NFL Hall of Famer Passes at Age 75
In sad news, NFL Hall of Fame Coach Bill Walsh finally succumbed to leukemia, passing away in his home. He was 75 years old. Walsh is best remembered by NFL fans as the coach of the legendary 1980s incarnation of the San Francisco 49ers, led by Joe Montana. Walsh won all three Super Bowls in which he coached, was 10 and 6 in the playoffs, and had won nearly 62% of his regular season games. He is credited with creating the “West Coast Offense,” though he was never much a fan of that particular name for his schemes.
Though Walsh may be gone, his legacy will live on in football for decades to come. The list of coaches upon whom he has impacted reads like a who’s who of big time coaches. Names such as Holmgren, Green, Seifert, Coslet, Shanahan, Dungy, Gruden, Mariuci, Carroll, Billick, Reid, Kubiak, and Fisher are just a few on the list of coaches who owe their knowledge either to Walsh or a man who studied under Walsh’s tutelage. Beyond football, Walsh is also remembered as being a great teacher, a great leader, and a great man. He will surely be missed by all who knew him.
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Vick Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty
According to reports, one of Michael Vick’s co-defendants in his pending federal dog-fighting charges has plead guilty and turned over all his knowledge and evidence of Vick’s role in the dog-fighting ring. Tony Taylor, said to be a longtime friend of Vick, will be sentenced within the year. He will most likely receive a reduced sentence for his role in helping the feds build a case against Vick. Other reports allege that Taylor may well have been the man in charge of the operation. It is being reported by insiders that Taylor and Vick had a falling out after the first raid on Vick’s property, thus leading to the current chain of events.
This is very bad news for Michael Vick, as nothing Taylor will say or provide will do anything but add further to the seemingly damning pile of evidence Vick will face. Vick and his lawyers most certainly have an uphill battle ahead of them, as Vick may quickly be learning why the feds have a conviction rate over 95%. This off-field issue continues to cast a long shadow over Michael Vick’s 2007 season and beyond.
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New Probe into Ex-NFL Player’s Death
ESPN.com has published a revamped version of an AP report discussing new alleged details of Pat Tillman’s untimely death on the battlefield. Tillman’s death, which was first declared to be caused by enemy fire, then friendly fire, is now being painted by some to be much more malicious than either of those. The report sheds light on a few details and quotations from those involved that imply that Tillman’s death may have actually been caused by a criminal act.
This story makes the Michael Vick scandal look like the feel good sports story of the year. We can only hope that these charges turn out to be completely false, and there was no criminal act and subsequent cover-up. Such a revelation would be absolutely deplorable, and would send shock waves through our armed forces and the entire country. To believe that a man in uniform could be gunned down in cold blood by one of his fellow troops seems completely imaginably horrible. Thoughts and prayers to the Tillman family as they deal with these difficult and shocking new allegations.
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Vick Enters Not Guilty Plea
Espn.com has reported that Michael Vick entered a plea of “not guilty” today to federal dogfighting charges. He was released without bond. His trial date has been set for November 26. Vick will then begin the long court battle in which he intends to prove his innocence. This may not be the end of this part of the legal circus, however, as it is also being reported that a superseded indictment will soon be filed, which could mean either new chargers are to be filed, or perhaps that someone’s name is being dropped from the case.
If indeed the superseded indictment is due to the latter reason, then it may spell even worse problems for Vick. It would appear to everyone on the outside that Michael Vick is the big fish that the feds are gunning for here, and if the charges against one (or more) of the other three defendants are being dropped, one very likely reason for that could be that one or more of those defendants have agreed to cooperate with the feds. One thing is for sure. As of right now, things are not looking good for Michael Vick.
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NFL and NFLPA Band Together to Help Retired Players
According to an ESPN.com report, the NFL and the NFL Player’s Union are pressing forward with a plan to address the issues over disability and retirement payments for NFL retired players. ESPN reports that commissioner Roger Goodell and the head of the player’s union Gene Upshaw met with a group of retired players to discuss this new joint effort. All sides are hopeful that this new united front can help put to rest the ugly issue of retired players speaking out about what they feel is their mistreatment by the league after they stop playing.
This story harkens back to a lighter time in the NFL’s existence, only a month ago, when the worst story circulating was about some disgruntled retirees who were looking to get more money in retirement and disability benefits. It’s only fitting that even in this story that is supposedly about this new alliance formed by the NFL and NFLPA, Michael Vick’s name appears in the second paragraph. The Vick case will cast a long shadow over the NFL for some time. I would venture a guess to say that the beginning of the NFL regular season cannot come soon enough for Roger Goodell.
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Vick Situation Still In Flux
ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli has written an article giving his insight into the Michael Vick situation, specifically addressing the ramifications of Michael Vick being ordered to stay away from the Falcon’s training camp. Protesters have already begun staging their prerequisite protests outside of the Falcon’s training facility, and having Vick in attendance would only exacerbate the situation. Pasquarelli goes on to state that this is only the first step, and that this is really just buying time while all sides attempt to figure out what they are going to do about this whole debacle.
Rumors are rampant, with stories floating around about the Falcons waiting to see if the commish will suspend Vick without pay as he did Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson. This would save the Falcons a ton of money. The NFLPA has allegedly been pushing for the Falcons to give Vick a paid leave of absence, and the Commissioner himself, Roger Goodell, is rumored to still not have decided on what punishment he will dole out, if any. Frankly, right now there is mostly just widespread speculation, with no one really knowing exactly what is going to happen next. One thing is for sure, though. Whatever happens, this is an extremely touchy situation. I’ll do my best not to bombard you with daily blogs about it, but we surely haven’t heard the last of this unfortunate story.
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Polamalu Now Highest Paid NFL Safety
According to ESPN.com, the Steelers have made Troy Polamalu the highest paid safety in the NFL. The Steelers have reportedly signed an extension with the Pro-Bowler out of USC that will make him a Steeler through the year 2011. Polamalu has been one of the very best defensive playmakers in the NFL in his first four years in the league. He was entering a contract year, and by re-signing him, the Steelers avoid any sort of ugly holdout situation that might have arisen.
Anyone familiar with Polamalu the player or the man knows that no one deserves this extension more. Not only does Polamalu give everything he has on the field during every defensive play of every game, but he is also a man of extraordinary character, virtue, and integrity. And while some of the NFL’s more unsavory characters seem to grab the most headlines, today it’s nice to be able to report that one of the good guys is getting his due. Troy Polamalu is an amazing football player and an even better man, and if the NFL could find a way to shine their PR spotlight on more players like him, they’d be in very good shape.
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Culpepper Looking for New Job
ESPN.com is reporting that Daunte Culpepper has begun his search for new employment in the NFL. According to the report, Culpepper started his job search in Tampa Bay, hanging out with the Bucs for a day, most likely on his way to Jacksonville, where he is expected to sign on and compete for the starting job during training camp. Coach John Gruden loves experienced QBs, and Culpepper certainly fits that mold, but the Bucs have so many quarterbacks in their stable right now, one of whom is system quarterback Jeff Garcia, who should be the perfect fit in Tampa Bay. It’s hard to imagine the Bucs actually signing Culpepper.
Most likely Daunte will end up in Jacksonville, where his old head coach from Minnesota, Mike Tice, is now an assistant. The Jags don’t have a dominant quarterback, and their current starter, Byron Leftwich, has famously had trouble getting along with Head Coach Jack Del Rio. So while Culpepper is most likely staying inside Florida state lines, I would be very surprised if he does so by signing with Tampa Bay.
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More Trouble for Vick
The hits just keep on coming for Michael Vick. The Falcons QB, already indicted by the feds, may also be charged by the state officials in Virginia. All charges would stem from the alleged dog fighting ring Vick allegedly financed. Once Vick is indeed charged by both the feds and the state, it would appear that the NFL would have a much more difficult time allowing him due process, given the precedent set by the Pacman Jones suspension ruling. As it is, the NFL is already taking flack around the country for what many fans perceive to be special treatment given to Vick because he is one of the league’s most marketable superstars.
The NFL is between a rock and a hard place here. On the one hand, if they level the boom now, they run the risk of Vick being within the 5% of people who actually beat federal prosecutors. If they do nothing, animal rights activists everywhere will show up to every Atlanta Falcons game this year to protest. It’s really a no-win situation for everyone involved. It seems most likely that everyone is playing the waiting game, hoping that Vick’s court dates will be in such conflict with the NFL schedule that he will voluntarily take a leave of absence and save everyone the trouble of having to deal with this very ugly black eye on the league.
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Culpepper Finally Released by Dolphins
According to ESPN.com, the Miami Dolphins have released Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper’s injury problems have made headlines over the past couple of years as he was shipped from Minnesota to Miami with a blown out knee, which he subsequently played on before it was fully healed, thus causing him to miss most of last season. After the Dolphins picked up Trent Green, Culpepper set in motion the chain of events that have now led to his release. Culpepper, who acts as his own agent, will for the first time be able to test the waters of free agency. Two teams who might be interested are Jacksonville and Atlanta.
Culpepper was long-considered one of the elite passers in the NFL during his tenure as a Viking. However, since his knee injury, people have been quick to point out that his best years were spent throwing to Randy Moss. This is an absolutely ludicrous idea. Daunte Culpepper may not be a spring chicken anymore (he’s 32), but the man is still a great NFL quarterback and leader. If his knee is indeed 100%, I believe Culpepper can give whatever team is smart enough to sign him at least two or three solid years as a productive starter.
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