NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce this week when Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will be permitted to play during the regular season. Shortly after Vick was released from federal prison, after 18 months on dogfighting charges, the commissioner conditionally reinstated Vick. That allowed Vick to play in the final two preseason games. His upcoming decision will determine when the speedy lefty is back for good. Earlier, Goodell said he might not permit Vick back until the sixth game of the regular season, which means that the Philadelphia Eagles would be compelled to put him on the exempt list. This would preclude Vick from practicing and thus retard his flow back into productive, full-time pro football. The Philadelphia Eagles, which must cut its roster to 53 players by Saturday evening, say it is imperative to know when Vick will be allowed back. The team signed the former Atlanta Falcon to a two-year contract, worth close to $7 million. However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello denied ESPN reports that the commissioner would decide this week. “I don’t know when the commissioner will make his decision,” Aiello said. “He hasn’t told me yet.” Vick will play in tonight’s final exhibition game, against the New York Jets, at Giants Stadium.

The massive clash between the Michael Vick supporters and those who believe he should never be able to don another NFL jersey never happened. Yes, Vick was on hand to show football fans – particularly those in his new town, Philadelphia – his stuff on the field after nearly two years in a federal prison. But, for all the million-dollar hullabaloo over the 29-year-old quarterback’s return, the big night fizzled like an Alka-seltzer in the rain. As The Philadelphia Daily News’ David Gambarcorta put it, it was “about two rings short of a three-ring circus.” Yes, local NAACP President Whyatt Mondesire showed up with pro-Vick troops, but his battalion was about a third shy of his promised 30 troops. He had hoped that an ocean of supporters would show up at Lincoln Financial Field to send a strong signal about Vick’s right to earn a living in his profession of choice, since he had already paid his debt to society. “A lot of people say he shouldn’t be given a second chance,” Mondesire said, blasting what he called racist anti-Vick radio programs. “We’re tired of a one-sided dialogue.” As for the expected horde of animal-rights advocates, it was more like a mini gathering of sorts. The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals decided to stay home from the game, opting instead to use the occasion to raise money for dogs who are victims of cruelty or dogfighting. Meanwhile, Vick made a relatively quiet debut on the field, ending the night with 4-4 passing for about 19 yards. His new squad squeezed out a last-minute 33-32victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight, fans – as well as the anti-fans – will witness the second coming of Michael Vick. Word is, dog lovers will throw a tailgate party for the “2nd Chance Dogs campaign to put a spotlight on the dogfighting scourge and to prompt folks to adopt formerly abused pit bulls. As this group’s members are happy to point out, these canines, like Vick, deserve another chance. Ever since the Eagles announced that it had signed Vick, following an 18-month stint in federal prison for dogfighting, the critics have been out in force. The City of Brotherly Love is no place for the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who committed such egregious acts of cruelty at his Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia, the critics claim. And the fact that the speedy, lefty provides the Super Bowl-starved team with another weapon in the battle for a championship is immaterial, argue opponents like Sue Cosby, chief executive of the SPCA. “As a lot of people have pointed out, (Vick’s) animals never got a second chance,” Cosby said. “We need to speak for them.” It only remains to be seen whether others will follow through with a promised boycott of the Eagles – and whether it would have any impact if they did. Meanwhile, the NAACP and Black Clergy of Philadelphia are planning protests of their own. Both groups contend that Vick has paid his debt to society and deserves an opportunity to work in his profession, which happens to be an NFL quarterback.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

By now, most loyal Maddenites have settled down from midnight madness on August 13th into a comfortable routine with the latest edition to the revered series, Madden NFL 2010. You’ve chosen your team(s), are working to perfect your plays, calculating stats, and handing the AI or some poor sap online their asses. And hopefully, your making some highlight reel-worthy plays while you’re at it. Read the rest of this entry »

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Michael Vick, signed last week to a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles after spending nearly two years in prison, said that he cried his eyes out after being locked up – and not because he had lost the most lucrative contract in the NFL. “When I was in prison … I was disgusted, you know, because of what I let happen to those animals,” Vick told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in his first interview since being released. “I deserved to lose the $130 million. “Why would a guy who was making a $130 million … on the flip side … killing dogs … he don’t deserve it.” Last week, Vick, who is now millions of dollars in debt, signed a one-year contract with the Eagles worth $1.6 million; if the team decides to keep the speedy, left-handed quarterback for a second year, it must pay him another $5.2 million. When he completed the 23-month prison sentence — 18 months of which he did at the federal penitentiary in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas —NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell allowed him back into the league, after a six-week suspension. Vick told “60 Minutes” commentator James Brown that he understood why people are still angry at him, even though he has paid his debt to society. “I understand why,” Vick replied. “And I’m going to say it again. Sickens me to my stomach. And it was, you know, the same thing that I’m feeling right now. …I could’ve put a stop to it. I could’ve walked away from it. I could’ve shut down the whole operation.” All it would have taken, Vick said, is for him to have stood up to the buddies with whom he ran Bad Newz Kennels. His mistake, he said, was “not being able to say, or tell … certain people around me that, ‘Look, we can’t do this anymore. I’m concerned about my career. I’m concerned about my family.’”

Quarterback-turned-convict-turned-quarterback Michael Vick apparently did enough to convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that he’s sorry for acts of animal cruelty that landed him in the federal penitentiary for nearly two years, but PETA isn’t buying it. Just moments after the Philadelphia Eagles announced inking a two-year deal with the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, the animal-rights group lashed out. “You’ve got to wonder what kind of message this sends to young people who care about animals and don’t want to see them be harmed,” Dan Shannon, a spokesman for the group said in a statement. “We hope Vick has learned his lesson, we hope he feels remorseful for his crimes, but there’s not a lot of public indication that that’s the case. At this point, only time will tell.”  PETA members weren’t the only ones expressing outrage. Sports-radio shows were clogged with callers blasting the Eagles’ organization for signing Vick to the deal, worth $1.6 million this year and an additional $5.2 million if the team decides to bring him back in 2011. But the 29-year-old lefty wasn’t without his share of supporters. Donovan McNabb, the Eagles’ quarterback for the past decade, said he actually pressed management to add Vick to the squad. “I pretty much lobbied to get him here, because I believe everyone deserves a second chance, and what better place to come [than] here,” said McNabb, contradicting early reports that he was averse to bringing in such talented competition. “I look forward to him joining us in the next couple days.” Coach Andy Reid said, “Michael has proven he’s on the right track,” Reid said. “I’ve had a chance to talk to Michael a few times to make sure I know exactly where he’s at, and he’s in a good place. …I’m very excited … to have a good football player. You’re talking about one of the top quarterbacks in the league when he was playing, and he’s familiar with our offense, having done it the last few years in Atlanta. It’s a very exciting thing. We feel very good about it.” Ironically, the last time Vick played an NFL Game, he donned a Falcons helmet and played against the Philadelphia Eagles. On Dec. 6, the Eagles face the Falcons.

Eagles’ Defensive Coach Dies
Jim Johnson, the defensive general for the Philadelphia Eagles who led his team to one Super Bowl and five NFC title games, has died. He was 68. Johnson, who had been an NFL assistant coach for some 22 years, succumbed to cancer in his spine. The Eagles announced his death Tuesday afternoon, The Associated Press reports. Johnson had been on a leave of absence since May. “For 10 years, Jim Johnson was an exceptional coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, he was an outstanding human being,” said Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie. “As an integral part of the Eagles family, Jim epitomized the traits of what a great coach should be — a teacher, a leader, and a winner… It was easy to feel close to him.” Johnson was a defensive demon, known for his quick, blitzing defenses. From 2000-08, Johnson’s Philadelphia defenses ranked second in the NFL in sacks (390). During his 10-year tenure, the Eagles made the playoffs seven times and he produced 26 Pro Bowl selections, according to AP.

Will Michael Vick Find a Team
Disgraced NFL quarterback Michael Vick might be allowed to play pro football again, but so far nobody seems interested. Perhaps squads are merely waiting until the fervor dies down, but the frenzy over the speedy, former ball-slinger for the Atlanta Falcons is nonexistent. At the time Vick was convicted for financing a dogfighting operation in Virginia, he was the highest-paid player in the league. Today, he’s scrambling for a job. “We’ve had long discussions about Michael Vick and we have a feeling about how he would impact our team and not impact our team,” Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said, acknowledging that he has considered Vick’s services. But Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens’ general manager, said his team has enough quarterbacks. Last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Vick and said that he can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games. But that is contingent on him finding a team who wants him.

Terrell Owens, who knows firsthand what it’s like to be kicked to the curb, is lobbying hard to get recently released Michael Vick reinstated in the league. Owens, now a member of the Buffalo Bills after failing to catch on in Philadelphia and Dallas, said that slapping Vick with a four-game suspension after he’s already lost two years on a dogfighting rap is like “kicking a dead horse.” Owens, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, said that Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling of Vick’s case seems “unfair.” Said Owens, “I think he’s done the time for what he’s done. I don’t think it’s really fair for him to be suspended four more games. It’s almost like kicking a dead horse in the ground. … The guy’s already suffered so much. And to add a four-game suspension on a two-year prison sentence, that’s ridiculous.” Vick met with Goodell last week. While reports have surfaced that the commissioner will suspend the former Atlanta Falcon quarterback for four games, nothing officials has been announced.  In August 2007, the league suspended Vick indefinitely after he admitted financing an illegal dogfighting operation. He spent the past 23 months in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, and is now on three years probation.

It looks like recently released NFL quarterback Michael Vick will be back in professional football before long.  League Commissioner Roger Goodell, who reportedly met with Vick on Wednesday, will allow the former superstar back into the NFL after he serves a four-game suspension, ESPN is reporting. Vick has just spent the past two years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press Thursday that the commissioner has not yet made a decision on Vick’s future. “This is a serious matter,” Aiello said. “We are engaging in a careful and thoughtful process.” Vick was formerly the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but the team released him during the offseason. This means that Vick is free to sign with another team. Vick’s skills as a slashing runner with good hands make him a coveted candidate for a number of teams needing a quarterback – or, perhaps, a wideout, or halfback capable of running a pass-option play. Vick met with NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith on Tuesday. Meanwhile, as reported Thursday, PETA, the animal rights group, is pressing for Goodell to deny Vick re-entry into the league until the baller passes a psychological evaluation. “Until a determination is made about his ability to feel empathy and contrition, the NFL would be acting irresponsibly if it offered Vick the opportunity to serve as a role model for millions of young children who look up to football players,” read part of the PETA statement. “PETA will not rule out targeting any team or league that may choose to associate itself with Vick.”

Cruising up to his five-bedroom, brick luxury home in a motorcade Thursday morning, embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick began his period of home confinement after ending his prison term in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan. The suspended superstar arrived at the Hampton, Va., house shortly before 8:30 a.m., and emerged from a black-curtained, black Kia Sedona with his fiancée, Kijafa Frink, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Read more.