8/27/2007 11:51:17 AM

Why ask Why?

8/27/2007 12:10:14 PM

well at least he can grow back his cornrows in prison

8/27/2007 12:16:10 PM

the owner just said he's not cutting Vick, and whatever they decide will be a short term fix for the long term success of the team

long story short, he'll be a falcon when his sentence is over

8/27/2007 12:38:04 PM

Honestly, it's probably a smart move. It really seems like Atlanta Falcons fans could care less about dog fighting, and just want their quarterback back.Who cares if he's nationally reviled, as long they still fill the stands.

8/27/2007 12:49:34 PM

^^He isn't cutting him because if they do they can't attempt to recoup any of the $37mil in bonuses they have already paid him.

8/27/2007 1:22:42 PM

correct, vick will NEVER play for the falcons. THey are doing this to get back some money.

He lied to both the commish and to arthur blank to their faces. He might not be reinstated. He should be reinstated, I feel, after he does his time. HOwever, why would any team sign him with the shitstorm it would bring.

It would be bad for business.

And its not like he is a great qb either. he is amazing to watch, but would you really want him as the qb for your favorite team? Hell no

8/27/2007 2:31:09 PM

The Raiders will sign him. Mark my words.

8/27/2007 2:36:15 PM

^^They were talking on ESPN, and I think Emmitt Smith even suggested that if he does come back, a team would sign him to do some kick returns, or be a back/wr in a limited role at first to see what he could do.

8/27/2007 3:21:04 PM

royal, do you seriously think it would be worth the shitstorm to bring him in to return a couple of kicks?

I doubt it. He will be a convicted felon.

8/27/2007 3:41:39 PM

when he comes out he'll probably be a little slow but also have put on like 50 pounds of muscle...tight end maybe? linebacker??

[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 4:15 PM. Reason : .]

8/27/2007 4:15:44 PM

Has the effect of the Vick situation to the Falcons' season ticket sales been let out?

The past couple years they've been the Michael Vick Show. Can't see too many renewing for the Joey Harrington Show.

[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 6:54 PM. Reason : /]

8/27/2007 6:53:35 PM

ITS NOT LIKE THEY WERE GOOD WITH VICK, I DONT SEE WHY IT SHOULD SUFFER


GOODELL IS A PRICK
BRING BACK VICK

8/27/2007 6:57:06 PM

^ that would be an awesome chant if the whole stadium did it

8/27/2007 7:35:47 PM

i prefer the chant "vick is a bitch"

8/27/2007 8:39:29 PM

Did anyone else find that weird?

Chris Mortensen: "There's some talk that Rich McKay, the GM, might be in trouble and his head will roll."

ESPN's camera goes to McKay and owner Arthur Blank's box, both had headphones on connected to either a laptop or TV.

Mortensen: "Blank has assured me that McKay is his guy."

Blank is looking at McKay and smiling while McKay keeps staring into the field. Both with headphones on.

Some more talk from Kornheiser.

Both Blank and McKay have their headphones off with a women over their shoulders and McKay looks to be upset.

I think they were listening to ESPN with those headphones.

[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 9:14 PM. Reason : /]

8/27/2007 9:13:47 PM

no, but I did find it weird to see a passing TD in a falcons game.

8/27/2007 11:01:28 PM

^lol

8/27/2007 11:29:02 PM

8/27/2007 11:47:28 PM

Quote :

"Has the effect of the Vick situation to the Falcons' season ticket sales been let out? The past couple years they've been the Michael Vick Show. Can't see too many renewing for the Joey Harrington Show"

Atlanta had already sold out their season tickets prior to all this. They also did this in 2003, then Vick broke his leg, and the stands were not filled to capacity. Atlanta sold out something like 56 straight home games that Vick started. People came because he is an athletic freak and was fun to watch. Sure he had his bad games, but he was/is one of the most entertaining football players to play in a long time. I think the fans will come out and support Harrington and the Falcons this year. This is entirely different than in 2003 when he was out with a broken leg and the fans didn't come out. The Falcons have built a pretty good fan base in that city, there are also a lot of pissed off fans that Vick isn't playing, but I think as long as Harrington doesnt totally stink it up, they are still gonna fill the stands, and have a great deal of support behind them.

It will be funny to see just how bad they might be without Vick, since so many people claim he is terrible and did hardly anything to help the Falcons.

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 12:32 AM. Reason : .]

8/28/2007 12:29:15 AM

the falcons will certainly be a different team...opposing defenses wont have to be as concerned with the threat of a scramble out of the pocket, and they'll probably be able to send more blitzes since they'll have better chances at sacks than with vick since he could avoid a lot...course maybe the increased blitzes will backfire since harrington is a better passer

8/28/2007 12:41:17 AM

harrington is going to stink it up

8/28/2007 12:42:05 AM

I was at the game tonight... at best the place was half full

8/28/2007 1:01:09 AM

The only positive is that Petrino is now the head coach and he is a wizard when it comes to QBs. Hopefully he can help Harrington access some of his talents that have been hiding from him the last few years. I think the guy is a pretty good QB, he has just been on complete shit teams the last 2 times. Not that Atlanta is a top notch team, but I think it is the best of the 3 he has been on. I think he will either do well and they Falcons win 9 games, maybe 10, or he plays like he has in the past, and they win 4 tops.

The Dolphins went 5-1 over a 6 game stretch last year with Harrington starting that included a win on the road against the Bears and at home vs the Patriots, so the guy can play and win against the big teams. If Joe Horn can show flashes of his former self, and Atlantas recent #1 pics at WR can play to their potential, and he gets moderate blocking from the O=line, the Falcons can still have a good season.

^Well afterall it is a preseason game. Hardly any preseason games in the NFL sell out or do well. The only reason people came to the Falcons PS games in the past was because of Vick. I think the first home game of the season will be a big statement of how the season is gonna go, and I honestly think it will be pretty full.

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 1:06 AM. Reason : .]

8/28/2007 1:04:50 AM

Last year Harrington had Chambers, Booker and Welker to throw to, and he still posted an abysmal 68 passer efficiency rating. He sucked.

This year he has a lot less to work with. Joe Horn is washed up. Michael Jenkins is worthless. Roddy White? plz. Expect another shitty year from the Falcons and Harrington.

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 1:31 AM. Reason : 2]

8/28/2007 1:30:38 AM

So basically, by that statement, you are telling me that Vick WAS the entire offense, which pretty much goes against what every Vick hater on here has said.

And again, Vick sucked because he was a terrbile QB? But yet Harrington with the same team will suck because his WRs are no good. You Vick haters need to get your facts straight.

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 3:01 AM. Reason : m]

8/28/2007 2:53:50 AM

well yea seeing how the falcons have mostly been a team with a lot of rushing yards as opposed to passing yards...no one has said he sucks at running with the football, its his inability to pass the ball effectively is what hes being bashed about....and last i checked that is the primary thing a qb does in the nfl

^you need to take the vick dick out of your mouth before you spew out the same dribble that rallydurham has been pwnt about over and over

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 3:03 AM. Reason : h]

8/28/2007 3:02:13 AM

That^ didn't explain or answer anything. Last season from what I can read from searching, people on here hated on Vick because he was a terrible QB who couldn't pass and had talent to work with as far as WRs go. Not once did I see the Vick haters admit he had a terrible WR core to throw to and thats why he was failing last year. Now that Harrington is gonna be the starter, the Falcon/Vick haters, and I would hate a team that has owned my teams ass the last decade.....claim that Harrington will suck because he has a terrible WR core that is the same, if not better because of adding Horn, will suck because he has nobody to throw to. The same group of nobodies that Vick should have been able to throw to. Sure, is Harrington the next Elway? NOPE. Is he the piece of shit most people are making him out to be? Thats yet to be seen. But You Falcon/Vick haters need to get the past out of your head before you try and talk about something that you are gonna contradict yourself by blabbing about. Vick sucks because he has talent to throw to, yet cant pass. Harrington has the same talent to pass to, but will suck because the players he is going to be passing to suck also and so does he. Does that sound funny? I know I laughed. Remember last year when SI has your Panthers on the cover to make it, or was it win the Super Bowl? How did that season work?

Quote :

"and last i checked that is the primary thing a qb does in the nfl "

How about this, go look up the defenition of a QB and how many times "PASSING" or "throwing" show up there.

I will save you some time. The answer is ZERO.







[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 3:32 AM. Reason : n]

8/28/2007 3:24:06 AM

Great story by ESPN about the game tonight...

Quote :

"ATLANTA -- There were plenty of Falcons fans wearing No. 7 jerseys at the Georgia Dome. They got a chance to cheer for Michael Vick's replacement. Joey Harrington made a good first impression on Atlanta fans by throwing two touchdown passes Monday night in a 24-19 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a much-needed salve for a franchise trying to get past the stunning downfall of its most dynamic player. "It's not something we can sweep under the rug," Harrington said. "Mike is definitely in a bit of trouble, but he's still a member of this team, still a member of this family." The day began with Vick pleading guilty to federal dogfighting charges in Virginia, followed a short time later by Falcons owner Arthur Blank saying he won't cut the quarterback immediately, mainly because of salary-cap issues rather than any desire to bring him back two or three years from now. Against that wrenching backdrop, Harrington and the Falcons (2-1) played their first home game of the preseason. Small groups of dueling protesters faced off outside the Georgia Dome, while hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of fans showed their support for Vick by wearing his jersey -- the best seller in team history. The Falcons spent the day trying to avoid an overload of news about the Vick case, but it was virtually impossible to watch TV without catching some of the massive coverage. "I would be lying if I said I didn't" see any of it, Harrington said. "Between the Cartoon Network and NFL Films, I stopped by CNN once or twice." Harrington received a smattering of applause when he trotted on the field for Atlanta's first offensive series. He was sacked on his very first snap, a jarring reminder the Falcons no longer have the quarterback who rushed for 1,000 yards last season. "I'm not going to break out there and make plays spontaneously with my feet," he said. "I've got to make them with my head and with my arm." After the rough start, No. 13's luck changed. Harrington completed his first six passes, including a 28-yard touchdown to Adam Jennings. After Allen Rossum put the Falcons in scoring position again with a 59-yard kickoff return, Harrington hooked up with Dwayne Blakley on a 29-yard completion, then flipped a 12-yard pass to Jerious Norwood for another TD. Harrington played the first possession of the second half, guiding the Falcons into field goal range for Billy Cundiff's 37-yarder. A flop in Detroit and Miami, Harrington left the field with a 17-13 lead and reveling in plenty of cheers. He was 13-of-21 for 164 yards and an impressive 118.0 passer rating, with two other throws being caught just out of bounds. "Joey has been great. I think it's a little unfair for him to have to come in and be asked to fill Mike's shoes," tight end Alge Crumpler said. "I'm very proud of his leadership and the way he is accepting the responsibility and stepping up and making plays." However, Harrington got an idea of the sort of expectations he'll face as Vick's replacement. After throwing three straight incompletions late in the first half, he heard some boos trotting off the field with the rest of the offense. Of course, he got plenty of jeers in Detroit and Miami, as well. "I guess I've learned not to worry about what the fans' reaction is going to be," Harrington said. "That's not to say we don't care about the fans. Without them, we're nothing. I want to put a winner on the field for the fans." Another caveat to his performance: Harrington was facing the Bengals (0-3), who had the league's worst pass defense a year ago and were burned for two touchdowns and a field goal on New Orleans' first three possessions the week before. "I don't want to overblow this thing," said first-year Falcons coach Bobby Petrino. "It's a preseason game. But it was important for us to go out there and show we could handle this and play well." After an equally sluggish start to the preseason by the offense, the Bengals finally showed some life with the ball. Carson Palmer tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson and a 7-yarder to Daniel Coats, the first two touchdowns of the preseason for the first-team offense. "I thought it was OK, but we're nowhere near where we want to be," Johnson said. There were plenty of empty seats at the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome, which appeared about half-full at kickoff and was virtually empty by early in the fourth quarter. Outside, about a dozen picketers waved signs such as "Ban Vick Permanently" and "Bad Newz Vick Shames Atlanta." Across the street, a similar number of Vick supporters barked out a much different sentiment, aided by a megaphone: "We love Mike! We love Mike!" Lifelong Falcons fan Gwen Tucker was among those attending the game in a Vick jersey. She's still clinging to the idea of him returning to the team after he serves his time for dogfighting. "I don't see any reason why he shouldn't," Tucker said. "He's an electrifying player. He did bring a hell of a lot of excitement to this place. It's not going to be the same." Another fan, John Fox, considered wearing his No. 7 jersey with the word "Con" taped in front of Vick's name -- for "Con-Vick." But the Falcons fan ditched that plan, partly because he was impressed with the quarterback's televised apology shortly after the guilty plea. "He actually showed contrition and I felt pretty bad for him," said Fox, who went with the No. 10 of former Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski. "Yeah, he did something stupid and ridiculous, but he did accept responsibility." Falcons running back Warrick Dunn also watched Vick's news conference. "He was real sincere," Dunn said. "Most important, I think he took everything on his shoulders. He didn't make excuses and said it was his fault." Even so, the Falcons aren't likely to give Vick a second chance, already making him sound like a former player even though he won't be cut for the time being. That's a procedural move, necessary while the team goes through the process of trying to recoup $22 million in bonus money he got as part of his record $130 million contract. Blank said cutting Vick would be "a short-term fix at the expense of our long-term success." "

Here are the highlights.....


ATLANTA -- There were plenty of Falcons fans wearing No. 7 jerseys at the Georgia Dome. They got a chance to cheer for Michael Vick's replacement.

Joey Harrington made a good first impression on Atlanta fans by throwing two touchdown passes Monday night in a 24-19 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a much-needed salve for a franchise trying to get past the stunning downfall of its most dynamic player.

"It's not something we can sweep under the rug," Harrington said. "Mike is definitely in a bit of trouble, but he's still a member of this team, still a member of this family."



Against that wrenching backdrop, Harrington and the Falcons (2-1) played their first home game of the preseason. Small groups of dueling protesters faced off outside the Georgia Dome, while hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of fans showed their support for Vick by wearing his jersey -- the best seller in team history.


Harrington received a smattering of applause when he trotted on the field for Atlanta's first offensive series. He was sacked on his very first snap, a jarring reminder the Falcons no longer have the quarterback who rushed for 1,000 yards last season.

"I'm not going to break out there and make plays spontaneously with my feet," he said. "I've got to make them with my head and with my arm."

After the rough start, No. 13's luck changed. Harrington completed his first six passes, including a 28-yard touchdown to Adam Jennings. After Allen Rossum put the Falcons in scoring position again with a 59-yard kickoff return, Harrington hooked up with Dwayne Blakley on a 29-yard completion, then flipped a 12-yard pass to Jerious Norwood for another TD.



A flop in Detroit and Miami, Harrington left the field with a 17-13 lead and reveling in plenty of cheers. He was 13-of-21 for 164 yards and an impressive 118.0 passer rating, with two other throws being caught just out of bounds.

"Joey has been great. I think it's a little unfair for him to have to come in and be asked to fill Mike's shoes," tight end Alge Crumpler said. "I'm very proud of his leadership and the way he is accepting the responsibility and stepping up and making plays."

However, Harrington got an idea of the sort of expectations he'll face as Vick's replacement. After throwing three straight incompletions late in the first half, he heard some boos trotting off the field with the rest of the offense


I admire Harrington. I dont think at anytime ever in the history of sport, has such an underperforming athelete had to step right in to take the place of a fellow athlete that while not the most succesful at his sport, had the key to the city and was admired and sold out entire stadiums by himself.


If he has even a winning season with the Falcons, this might be one of the best NFL stories we witness in a long time.

8/28/2007 3:53:08 AM

Quote :

"I was at the game tonight... at best the place was half full"

Are you really that naive? Every pre-season game is half full at best. People don't give a crap

8/28/2007 9:53:34 AM

^ thats complete bullshit...the majority of the preseason games this season that were televised had lots of people at the stadium...this was by far the lowest viewed Monday night football game of the preseason and probably one of the least attended preseason games that I can remember

8/28/2007 10:16:03 AM

^ exactly

^^ yeah, I have never ever been to a preseason football game ever. I have no idea about anything in the NFL, I just based my observation on a total and complete lack of knowledge and past experiences. I just make up points on a daily basis just to do it... I dont even know what preseason is. I dont even know what football is for that matter.

Goddammit you are fucking retarded... if you actually read what I wrote I said "...at best the place was half full". Then you claim I am naive and that preseason games are half full... which is what I said... so even if you were right about all NFL preseason games being half full, what I said didnt go against that...

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 11:43 AM. Reason : d]

8/28/2007 11:39:31 AM

hahaha, this is so stupid

8/29/2007 10:05:04 AM

Quote :

"Great story by ESPN about the game tonight..."

talk about an oxymoron...how did they do a story on the Bengals Falcons game when I watched the game and they spent the entire time talking about a player who isn't even in the NFL?

VSPN FTMFL

oh yeah and I think I heard on the radio this morning that Vick's court date is the day of a Falcons MNF game or something

[Edited on August 29, 2007 at 12:58 PM. Reason : .]

8/29/2007 12:57:37 PM

this espn live audience panel right now is buck nutty

9/25/2007 6:12:29 PM

didnt you know "african americans" are incapable of crime?

FREE VICK! FREE THE JENA 6! FREE TYSON! FREE OJ!

9/25/2007 6:17:40 PM

I like Boortz.

9/25/2007 6:17:47 PM

a good portion of the audience needs to be dope slapped

9/25/2007 6:23:17 PM

This dude is funny.

9/25/2007 6:25:44 PM

oh here we go

"its ALWAYS biased against 'african americans'"

9/25/2007 6:25:49 PM

How do people get this fucking delusional?

[Edited on September 25, 2007 at 6:29 PM. Reason : get a fucking life you clowns]

9/25/2007 6:29:09 PM

oh boy the naacp

9/25/2007 6:29:32 PM

"months" "mutts" hahaha

9/25/2007 6:30:33 PM

this is getting so dumb i might have to change it

9/25/2007 6:31:06 PM

haha that stupid bitch actin like she dont wanna hear about pete rose

9/25/2007 6:32:10 PM

this is so dumb i havent even turned it on at all and dont plan to

9/25/2007 6:32:16 PM

theyre booing and hissing at the humane society

9/25/2007 6:34:08 PM

oh it's high comedy

and tragedy

9/25/2007 6:34:09 PM

The crowd is awesome.

I'm sure they're all Boortz fans.

9/25/2007 6:36:48 PM

good man, call those fucks out on booing that guy

9/25/2007 6:37:42 PM