Vick sees dog ownership as big step to recovery
By Gayle Saunders
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Eagles’ Michael Vick is looking forward to making another major step in his life and that is being a Pet Owner again. The Eagles quarterback said that he genuinely cares for animals and one day hopes to have a dog as a household pet, stating that it would be just another “big step” in his rehabilitation process.
“I would love to get another dog in the future,” Vick told the website. “I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process. I think just to have a pet in my household and to show people that I genuinely care, and my love, and my passion for animals.”
In 2007 Vick served 18 months in prison after being convicted for the Virginia-based ring. The federal judge who conducted the case prohibited Vick from ever owning another dog.
Vick has made strides since his release from prison, so much so he as become an advocate for the Humane Society and frequently talks to students about his past and the mistakes that he made. Making school appearances is what he enjoys doing and because he wants to.
“Well, first off, the court doesn’t make it an obligation for me to go out and speak,” Vick said. “It doesn’t make it an obligation for me to work with the Humane Society. I’m putting in the hard work to do it so it’s not for any personal benefit, it’s to help others.”
Vick’s off the field success has mirrored his on-the-field success this year. Although he can most likely add on another pro bowl to his resume he can also add Mentor as well.
“I think if I can help five or six kids daily, then I’m playing my position as a positive role model in our society,” I tell a lot of people that it’s easy to do the wrong thing. It’s hard to do the right thing.”
Vick mentioned in the past he let outside influences get him into trouble, but said prison helped him see the changes he needed to make.
“I hate to use our culture as an excuse, but it is what it is and that’s what happened and that’s the way I thought about it growing up,” Vick said about dog fighting. “This is just the way we were brought up.”
Giants say they’re ready for the Vick show
By Gayle Saunders
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On Monday night the Giants as well as head coach Tom Coughlin sat down and watched Michael Vick’s performance, like everybody else in NFL world who saw the game, Coughlin reiterated that it was a breathtaking performance.
“Let’s see, 35-0, 12 plays for Washington,” Coughlin said of the Eagles’ 59-28 thrashing of the Redskins. “Just what everybody else was — put the pencil down and become a fan.”
Against the Redskins Vick became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for more than 50 yards and two touchdowns. The result of Vick’s performance ignited numerous questions for the Giants defensive unit. Since Tuesday the giants have been hammered with questions about Vick, since the Giants are the team up for the challenge of stopping Michael Vick and the eagles this Sunday night in Philly. The winner of this game not only takes first place in the NFC east but a NFC front-runner and a serious Super Bowl contender.
The G-men as a whole were impressed by his performance and have showed their respect for what Vick has done so far this season, however they made it pretty clear that they are not intimidated in any way by Vick.
“I’ve never seen a quarterback do the things that Vick can do,” said safety Antrel Rolle. “His pocket passing is more efficient and he has a bazooka for an arm and he runs faster than three-quarters of the receivers in this league.
“[But] you have swagger and confidence when you play anyone. It doesn’t matter who you play. Vick, he’s a guy. I understand what kind of weapon he presents but he is a guy. He puts his pants on just like each and every one of us put our pants on. Our swagger is going to be there, no matter who we play.”
Giants Safety Deon Grant has a history with playing against Vick from back when Vick played for Atlanta and he played for Carolina. Grant made it know that he respects Vick, but he said the Giants aren’t intimidated by what Vick did to the Redskins. Grant did recall that the Redskins were the ones who injured Vick in the fourth game of the season, knocking out the quarterback for three games with a rib cartilage injury.
“Ain’t nobody Superman out on that field,” Grant said. “Vick is just like me, ain’t won no Super Bowls yet.”
The Giants are coming off a tough loss to the Dallas Cowboys who seemed to be an easy matchup for the Giants at that time, however their top rated gave up 427 yards of total offense that night. The G-men have made it clear that their confidence is not tainted nor does it need to be fixed. This Sunday they will be their biggest test of the season…contenders or pretenders.
“Definitely a statement game for us,” defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. “Hopefully they left a lot of that magic in Washington and don’t bring it to Philly and hopefully this was a wake-up call for us last week. I think a lot of guys, and with good reason, had a lot of confidence and were used to winning. It is definitely jarring and a shock to the system when you lose the way we did.”
Like most Giants, Boley said he was glad to see Vick make it big again.
“He was riding high, he was the face of the franchise, a lot on his shoulders,” Boley said. “To go from that to the bottom of the barrel, it will put you in a different place and make you look at things in a different aspect.”
Boley also believes Vick has won over some of his former detractors.
“Why wouldn’t you believe in him?” Boley added. “For a guy to come back after what he has been through and prove to everybody that he is more than just a runner, what more do you want from him?”
Seeing is Believing: Michael Vick’s Redskins performance
Michael Vick OT run for the win vs Minnesota Vikings
Michael Vick run vs. New Orleans Saints
Vick’s postgame comments Eagles 26, Colts 24
The Michael Vick Project: 3 questions going into Detroit
By Gayle Saunders
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The Michael Vick project could possibly turn into a whole other experiment after this Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. There was a time when Vick was just happy to be back in the NFL. There was a time when he was happy to be lined up at receiver or even just running the wildcat offense, but times have changed in the city of brotherly love and the Michael Vick project is ready to take off.
After last week, the sports world got a good look at Michael Vick. Not only did he perform well he did it on the fly completing 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, and finished with a QB rating of 101.9. He also rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
The city was ready or either forced to embrace their new starting quarterback Kevin Kolb last week, but after a lackluster performance and one huge concussion it didn’t take long before Philly fans had something to talk about.
As much as some fans don’t want to buy into the Kevin Kolb Project at this given moment, Andy Reid has already invested 3 years into Kolb. Reid has not only traded away Donovan McNabb in the off season, but they also awarded Kolb with an extension. To make a long story short…Reid has made it known that Kolb is the future regardless of Vick’s performance against Detroit.
Three important questions going into the Detroit Lions game:
1) When Kolb returns how many games will it take for the Kevin Kolb project to be ready for the NFL?
2) How patient will the Eagles locker room as well as Eagles Nation be if Kolb tanks in another game?
3) If Michael Vick has an all world performance this week how does Andy Reid sit down Vick, for a young gun still trying to earn his stripes.
When Michael Vick was brought to Philly they brought him in to add a new dimension to their offense, the Eagles gave Vick a one-year deal for $1.6 million with an option for a second year which they paid in the sum of $5.2 million with an additional $3 million in incentives. The other reason Vick was brought in to Philly was to compete at qb, and that is exactly what he is doing.
At one time Michael Vick, was the number 1 draft pick in 2001 and was once the highest-paid player in football. At one time Vick was a three-time Pro Bowler, who rushed for 1,039 yards in 2006, the most by a quarterback in a single season in NFL history. However in 2007, there was a moment that Vick was the most hated person in football amongst some circles for his dog fighting scandal.
Fast forward to the present, The Michael Vick Project is not just a reality show, but a man who is living proof of what people can do when given a second chance. Love or hate him, the stage has been set for Vick, who steps in as a starting QB for the first time since 2006.
Andy Reid said this about Michael Vick when they signed him.
“I’m a believer that as long as people go through the right process, they deserve a second chance,”
The Vick that we see today has become a student of the game, who still has flashes of athleticism. The Vick we saw last week was accurate on the move and ran the offense effectively. The Vick we saw last week looked like a a person going through the right process.
“(Vick) he changed (the game) a whole lot,” Packers Cullen Jenkins said. “You were almost wishing they put the other quarterback back in. Chasing him around is not fun at all.”
It almost makes you wonder if there is a different side of Vick as a QB. In Atlanta he didn’t take film study and game preparation very seriously, I don’t believe the new Vick would stand for such a thing. He has been awarded a second chance to prove something to the NFL but most importantly to himself…that he belongs here.
Fantasy Football – Week 2 Pickups
By Gayle Saunders
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QB’s
Week 2 Pickups
If your fantasy quarterbacks happens to be Kevin Kolb (concussion) or Matthew Stafford (shoulder), Look no further than Michael Vick , Matt Hasselbeck or David Garrard they could all serve as a replacements this week.
Eagles – Michael Vick showcased some speed and arm strength in Week 1, Vick created a QB controversy with his stellar play against a tough Green Bay defense he threw some darts which were on target and made many plays with his legs. Vick completed 16 of 24 pass attempts for 175 yards and a touchdown and chipped in an additional 103 rushing yards on 11 carries. With Kolb still suffering a concussion look for Vick to regain form against the Lions.
Seahawks – Matt Hasselbeck played decent in Week 1, he completed 18 of 23 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He scored a TD on a short run. Hasselbeck has new a wideout in Mike Williams and reliable tight end John Carlson. Next up for Hasselbeck: the Denver Broncos, who gave up 170 yards and 3 touchdowns to David Garrard (and a whopping 76% completion percentage). Hasselbeck looks like a solid start for week 2. Read more
Brian Dawkins lays Michael Vick out!
One of the most vicious of Dawkins’ many highlight-reel hits was delivered on Michael Vick in the playoffs in 2002. Vick could barely get up.
Brees wins fan vote to be on Madden 2011 cover
By Gayle Saunders
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Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees just landed a coveted honor in sports…No its not another Super Bowl Ring or an MVP Trophy . Drew Brees is the new cover model for this year’s edition of the “Madden NFL” video game. Is he scared of the curse? No…he actually believes its “a great way to cap off an amazing year”
“I believe in fate, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” he said. “But destiny is stronger than any curse, and this team is destined for great things.”
On Thursday EA Sports announced that the New Orleans Saints QB quarterback would be featured on the front of “Madden NFL 11,” Brees, who led the New Orleans Saint to a 31-17 victory over Peyton Manning and the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
The “Madden” cover is one of the most popular honors in sports, even though it has been attached to the much-discussed curse. Such recent stars who were affected by the curse, Troy Polalmalu, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Shaun Alexander suffered serious injuries during the seasons that they appeared on the cover.
Brees said he hopes the presence of the Saints’ fleur-de-lis logo on the “Madden” cover “keeps people focused on what happened to New Orleans, and what the people of this city have overcome.”
Brees was chosen by fans who voted online to determine the game’s cover athlete. The other choices were Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne and Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. “Madden NFL 11″ will be released by EA Sports on August 10, 2010.
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