Dog Days

So I will admit up front; I don't care for Michael Vick. I especially don't care for his flippant attitude regarding a now federal investigation into numerous counts of illegal dog fighting at a Virginia home that he once owned.

I once thought that he would revolutionize the quarterback position and be the face of the NFL for the new generation. That was then. Before Vick decided to live the dream...of being a superstar gangster rapper.

For the last two seasons, Vick has time and again decided to thumb his nose-or his finger (as seen at right) at the NFL establishment and society in general. Lets review.

• March 2005- Sonya Elliot filed a civil lawsuit against Vick, alleging she contracted genital herpes from Vick and that he failed to inform her that he had the disease. In addition, Elliot alleged that Vick had visited clinics under the alias "Ron Mexico" to get treatments, therefore he knew of the condition. In April, good ole #7 settled for an undisclosed amount.
• November 26, 2006- Vick made an obscene gesture at fans, holding up two middle fingers. In his defense, many an NFL fan has had that coming. Oh yeah, they were Falcons fans, mostly season ticketholders. NICE!
• January 17, 2007- Vick surrendered a water bottle to security at Miami International Airport. After arguing awhile with airport folks, Vick trashed the bottle. The airport officials retrieved the bottle from the trash and supposedly found a "marijuana like residue" inside a hidden compartment. I will give Ron Mex... Mike Vick a pass on this one. I mean lots of people carry bottles that hide stuff through an airport. One question though...why would you try to carry a water bottle on a plane (which was outlawed at the time) with a residue in it? Smuggle illegal stuff inside an illegal vessel? Okay.

I think thats enough. We could go on but why drag a fellow dog lover through the proverbial mud? I have hope that Vick will turn it around for the better. You know what they say: every dog has its day.

Pump Your Brakes

Okay, I have had about enough of the quarterback controversy here in Carolina. Just weeks away from the start of Carolina Panthers Training Camp in Spartanburg, SC and most of the fan base has awarded newly acquired David Carr the starting quarterback job.

Carr has played the role of human pinball for the past five seasons as the starting quarterback of the Houston Texans. On average, the former number one overall pick has suffered 50-plus sacks per season. After that type of onslaught, even the slightly above average offensive front of the Panthers must look like a wall of granite to Carr. Add to the mix that leading up to the 2002 NFL Draft, scouts rated Carr's arm strength off the charts, and one might understand the hype surrounding the former Fresno State gunslinger. In the words of one of the most irritating talking heads on TV..."not so fast my friend!"

While I am excited about David Carr and think he is legitimate, I am not expecting Jake Delhomme to pack up and head back to the bayou. Here is the problem with David Carr's fast track to the #1 QB spot in Charlotte: pressure. Jake Delhomme hasn't had any peer pressure since the 2002 campaign when he relieved Rodney "best damn" Peete in the Jacksonville game. At that point, John Fox and Jake Delhomme became linked. Fast forward past a Super Bowl appearance and a couple of Pro Bowls, and Jake has spent a lot of time being told it was his job to lose and looking over his shoulder occasionally to see...Chris Weinke. Not a ton of motivation.

If you aren't the type that melts in the ridiculously hot Spartanburg sun, I would recommend seeing the quarterback battle live in July. Just don't count on the Cajun to hand over the keys.