Jul

31

Vick Case Not A Racial Issue

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I am a bleeding heart liberal, a Bobby Kennedy, George McGovern Democrat. I believe in affirmative action. I truly feel that African Americans got a raw deal in this country until the mid 1960’s and that affirmative action was a necessity to make the playing field a little more even. I am pro-busing, I was aghast a few weeks ago when the United States Supreme Court basically overruled Brown vs The Board of Education. I think without forced integration our school systems would be even worse than they currently are, especially for people of color. I grew up in a multi-ethnic, multi-racial neighborhood as a child, and truly see people as individuals not as Black, Brown, Yellow, or White.

I have also always respected the NAACP, as a voice for the disenfranchised. So needless to say I was more than dismayed, when I read the statement from Atlanta NAACP Chapter president R.L. White that he made on Monday. Mr. White and his chapter held a press conference in Atlanta on Monday decrying the so called persecution of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Mr. White criticized the treatment that Vick is receiving from Animal Rights groups, the media, and others. He said that the way Mr. Vick is being pre-judged is a crime. That people should use restraint and not convict him until he has his day in court.

On the surface I have no problems with Mr. White’s statements, in fact I for the most part agree. The United States judicial system is based on a person is innocent until proven guilty. Although the acts that Vick and his associates are accused of are beyond heinous, nothing as yet has been proven. But the problem that I do have is that White did not make these statements as a private citizen, he made them under the auspices of the NAACP!  Mr. White is trying to make this an issue of color, rather than what it is a case of a person being humane.  If White for one moment believes that Peyton Manning or Tom Brady would be any less vilified than Michael Vick is being now, than he is just delusional. This is an act of pure barbarity and if a Latino, Caucasian, or Asian American would be accused of this the outcry would be just as loud.

I love animals, but am certainly not a PETA member. I have dogs and cats, but I eat meat, I wear leather, and I have no problem killing hornets. But if even one third of these stories that have come out in recent days are true these men are despicable human beings, what ever their origin. But for R.L. White to use the umbrella of the NAACP to defend Michael Vick is also despicable. It  is an insult to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Jackie Robinson. Mr White you and your chapter should be ashamed of yourselves of denigrating the fine work and great reputation that your organization has earned over these years.

© Copyright thesackattack.com 2007

Jul

31

Raiders Expected to Sign Culpepper

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A reported newspaper said the Oakland Raiders will sign free agent and former Viking and Dolphin QB Daunte CulpepperCulpepper to a one-year deal, according to a source known with the situation.  This would be a good move for the Raiders because as I stated in Saturday’s July 28 article, “Raiders QB Russell to start Week 1?” this team does not have a “worthy” starting QB to go in there for Russell no matter how long he holds out. Now they do, as they are expected to pick up the former Central Florida QB Culpepper. Culpepper should be the favorite to be under center against Detroit at home for Week 1. Oakland has been pleased with his workouts and so far he is a “go” in terms of his questioned, and often speculated health.
Culpepper has a strong arm and still has some mobility left in him. He is a major upgrade over McCown and Walter. He should be able to keep the seat warm for Russell when he is ready to start.

Culpepper will be a mentor for Russell, as they share a similar style of play and have almost the exact same size, with Russell being two inches taller. He is the veteran starting QB the Raiders and Al Davis have been looking for since they drafted JaMarcus Russell out of LSU with the #1 overall selection. Oakland knew all along he would still be available and he would be the ideal fit and choice to help Russell learn from the sidelines for now.

Jul

31

Interest in Former Bear Tank Johnson Waning

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Tank

We all know that former Bears Tank Johnson got released recently on a “driving while impaired” charge in Arizona.  We also know that Johnson served jail time on weapon charges predating the Arizona incident.  But as Paul Harvey of radio fame succintly put it, there’s “the rest of the story”.

Johnson said a while back that “I will move on to look at another opportunity with another NFL team and make the most of the opportunity when it comes.”  While that’s all well and good, it appears that none of the other teams in the National Football League want to take a chance on Johnson.  And in my opinion, with good reason.  Consider this – if the Bears had waived Johnson wrongly, then some team would’ve considered him.  Just the fact that no team has expressed any interest in him infers that Johnson had some lack of respect of the Bears’ coaches and his refusal to follow team rules and regulations.

As of right now, Johnson has an eight-game suspension hanging over him; the problem is that he cannot serve the suspension until he is on a NFL roster.  That alone makes it highly probable that Johnson will not play football this season.  With the crazy amount of money that NFL players make in this day and age, one would think that they would show some restraint and common sense in their off-the-field activities.  But this calendar year has been a banner year for the NFL.  With Pacman Jones and Michael Vick being the poster children for “NFL Athletes Gone Bad”, Johnson’s mishaps only add to the stigma that law-abiding NFL players have to put up with, which is unfortunate.

Jul

31

The Gab Report – Tuesday, July 31st

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Walsh and Montana

Site Editor Matt Loede and Columnist Jim Dubenetzky are back with another packed edition of the Gab Report.  Today the team talks about the passing of coaching legend Bill Walsh, and we hear from Walsh’s former players and coaches.  Also news on Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper, JaMarcus Russell, the Browns and Adrian Peterson.  The duo also break down their picks for top 5 rookies for this upcoming season.

Jul

31

Michael Irvin Opines on Vick Situation

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Irvin

It seems like everyone at one time or another has commented, both good and bad, about Falcons (soon to be released?) quarterback Michael Vick.  Now you can add one more name to the mix.  Meet Michael Irvin, former Cowboy wide receiver and Hall of Famer. Irvin, as all of you knowledgeable NFL fans know already, has had his share of courtroom drama.  As reported by Sportz Assasin of AOL’s NFL FANHOUSE and according to Irvin, he claims that he “feels for Vick”.

Irvin on Monday stated that, “I’ve been there when you spend eight hours a day in a courtroom and people are talking about you like you are the worst person in the world. I’m not condoning what he might have done, but to take the game from him, at this stage, I think people don’t understand how it breaks him.”  He also added, “I hurt for him.  I empathize with him because I hear people saying he should take the year off, to forget about football and focus on his legal troubles. But football is what got him through everything – everything!  It got him out of where he grew up, out of the hood, out of the ghetto.  Football has always been the sanctuary.”

Irvin’s statements may be full of good intentions and what not, but there’s things that he for whatever reason, does not realize.  Firstly, Irvin’s legal woes were drug-related, so that’s a night and day difference right there.  Vick’s problems stem from the current dog-fighting issues that he is currently fighting right now.  Secondly, Vick was ordered to stay away from Falcons camp.  His attendance at their camp, while it may be therapeutic in nature, will provide a distraction that the team does not need right now.

Bottom line – Vick simply needs to concentrate on his legal issues before football, pure and simple.  As i have stated before in a previous column, I fully expect Vick to get a NFL-madated suspension of undetermined length and the jury’s out (pun unintended) on whether Vick actually serves any jail time.  Fortunately, the Virginia judge who is overseeing this case is known for moving cases of this nature in an expeditious fashion.  But regardless of the final result of the Vick case, I pose this question to Michael Irvin – and his former comrade at ESPN, Tom Jackson, probably said it best (he pointedly asked Irvin this question): “Man, are you retarded?”

Jul

31

Talks with Lions #1 Draft Pick Johnson Picking up Steam

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Johnson

As was expected, the negotiations between the Lions’ number one draft pick, WR Calvin Johnson and the team are progressing on schedule. As reported by Nicholas Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press, Johnson’s agent, Bus Cook stated on Monday evening that, “We’re making some headway. It’s not like we’re in a stalemate and nobody’s going to talk to anybody.” Cook also stated that there have been numerous email and phone conversations between both sides for the past day-and-a-half and are now getting into the specifics of the upcoming contract.

Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand told the Free Press, “We’re talking. We’re trying to make progress. We continue to work at it. They want this done. We want it done. I think most of all Calvin wants to be here, and we’re going to keep working at it as much as we can.” From all indications, it looks like a deal will, in fact, get nailed fairly soon, which should be good news for all parties involved. As of this writing, Johnson still has not arrived at the Lions training camp and has missed five days thus far. The Lions need Johnson there as soon as possible as their offense will only get better with him in the fold.

Jul

31

Patriots CB Scott Out for Season

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Don’t expect Patriots cornerback Chad Scott to put on the pads for the team this season.Scott According to David Heuschkel of the Hartford Courant, the Patriots placed Scott on injured reserve (IR) list on Monday with a knee injury; this means that he will miss the entire 2007 season.  Scott injured his knee on Friday when he leaped to deflect a pass and landed awkwardly on the knee.  His spot will more than likely be taken over by fellow CB Randall Gay.

It is the second time that Scott has gone on the IR list since he signed with the team back in April of 2005; that year he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in his third game of that season.  Gay, while probably happy that he will get more opportunities to play because of this incident, also is suffering some angst.  As he stated to the Courant, “That really hurt me.  Chad is such a good person and such a hard worker, one of the biggest competitors on the team.  To see him go down on a play that he was untouched and he was really looking forward to this season, it’s tough on us because as a DB group we’re together so much.  We’re with each other a lot more than we are with our families.  So it’s just like we are a family.  To see him get hurt, it hurts all of us.”

How Scott’s injury affects the Patriots at this point remains unclear, but I suspect that Gay and other personnel in the current Patriots secondary on their roster will have to step it up a notch.  I also do not expect the Patriots to go looking for a free agent at this point either.  As financially conservative as the team is, I don’t expect that to happen.  So this is pretty much going to be a “promote from within” type of situation.  The team has dealt with this type of adversity before (successfully I might add) and they will probably do so again.

Jul

31

Colts DT Simon Fails Physical

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The Corey Simon saga may be finally coming to a close.  SimonFollowing up on a story posted at ColtsGab.com on Saturday, Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy confirmed that the defensive tackle failed a team physical in Indianapolis.  Apparently, this was news to Simon and his agent, Roosevelt Barnes.

Barnes, who was obviously not happy with the news, told Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star on Monday that, “No one has called to tell us anything.  The first I heard of Corey failing his physical was when (reporters) started calling me about it.”  Simon apparently was waiting at home in Tallahasse, FL; he was brought in to Indianapolis for his physical on Friday and was sent home on either Saturday or Sunday, according to Barnes. Barnes also added, “We don’t know what’s going on.  I just heard he didn’t pass his physical and I don’t know why.”

Barnes stressed that Simon is healthy, in great shape and still wants to play for the Colts. Of course you would, Mr. Barnes.  Any agent is going to say that unless there’s indisputable evidence suggesting otherwise.  Barnes also stated that if the team doesn’t share his feelings, the team should release him so he can find a team to sign him before 2007 season starts.  There’s several things going on here – one could be that Simon did indeed fail his physical.  A second theory being that the Colts, in order to obtain some salary cap relief, had had enough of Simon as he provided very little return on the hefty contract he signed with the team.

Or it could be a combination of both.  Regardless, the Colts, in my opinion, committed a faux pas by signing him in the first place.  But i guess that’s neither here nor there at this point as the team has ample personnel to replace Simon.  Depending on what the “true” results are of the failed physical, Simon may or may not have a difficult time obtaining a contract in his immediate future.  Which is a shame only because not long ago he was a stalwart on the Eagles highly touted defense.

Jul

31

Belichick’s Comments Point to a Stay With the Pats

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Belichick  

There has been plenty of talk this past offseason and entering into training camp about the contract status of New England head coach Bill Belichick and where he stands for seasons past the current one coming up.  Many have thrown out that Bill will take his ball and run to New York next season to coach the Giants, or that he will simply sit back and wait for the highest bidder to come along.  More fuel to the fire is the exact same situation seemed to take place last season with Steelers then head coach Bill Cowher, who was rumored to be leaving all season, and then finally after seasons end that all that said he would were right after all.

So where does Belichick stand?  If comments recently in the Boston Globe point anywhere, it appears that Bill is not exactly ready to jump ship on the Pats after 2007.  Of course it could all be ‘coaches speak’ and he could be already planning his departure after the season.  “I don’t talk about contracts, but I would say I like working here, I like the organization — ownership, coaches, scouts, players, and the guys I work with. I appreciate the opportunity to work here and it’s a good situation,” he said.  “I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

The strange thing is the no one truly knows how long Belichick’s contract runs for.  When asked, he simply declined comment on it.  Nor did he state if he and the team had signed a recent extension, making all the talk about him leaving for another team after 2007 null and void.  The Globe had stated in January of 2006 that the current deal between Bill and the Pats had been extended, but they didn’t know how long the deal was for.

The legacy of Belichick is one that will always be defined with New England.  While as bad as his time was coaching the Cleveland Browns from 1991-1994, the tenure with the Pats has been just the opposite.  With already three Super Bowls rings in place, and who knows about 2007, Belichick seems to be at his best with the Pats, and his ego does not seem as such that he would jump ship like his former mentor – Bill Parcells.  Best bet for Bill – if you haven’t signed up for a few more years with the Pats – do so.  You’ll never find a better situation than the one your in right now.

Jul

31

Titans Look to Put the SmackDown on Jones’ Wrestling Career

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Any thoughts that Adam “Pacman” Jones had of trading Jonesarmbars with Kurt Angle is out of the window according to today’s edition of the Tennessean.  A story broke on Monday that Jones was contacted and was talking to TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) about joining the company for a storyline involving the suspended cornerback.  The story stated that while Jones would not be physically wrestling in the ring, he would possibly have some sort of manager or bodyguard role.

Well, the Titans got wind of the talks, and late on Monday basically told him that he’d better think twice about it.  “That type of thing is not permitted in accordance with the player’s contract,” Coach Jeff Fisher said Monday.  Jones was at Baptist Sports Park Monday, where the Titans train. Under terms of his suspension he’s allowed in the team’s training facility once time per week for counseling, conditioning, film study and injury rehab.  Jones did not speak about the matter, but a few of his teammates did, and most feel he is not considering stepping into a wrestling ring.

“He’s a football player. He’s no wrestler,” linebacker Keith Bulluck said. “He needs to concentrate on other things besides wrestling.  I think he has enough on his plate right now. But you never know with that guy. Who knows what he is going to do. I don’t know if that is the best thing to do, but at the same time it not my decision, it’s Pac’s.”

Attorney for Jones, Worrick Robinson, said that Jones being involved in the event and doing something other than wrestling – “wouldn’t appear to interfere or invalidate his contract with the NFL. It is just participating for entertainment value. We are discussing different ways Adam Jones can participate, but it is not expected it will be as a wrestler.”   

Where does the TNA promotion stand on the whole deal?  “We have no comment right now,”  Steven Godfrey, public relations manager for TNA.  “But a TNA statement is forthcoming in the next couple of days regarding the situation.”  If Jones had any sense, and why at this point would we believe that he does, he would think about the situation for a few moments and do the right thing and let it go.  If Jones wants to line up on an NFL field again someday, he’d better stay clean, and that also means not going against his own teams wishes, which it appears he would be doing by pulling this stunt.

Then again, maybe Jones should wrestle, become and world champion of TNA, and then he can not have to worry about playing in the NFL again and become a hugely successful pro wrestler.  It seems whatever Jones thinks is right for him he’ll do, so I wouldn’t doubt it if he and his reps push this latest stunt to the limit before finally letting it go.      

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