Vick's Reputation Will Follow Him

By: Jake

With Mike Vick's 2 month house arrest ending this monday (July 20th) much speculation is being made about his future playing football in the NFL or even at all. Overall, Vick has lost 2 years of NFL football and most of his fortune. But is that really enough? 

When you consider what he did, bankrolled, and allowed to happen on his property, you can't help but cringe at the grisly details. Stories of dogs being hung by their necks because they didn't "perform" well in the ring. Dogs being slammed to the ground until the last breath is crushed out of him. But no, he didn't stop there, he even drowned the dogs by holding them underwater s they struggled for breath under his hands. Dogs being wet down with hoses and being electrocuted to death.  All while Vick either sat by and watched or even participated. Not only did Vick assist in the brutal killings of the dogs outside the rings, but he undoubtedly assisted in the countless deaths of dogs inside the dog fighting rings by providing a place for the fights to take place and funding the operation. 

All of this brings the question: Does a human being like this deserve the privilege of playing in the NFL? No, a truly sick and disturbed man like Mike Vick who can watch innocent dogs, who were sometimes stolen from neighborhood families, fight to the death and somehow get enjoyment or entertainment out of it certainly does not deserve a second chance, especially on such a big stage like the NFL. Because playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right. 

Some people may argue that "Mike Vick payed his debt to society, give him a second chance", well somehow they are missing how twisted and disturbed the man is. True, he did pay his debt to society, and I have no problem with him being released to do whatever he wants as a normal citizen, but to allow such a man like Mike Vick in the league is a disgrace. Believe me, I am one of the biggest Jaguars fans out there, my room is painted teal, I have Jaguars band aids, and much more, but if they were to somehow sign Vick, I'd go to Home depot the day of the announcement and paint my room any other color. I'm sure i'm not alone too, there are many groups who have written letters to Goodell and many others who will protest any team who signs him. Vick will obviously be a Public Relations nightmare as Americans own a total of 73 million dogs and you bet a good percentage of their owners are NFL fans who cannot imagine their precious dog being drowned, electrocuted, beat to death, or hung, much less in a dog fight, ending up like this:

(WARNING- Graphic Content: http://www.jollybengali.net/theconfluence/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/gypsy.jpg). Any team that signs Vick is playing with fire because they are guaranteed to lose many season ticket holders who simply will not support a person like Mike Vick.

Graham Harrell Left Out In The Cold

By: Jake

The star of the Texas vs. Texas Tech upset this year was forced to sign a 2 year deal with the already QB heavy Saskatchewan RoughRiders, who have 4 more quarterbacks under contract. Harrell, who became the first QB in college history to throw for 5,000 yards in consecutive seasons reportedly had many offers from the upstart UFL, but declined due to a close relationship with a kick returner who already plays for the RoughRiders. Harrell's career numbers at Texas Tech leave some wondering why he wasn't drafted and how he only worked out for one NFL team at mini-camps. The one reason they all cite is arm strength. However, if you look at game tape from any of his college games, to the naked eye, there seems to be no deficiency at all. But then again, I'm not an NFL scout. 

In my opinion, Harrell would have been the wisest to accept a contract from the UFL and go where he'll have starting time and an American audience who already know him and respect him. Not only would this be better for him as an NFL prospect, but it would just be one more reason that people would tune into the new league and watch a few games. With that and the connection that supposedly is between the UFL and the NFL, Harrell could easily have a backup job depending on his performance. We can only think of a very slim group of players who have successfully come from the CFL to play in the NFL, leaving Harrell a big challenge in front of him if he indeed wants to someday be an NFL QB.

Top 10 NFL Receiving Corps

By: Jake

1. Arizona Cardinals- No doubt here, Larry Fitzgerald has established himself as the best WR in the game, and then you add in Anquan Boldin AND Seteve Breaston, (all 3 were 1,000 yd receivers) and you have a truly complete WR corps that strikes fear into every teams defense.

2. New England Patriots- Again, the easy pick is the Patriots. Randy Moss is likely a future HOFer and Wes Welker is a constant 1,000 yard receiver. These two make this choice a no brainer especially with Brady coming back. We all know his accord with Moss. 

3. Carolina Panthers- When you think Carolina Panthers, you think of Steve Smith, but not many people realize how well Muhsin Muhammad  succeeded with Delhomme at the helms. The 2 time pro bowl WR had a astounding 923 yards and 5 TDs last year. He did all this with Steve Smith ahead of him taking most of the receptions and a very strong running game. 

4. Denver Broncos- The Broncos come in 4th just behind the Panthers with the pairing of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. Marshall was dominating at times and invisible at others. This combined with his tendency to fumble dropped the Broncos to 4th even with Rookie Eddie Royal being 20 yards away from a 1,000 yard season. Add in Scheffler at TE and you have #4 in the rankings.

5. Green Bay Packers- This underrated group comes in at #5 with two 1,000 yard receivers in Jennings and Driver. Aaron Rodgers was wildly successful last year thanks to the development of Jennings and the reliability of Driver, not to mention the emergence of Jordy Nelson, as a surprise receiver who chipped in 400 yards and 2 TDs

6. Buffalo Bills- The Bills surprised everyone by signing T.O. to a contract in the off-season, and it lands them in #6. The combination of Lee Evans, T.O. and Josh Reed asa  slot receiver is hard to deny a place in the top 5, but they just missed it. If Trent Edwards becomes a legitimate QB, this group could definitely rise by the end of next year.

7.Houston Texans- They do have a dynamic duo of WR and TE in the Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels who shockingly had 862 yards and 2 TDs. However, Kevin Walter is what puts this team so high on the list as he had 900 yards and 8 TDs last year on a team with a disfunctional QB rotating door between Sage Rosenfels and Matt Schaub.

8. Atlanta Falcons- Once again, an off-season addition vaults a team into the top ten. Tony Gonzalez is a key receiver that Matt Ryan will know he can throw to on 3rd down if he gets in trouble. Add him to Roddy White, who has put up back to back very impressive seasons, and you have a very dangerous pairing who will definitely wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Last but not least, Mike Jenkins is not a bad 2nd receiver to compliment Gonzalez and White.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers- The reigning Champs have reason to be excited again next year as they fall into the rankings at #9. When you have both Santonio Holmes, who makes catch after catch and gets a lot of YAC, and the timeless Hines Ward, the top 10 is no stretch for you. When you throw in TE Heath Miller too, this teams corps gets even scarier.

10. San Diego Chargers- The Chargers have a very well balanced receiving corps led by Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. These players give Phillip Rivers many options on each play, and if some how they're both covered, Chris Chambers and Malcom Floyd probably aren't. Even though Chambers hasn't performed to the expectations of when they traded him, he's a good 3rd WR.