Juiced Sports Blog*: Writing Enhanced by Flaxseed Oil » Mike Vick

Eagles failing miserably in villain role

sjacobs — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:56:53 +0000

SCOTT JACOBS

Here’s the thing about being a heavy underdog: no one expects anything of you. When you shock the world, you’re the coolest cats in town, but when you lose, you’re almost deprived of the traditional pressures of losing and expectations, because well, no one really expected you to win anyways. It’s kind of a cool thing, being in the underdog role. You can play the ‘No one believed in us, but ourselves’ card and it takes a while before it becomes old. When you do something unexpected, especially when it’s great, it just adds to the notion that your story is all the more fun. Everyone loves a good underdog story.

Here’s the thing about being a bloated, super-hyped up favorite with absurd pressures and expectations because a backup quarterback you signed in the offseason labeled you a ‘Dream Team’ before you ever played a game: the expectation of victory and immediate success is so assumed, that anything remotely off the mark is immediately deemed a massive failure. A scrape into the world of mediocrity, and forget it, you’re buttered bread.

* * *

The Miami Heat and their Tri-nasty, were able to overcome a 9-8 start, unprecedented media attention, and hatred stemming from coast to coast (some of which was obviously jealousy). “Not one, not two, not three…” and “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” emerged as rhetoric of ridicule and endless satire. Even after the Heat pulled within 2 wins of an NBA title, before folding like a lawn chair, many people chided their ‘failure’ to win it all, and some even deemed their coming together as a bust. That was a team that finished second in the East, won the conference, and had the Mavs right where they wanted them, despite their all world 2-time MVP being M.I.A. for much of the series. That team, some believed was a major disappointment.

So imagine what the City of Brotherly Love is thinking right now. Their beloved Eagles, media darlings of the off-season after they signed a slew of big names and well known players, trapped in the NFC East basement after a stunning 3-5 start. Unlike the NBA, you don’t get a boatload of games to work through your problems. In the NFL, a slow start is usually a crushing blow to your playoff hopes. Anything worse, is usually the death knell to title dreams. We’re now roughly halfway home to the end of the 2011 NFL season, and they’re smack dab in the center of disappointment and disbelief.

The team that tried to create their own formidable collection, the product of too much media hype, is quicking learning that this off-season gave them too little time to assimilate each others strengths and weaknesses into chemistry. Too many new faces, the burden of insane expectations, and a coach whose been on the hot seat on and off for the better part of a decade all add up to a team almost designed to fail.

Sounds crazy right? That the star-powered Eagles could fall on their faces the way they have. But maybe we should have seen this coming.

* * *

It’s much easier to be the underdog, then to take on the role of the villain. When you win a title you become the hunted. But as Green Bay can attest, going through that championship ride hardens your team into a collective unit, and getting through to the end strengthens a team’s resolve. Going into a season with an avalanche of expectations for a team that has yet to accomplish anything in the bigger scheme of things, is a tall task. Asking a qaurterback who has still yet to prove he can win the ‘big games’ to be the leader in a house of killer cards and then giving him nearly $100 million in confidence bucks rachets up the pressure nozzle up another notch. Failing in a city that has booed Santa Claus, pelted refs, and booed their own teams off the field is not something that makes any of this any easier.

The Eagles are, as we can see them now, a product of 21st century hype. A creation of our instant information society. They are a fantasy team with no substance. They score points, they play with flash, their running back is tough as nails, yet they can’t hold a 4th quarter lead. Their QB is electric, dynamic, throws the ball like a whip, and yet, he still doesn’t look like a guy you can fully trust a team to.

Mike Vick is still a fun player to watch. No one discounts that. But he’s way too inconsistent. In wins he has 5 TDs, 1 pick. In 5 losses he has 6 TDs, 7 picks. This isn’t his fault entirely. That would be going too far. Others are to blame. But he’s the face. He delivered the throw to Jeremy Maclin way too high on 4th down yesterday. When Maclin went to regain his footing, he fell, and was unable to give up. One yard short, one disheartening way to lose.

* * *

As fans began to exit from their seats into the turnstiles, they had to be wondering if this was the last meaningful game the Eagles would play this year. While there’s still time to turn it around, the clock is ticking faster than ever. The pressure is overflowing, and the Eagles are running out of games. When greatness is expected of you, before you prove that you are truly great, it can be a blessing, but more-so a curse.

The Eagles weren’t ready for this. That much is crystal clear.

Photo: AP

From Dream Team Eagles to Scream Team: Maclin falls 1 yard short, Eagles lose again

sjacobs — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:16:06 +0000

SCOTT JACOBS

Well so much for the ‘Dream Team’ moniker. Faster than you can say “I want my MTV back” the Eagles fall from Dream to Scream is nearly complete. Proving that paper champions never collect a ring, the Eagles fell flat on their face under the lights, in what could be a death-blow to a season that so many felt would end ‘Super.’ Instead, the Eagles literally fell to their demise, as Jeremy Maclin tripped trying to regain his footing, and Philadelphia comes one yard short of keeping their realistic hopes for a playoff hope alive in a brutal loss at home to the Bears. Now 3-5, and reeling after yet another 4th quarter lead blown asunder, the Eagles have a long way to go just to earn their way back into the playoff discussion and stare virtual elimination from the second season with another loss. But there is one debate worth having: what should we call the bumbling Iggles now?

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JSB Exclusive: Our Interview with Evan Mathis, part 1

sjacobs — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:12:28 +0000

Getting in the trenches with Philadelphia’s Pro-Bowl caliber Left Guard

MIKE KAYE

Starting left guard for the Philadelphia Eagles is his occupation, but Evan Mathis is more than just a football player. The Alabama native has dabbled in filmmaking, owns a training facility in Arizona (ZoneAP.com) and has an extremely entertaining twitter page (@EvanMathis69). And those are just some of his many outside of football endeavors. The self-proclaimed “sit-down comedian” has made a very a strong impression with Eagles fans through his aforementioned social media prowess and is one of very few athletes that openly interacts with his fans.

Mathis was a standout offensive lineman at the University of Alabama, where he played both guard and tackle. He was voted to the All-SEC first team in 2004. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft where he spent three years, before moving on to a stint with the Miami Dolphins. Evan joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008 and played there through the 2010 season, before joining the ‘Dream Team’ Eagles.

Since the early stages of training camp, Mathis has become a reliable force on Philly’s offensive line. He seems to have found a home in the City of Brotherly Love with a coaching staff that has embraced his skills and so far this year he has started every game at left guard with no signs of slowing down. After a rocky 2-4 start the Eagles go into their bye week with renewed optimism after breaking a four game losing streak. This week Evan was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule, to answer a few of my questions. It’s another Juiced Sports exclusive.

Juiced Sports: After a sluggish start to the season, how important is it that you guys headed into the bye with a win?

Evan Mathis: 2-4 is far from great but it’s much better than 1-5, especially with the current standings in our division. Our team is overflowing with heart and talent and none of us expected to be anything near 2-4 at this point in the season. Sitting at 1-4 we didn’t hang our heads, we recognized that we had the right men for the job on the team and the coaching staff. Each week we’ve made some silly mistakes and ended up giving a few games away. Everybody put the work in to correct those problem areas and we worked on improving daily. We got the win against the Redskins and head into the bye week knowing that we are far from where we need to be but willing to grind it out to get there.

JS: You’re new to the NFC East but after intense match-ups against the Giants and Redskins and the Cowboys coming up after the bye, what is your opinion of the rivalries so far? How do they compare to a Alabama vs. Auburn or Alabama vs. Florida?

EM: The rivalries of the NFC East do compare to those I experienced in college. The most important factors in a rivalry’s prominence are history and the passion of the fans. The Alabama/Auburn rivalry dates back to the 1890s and Eagles/Giants to the 1930s. That’s plenty of time for animosity to build. There’s more than just the win on the line, it’s the division, it’s revenge, it’s blood. The only place I’ve seen fans as passionate as Eagles fans was in Alabama. The Crimson Tide faithful are truly a force to be reckoned with. That kind of backing is fuel the the fire in a rivalry.

JS: With a quarterback like Mike Vick, who has premier running ability, what do you have to do differently to protect him as oppose to a Mike Kafka or Carson Palmer?

EM: The most prominent change is keeping a close watch on the defender’s eyes after stopping him at the line. When he starts looking anywhere other than right behind me, I know it’s pretty much time to go. By go I mean continuing to block and running with the defender as Mike scrambles for yardage. Just as it adds that extra element to the fans watching it, we experience the same thing actually being a part of it.

“It’s obvious that we do have a whole lot of talent. It’s even more obvious after 6 games that having that much talent guarantees you nothing but a bulls-eye. We don’t call ourselves the Dream Team. The Dream Team was the 1992 US Men’s Olympic basketball team”- Evan Mathis

JS: From an offensive lineman’s prospective, which defense is harder to protect the quarterback, 3-4 or 4-3?

EM: As different as they are schematically, protecting the QB is the same difficulty against either one. It really depends on the game-plan the defense brings into the game combined with their talent level.

JS: Last year, LeSean McCoy rushed for a thousand yards and had 77 catches; this year he’s on pace to have 1,500 yards rushing. Obviously he is now a premier back in this league, but what has the offensive line done to maximize his talent?

EM: We know that if we do our job, Shady is going to make things happen. It’s crucial to finish blocks at every position with a back like him because if he sees a breakdown in his original aiming point or running lane, he can quickly make something happen somewhere else.

JS: Being on a new team is tough: you’ve played for a few. Can you explain what it’s like to be the “new guy” in the locker room? Have you bonded with anyone in particular since you joined the team?

EM: Just like the first day of school or the first day on a new job, there’s a little bit of discomfort being in a new place. Coming here a few days into camp, I just focused on getting it done on the field and letting my play speak for me. There are many like-minded guys on the team, especially on the offensive line. There’s nobody I don’t get along with and that says a lot about this team.

JS: How has the team dealt with the “Dream Team” moniker?

EM: We decided to lose 4 games just so people would stop using the term (laughs). Not really, but it’s obvious that we do have a whole lot of talent. It’s even more obvious after 6 games that having that much talent guarantees you nothing but a bulls-eye. We don’t call ourselves the Dream Team. The Dream Team was the 1992 US Men’s Olympic basketball team.

JS: You’ve said in other interviews that you came to the Eagles because Howie Roseman promised that the best offense linemen would start and that there would be an open competition. You’re obviously a confident guy, but with a Pro Bowl-caliber left guard like Todd Herremans and a first round pick like Danny Watkins at right guard, did you ever imagine that you’d be the starter on opening day? Were there other teams that promised open competition?

EM: The Eagles were the first call I received. When my agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called and told me about the offer I asked if he could have Howie Roseman call me. I asked Howie if they would let me compete or if they viewed me as a backup. He assured me the best five would play. I weighed that and the fact that none of the linemen at that time had any history with Howard Mudd, whose scheme I supposedly would fit well according to my former OL coach in Cincinnati, Paul Alexander. Those factors would pretty much have sold me anywhere at that point in my career but coming from an organization with as much culture and success as the Eagles, there was no way I was turning it down.

Click here to Read Part 2.

Photo: AP

Fly Eagles fly, on the road to Vick-tory

sjacobs — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:09:13 +0000

With a resounding offensive performance for the ages against the Redskins, not only is the most electrifying player in the NFL back, he’s better than ever

SCOTT JACOBS

When Mike Vick went to prison the thought of him ever fulfilling his destiny as the greatest, most dynamic player in the NFL seemed to go out the window with it. Sitting two years behind bars was sure to be the undoing of a man who relied so much on athleticism and making people miss.

When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Mike Vick after two years of prison it seemed like a dumbfounding decision, one that didn’t seem to mesh with who the Eagles were. They already had Donovan McNabb under center and Vick as a wildcat threat guy just seemed to take Philly out of rhythm.

When the Eagles traded McNabb inside their division to the Redskins it looked like a big time coup for Washington, which was in desperate need of an offensive spark and a franchise quarterback. The Eagles did have Kevin Kolb however who was immediately anointed the starter. People saw Kolb in the same light that they did Aaron Rodgers: he sat his time, now he was ready to play and play well.

Then the season started, Kolb got hurt in the first game, Vick came in and almost mastered a beautiful comeback win over Green Bay and ever since then he hasn’t looked back. Now 4-0 after last night’s pasting of the rival Skins (in games he starts and finishes), Vick has not only glued Kolb to the bench, he’s probably immersed himself deep into the Eagles future plans as their quarterback not only of the present, but of the future too.

After a dominant showing, unlike any first half performance I can recall in recent memory, Vick tore through the Skins defense like they were Scott toilet paper, rolling up just ridiculous numbers on a national TV stage.

Showing poise that he never had in Atlanta, and a scrambling ability that hasn’t disintegrated even a bit, Vick showed that not only is he back, he’s better than ever. The Human Highlight Reel started out 9 for 9, had the Eagles on the board 18 seconds in on a beautiful 88 yard strike to DeSean Jackson, and the Eagles never looked back, pouring it on the Redskins on a night where it poured like cats and dogs.

In Landover, Maryland the NFL’s once biggest thing, re-emerged, showcasing an array of talents that left Washington’s defenders spinning. By the time the Redskins had began to find their footing, they were already sporting Vick’s Eagles a 35-0 deficit (1 minute into the second quarter).

Philadelphia was Wisconsin and Washington was Indiana on a night where the Eagles amassed nearly 600 yards of offense and Vick showcased a skill-set that the Falcons could only have dreamed about when they made him the number one pick way back when.

Whether it was his uncanny ability to make defenders, one after another miss, or his scrambling ability inside the pocket before launching an absolute strike down the field, Vick had it all on Monday night.

I wrote earlier this year that Vick didn’t deserve a second chance in the NFL after the heinous crimes he committed, but in a second chance society Vick has seemed to make amends, both in the community and especially on the field where the game just seems to be too easy for him right now.

In an NFC where no one is racing ahead to the number one seed, it’s hard not to think that the Eagles might be the best team in the conference. At 6-3 they may not be better than the Falcons, who are 7-2, but they look just as impressive, if not more so.

Trading McNabb and developing a new QB was supposed to be a season of growing pains for the Eagles who figured to take a step back or two in 2010. Instead it’s been the revelation that is Mike Vick, who has not only lit up the league, but began to light up MVP ballots down the line.

With talks of hundred million dollar extensions in the backdrop, MVP considerations in the forefront, and watching America fall in love with Mike Vick all over again, albeit slowly, Vick is coasting towards a comeback season for the ages.

And if that comeback takes him to Atlanta for an NFC Championship date with the Falcons at the end of January, with the team whose future he briefly wrecked, well wouldn’t that be one hell of a tale for the media to dissect. Vick’s old team thriving with Matt Ryan at the helm versus his new one, thrilled to death that the NFL’s most electrifying talent fell into their lap.

All it took was a little scrutiny, some nice window dressing, and a season to get back into the swing of things. And just like that, the Eagles are no longer just good, they might be elite.

As for the Redskins, well, they got the Eagles quarterback they wanted. Unfortunately, they probably got the worst one.

Photo: Getty

Is America ready to hop back on the Mike Vick Experience?

sjacobs — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:12:14 +0000

If the past is any indication then unfortunately– yes

SCOTT JACOBS

If you need any further proof that the United States of Sports Lovers is a forgiving society, look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles, and their potential QB quandry. And you’ll find right dab in the middle of that mini-controversy, Michael freaking Vick, the man who was disowned by most sports fans before the NFL finally let him back in the league last year.

But the hypocritical nature of sports usually rears its ugly head when the off-field actions become hazier and the on-field help becomes apparent. Vick was apparently pretty impressive after Kevin Kolb got knocked out of the game versus Green Bay with a concussion. The much maligned Vick was supposedly pretty good (notice I keep saying things like apparently and allegedly– simply put I wasn’t watching the game) and showed flashes of his vintage pre-dog killing self. You know, the electric, do everything quarterback that was going to forever change the game. Well that was Vick I’m told on Sunday. He was 16 of 24, throwing for 175 yards and running for 103 yards in his former Atlanta Falcon style.

The Eagles lost. But they came close. That’s not the storyline. Nor is Vick’s out of nowhere resurgence.

No, the story is Vick the person and the fact that football fans and the media are already stirring up a potential QB controversy. Look, word is that Kolb may not be ready for next week’s game against the pissed off Lions, so Vick may get the start by default. But it astonishes me on so many levels how just one season after crucifying the man who spent months in prison, America appears ready to hop back on the Michael Vick Experience.

Everyone’s preaching second chances and how much he has improved his image and his life, but I have a hard time embracing a man who was considered the scum of the sports world just under a year ago.

Maybe this amounts to nothing. Maybe Kolb comes back, plays fine and all this goes away. But what if it doesn’t? What if Kolb isn’t fine and Vick plays, and plays well? Many have floated out the wild prospect that the first game of the Kolb Era could have potentially been his last. Which is, quite frankly, mind blowing considering all the hoopla that surrounded him this offseason (And o yeah, the Eagles trading Donovan McNabb to Washington because they had their QB of the Future in place).

Look, this situation is tricky. Eagle fans embrace their own, and most have even grown to accept Vick and to root for him. But boy does the situation change if Vick starts elsewhere. Are Eagles fans and is the NFL for that matter really ready to put Michael back in the spotlight?

If this doesn’t show you that we forgive and forget nothing will. After Kobe’s rape allegation nightmare the sports world was convinced his star would never shine as brightly again. Two championships and an Olympic Gold Medal later Bryant is once again a national star and even more amazingly a global icon. His advertisement dollars have returned and he is easily one of the biggest names in sports.

Ray Lewis is doing Old Spice commercials years after people made him the most villainized athlete in sports.

Which is why Tiger Woods (assuming he ever gets his golf game back to elite status) will once again regain his throne as the king of golf. It seems clear now: people love hating a star who screws up, but what they love even more is embracing his heroic return to greatness. Our fickle nature goes both ways.

Which brings us back to Vick. If our change of heart with previously troubled stars is any indication then Vick will be back in the limelight in no time, as if that whole dog thing (what happened again?) never happened. Which is sad and confusing and more and more predictable with the overflow of cases that continue to stream in.

Because in America, as sports fans we claim to care about the personal lives of our favorite athletes, but in reality they can erase any wrong with a return to dominance in their respective sport.

So let’s call a spade a spade, sports fans: If Vick dominates on the field again, you’ll cheer his name, maybe buy his jersey, and given some time, probably forget the reason you absolutely despised him in the first place– Which however way you look at it, is amazing and uncomfortable at the same time.

Photo: AP

What if the NFL didn’t give Mike Vick a second chance?

sjacobs — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:55:01 +0000

The NFL owners could send an unbelievably strong message if they rejected the former superstar, turned convict

SCOTT JACOBS

He’s backkkkkkkkkk!

For better, or for worse. Mike Vick, the quarterback whose talent seemed to know no bounds, is set to be released from prison today. But he’s not done with his sentence. Not yet at least. He still has two months of home confinement awaiting, where he is forced to stay in his enormous mansion with the exception of four hours on Saturdays and Sundays, and when he goes to work, where he’ll make $10 an hour.

It’s not quite the $140 million deal he signed, what now feels like a hundred years ago. It’s not even comparable to the millions he supposedly owes the Falcons amongst other things, but hey, I”m sure it beats an orange jump suit and picking up trash.

After that Vick will be set free, releasing a fire storm potentially unlike anything we as sports fans or the media have ever seen. Remember, before being convicted and sent to prison for horrific, unforgivable (in my opinion) dog fighting charges, Vick was one of the NFL’s young stars. Sure he was a mediocre quarterback, but he was so talented and so electric that many people called him the human highlight reel. One minute he’d throw a pass that was just awful, and the next minute he’d scamper for the most mesmerizing 25 yard gain you’d ever seen. But that was Vick… back then.

Even before he was sent to prison, his pedigree as a good NFL quarterback was under major scrutiny. Yes, Vick rushed for over 1000 yards as a quarterback in his final year as a Falcon, but also had a 52.6 completion percentage. For his career he hasn’t been much better. But this isn’t even about Vick the quarterback, this is about what a difference nearly two years away from football can do to you.

Sure, Vick is a hot NFL commodity right now, that some team will try to turn itnto a made for TV movie comeback story. But what comes after that? What happens after some NFL team takes the plunge in the hope that they can turn Vick into the ultimate X factor? People love to broil this down to a black and white issue, but it’s not that simple. On paper Vick looks like a dynamite fit in a wild-cat type formation, but the man hasn’t played football in a really long time. He hasn’t taken a snap in an NFL game since 2006. For perspective, we’re almost halfway to 2010 right now!

What kind of shape is he in? Can he still run the same way he used to? Is the difference between say age 25, and age 28 an enormous one? And then there’s this: is America really going to accept Mike Vick back into our lives that easily?

A few appologies, an outcry of “give him the benfit of the doubt” from a few former players and maybe a few analysts, and that just makes what he did go away? No!

Anyone who’s ever had a dog was mortified when news of what Vick did became public. Anyone who’s grown attached to a dog knows that they can be just as much a family member as any other sibling. Sounds crazy to those who don’t love dogs, but to those who do, it’s almost always inevitable. So the premise that Vick did his time, and he deserves another chance, and that he didn’t harm ‘humans’ doesn’t fly with me.

The idea that he learned his lesson doesn’t work for me either. You’d have to be a moron to think dog fighting is acceptable. What he did was wrong, heinous, and most of all, devastatingly cruel. I didn’t think his punishment was stiff enough.

So on the eve of Vick’s release from prison, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if the NFL owners got together and put in place an agreement that would shock the world: “No one signs Mike Vick. His talent is tempting, but what he did was unforgivable. We can send a message that we will not tolerate this. In our league of second and third chances, this one pushed the envelope too far. In our league of someone’s trash being another team’s treasure, what if we set a precedent that said if you do this, there is no second shot.”

What if the league owners did the unthinkable and just said “no.”

“No, he’s not worth the P.R. headache.”
“No, he’s not worth the public backlash.”
“No, we’d rather have an honest, hard working athlete who’s done things the right way, than an elite has been superstar who’s done everything wrong.”

I’m not saying that will ever happen, but it’s wishful thinking.

It’s probably the right thing to do, but NFL owners and teams are too busy overlooking some of the real screw ups. They can throw a football, they run really fast, who the hell cares about what kind of person they are. With a chance to give the fans real role models to look up to, the NFL has a golden opportunity to announce to the world that times have changed. The NFL is not for thugs. The NFL is not for criminals. If you screw up like Vick did, you take the fall, and you never come back… not to the NFL that is.

You may disagree. I may get hate mail for this opinion, but I believe that the right thing is for the NFL to move on, and for Vick to find some other way of rehabbing his broken image and his shattered life. Vick had it all: the huge contract, the adulation of an entire city that lived off of every snap he took, and super stardom. But he blew it. I’m all for second chances, but not this time. Not with this guy.

My eyes want to see Vick back on the field, but my heart keeps telling me that there’s plenty of other talented, athletic players playing this game that so many of us love. And none of them have killed dogs, at least none that we know of.

So in the next few months as steam grows towards Vick’s likely return to the league, and football teams become divided on whether the risk is worth the potential reward, I will continue to ponder the great ‘what if’: what if no one had that decision to make? What if we all just moved on and left Vick behind?

Photo: AP

Marcus Vick: You’re not having the BEST week ever

sjacobs — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:58:58 +0000

Probably because you’re a dumb ass just like your brother

SCOTT JACOBS

Surprise, surprise. Just when you thought the Vick family vault was closed once and for all, they pull a Maurice Clarett and well, they simply reinforce the status quo that they are the biggest waste of space since the “Dig ‘Em” statue shown once in a Family Guy episode.

Yup, Mitch goes on vacation, and his favorite sports topic (you know, the one before Pacman Jones) comes right back into the limelight. Yup, Michael Vick is a moron. We already know that. Now it’s becoming evident his brother is jealous of all the attention Vick #1 got, so he’s going for some bad press himself. What a guy. It’s like he knows that people are constantly looking for things to blog about, and he basically stands up, and throws himself to the wolves, exclaiming, here, take me. South Park already took Brittany Spears!

So it comes as nothing of a shock that Marcus, the younger brother of Mike, was arrested today and charged with a DUI and eluding police.

Vick, the 24 year old trainwreck, who tag teamed with Mike Vick to make it two wasted careers, failed a sobriety test, was charged with a DUI, misdeameanor, eluding police, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, and driving on a suspended license.

O c’mon, that’s it? No dogs, or squirrels, or weapons of mass destruction to juice up the story? No fire arms, no num chucks? Are the Vick’s getting soft on us?

You might remember the Miami Dolphins giving Marcus a shot back in 2007, inking him to a three year deal, before deciding the potential didn’t match up with the problems. So Vick was gone. And the once hyped brother to the future of the NFL found himself out of football.

Not only was Vick driving on the wrong side of the road, he’s turned a once promising life and flipped it on his head.

He’s a bigger joke then the XFL, and at least they tried.

I don’t get joy out of hearing these stories. I feel sad when I hear people waste opportunities and talent others would kill for. But, this is pathetic. And sad. And I’m wasting my time and yours spending my time writing about this fool.

Guys like this shouldn’t be top stories.

They should be ignored.