Vick's Redemption

I got some slack the last couple days for choosing not to highlight this week's Monday Night Football match up between rivals Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. Interestingly, the complaints came from Skins fans who wanted more attention for their team that has finally shown a bit of spark after years of disappointing performances. Well, maybe I should have previewed the MNF game, but not for the sake of Skins fans, because it was Eagles quarterback Michael Vick that came alive and dominated the field.

Vick scored a record SIX touchdowns in the game leading the Eagles to a 58-29 victory. He is the first quarterback to score four passing touchdowns, two rushing (running) touchdowns, and have at least 300 yards passing and 50 yards rushing in one game. Moreover, Vick still has not turned over the ball all season! The Eagles are now tied with the NY Giants for first place in the division and the two will face off next weekend.

What is even more ridiculous about Vick's performance last night, is that it followed the news of the Redskins signing their quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who used to be the Eagles star QB, to a five year $78 million deal (with $40 million guaranteed)! McNabb previously got benched, threw three interceptions, and embarrassingly lost, but clearly he is the real winner with the money rolling his way. Some say Vick got redemption last night for his dog fighting days, but ultimately it will come down to a new multi-million dollar contract for him to feel back on top.

Haynesworth's $21 million Check

In an ESPN interview yesterday, reporter Sara Walsh asked Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins if he hesitated in accepting a $21 million bonus check he received in April 2010 to play the 2010 NFL season with the Redskins. Haynesworth responded by saying that "[y]eah, check sat at my house for a couple weeks before I cashed it. I was weighing my options about what I should do . . . Do you want to take this? Do you want to commit yourself to playing a 3-4 [defense]? Do you want to go somewhere else and try again?" Ultimately, Haynesworth cashed the check, failed to show up to minicamps, then failed a conditioning test at training camp, and sat out of week 3 with an injury.

Does anyone really believe that Haynesworth actually contemplated not cashing the $21 million? No. Haynesworth may be too lazy to go to the bank, but he is not stupid. He took the $21 million and then became a couch potato.

NFL Week 1 Recap

Here is what you need to know about NFL week 1. And read up, because it will be the talk of the week going into week 2. (Yes, the next 6 months will be consumed with NFL news week to week.)

• Upsets Galore Set the Tone for the new Season: First, the glitz and glamour Dallas Cowboys fell to old rival Washington Redskins. The 'Skins defense looked tough and put the C'boys in their place. The Seattle Seahawks tore apart the San Francisco 49ers who were projected to win their division. (I guess Pete Carroll, the Seahawks' new coach, escaped his violations at USC for bigger and better things.) Lastly of note, the Kansas City Chiefs took down QB Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers last night in MNF. The heavy rain that beat down during the game seemed to make the Chargers slip all over the field, while the Chiefs got faster and used their speed to pull out the win.
• Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts fell to the Houston Texans. Not an upset, because the Texans are actually really really good this year, but notable, because Peyton always knows how to take his team to a win and this is the first time he has lost to the Texans.
• The Detroit Lions almost had a win against the not-so-good-looking Chicago Bears, but a last minute touchdown was taken back due to a rule technicality. Maybe a bad rule, but the Lions violated it and therefore lost the game. Yet, the upside is that they looked pretty decent and may actually win some games this season, despite losing their star quarterback to an injury that may last a few weeks.
• Michael Vick, yes that dog fighting machine, is back in the mix. After the Philadelphia Eagles starting QB, Kevin Kolb, suffered a concussion in the game, Vick took over. Despite the loss, Vick looked solid and may just have regained a starting spot.
• Hard Knocks for the NY Jets: The Jets probably enjoyed the Hollywood scene a bit too much during preseason, because their offense was just not up to speed yesterday in their loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Maybe the hard knocks the Ravens defense gave to Jets QB Mark Sanchez, are just what he needs to get his game back.