balanced offense. Will Derek Mason report to camp or was the dispatch on his agent’s blog correct that he intends to retire. Early indications point toward Cleveland and Cincinnati being improved over the last couple years, but how much?
The NFC is clearly the weaker conference. Surely, the Arizona Cardinals get lots of attention as last year’s champ, but do they have the depth and power to repeat? The biggest off season move appears to be Chicago finally gaining a potential quality quarterback snatching up Jay Cutler from Denver, a clubhouse in apparent free fall after firing long standing coach, Mike Shanahan. No doubt, almost by default, most of the attention will fall on the Dallas Cowboys in their new billion dollar palace, a new stadium as big as only the Lone Star state could envision. Without the distraction and turmoil created by Terrell Owens, the pressure is clearly on head coach Wade Phillips who must deliver a strong post season presence or it’s impossible to think he’d return to the sidelines next year. Further, offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett looked like the man groomed to be the next head honcho in Big D, but Tony Romo’s failure to grow as a quality quarterback last year and numerous other offensive deficiencies has certainly taken the luster off his Dallas star. Two years ago, he was openly courted for open head coach positions. That his name did not come up with the many vacancies this past off season also helps to serve as an assessment of his diminished reputation.
As the fantasy drafts heat up and the football pundits start preaching their prognostications, could anyone ever dare to predict a dull or routine upcoming NFL season?
No doubt about it, the AFC will be loaded with all kinds of exciting developments as the Steelers and Patriots fend off an impressive list of challengers. Meanwhile, the NFC scene could be wide open where the conference is more noteworthy for trying to forget one of its own, the Detroit Lions, suffered a winless season and for them, three wins in 2009 would probably be triumphant. St. Louis can pretty much be written off as a no chance in hell team as well, but beyond those two lowly organizations, right now, it doesn’t take too much imagination to draw up a respectable fantasy to put any of the remaining 14 teams at least in the Wild Card hunt while one could just as easily write a script of how miserable even the better teams stack up against rather bland AFC counterparts.
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