Yes, folks, I am again eagerly anticipating the NFL season. There's been some good news and some interesting news and I'd like to throw in my 2 cents...
The Good news: Brett is STAYING retired! Has his egomania subsided? Has Brett seen the light? Even potential teammates in the Vikings seemed tired of talking about Brett these last few weeks. He did real good job of dragging that little soap opera out for the ol' Vikes. How do you think Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels are feeling about their management behind closed doors? A big confidence builder there, for those young QB's. Yes, Brett is retired, for now. But, the damage is done and he still managed to create so much drama in Minnesota, they may need a season or two to recover from it. Now, Brett, you stay away from my 49ers!!! They have enough issues without your crazy train coming to town.
The Interesting news: Michael Vick. Is back, I think. I am torn on this. He was a cocky little bugger, even before the whole dog fighting fiasco. He was a ball hog... for football that is sad. His official title on the team was "quarterback", but to me, he was anything but. He rushed more than some running backs on other teams, including his own! Then the dog fighting, the trial, the sentence... he's done his time. We'll see if he learned anything "doin' time" or if it added to whatever sort of unfounded hatred he's bottled away and took out on dogs. What he did was horrible, but others (in NFL and NBA and NHL... where ever) have done horrible crimes, too. Animal cruelty is unacceptable, but so is rape, so is drug use, so is drunken driving and killing a pedestrian. For whatever reason, Michael Vick is taking the brunt of punishment, even after serving his sentence. I don't think he should be banned from the NFL. But I am disturbed at how this will look to kids. Like it or not celebrity actors and athletes, you ARE role models. Kids watch you. Now, alot of you celebrities have the moral compass of a rock, and it is our job as parents to guide our kids on what's right and wrong, but they still look at celebrities and think "Wow, maybe I can do that!! Look at the attention they get for _______. " I guess time will tell. Either we'll see a new, reformed Michael Vick or same old, waiting-to-fall-off-the-wagon Michael Vick. I hope for the first choice, it would be good for him, football, and for people to see someone can change for the better.
I plan to do the same thing I did last season, predicting my favs for the week and all. As time gets closer to opening kickoff, I'll try to post some of my thoughts about the '09-10 season. YEAH FOOTBALL!!!!