NFL Offseason Thread

[Lord Avalon]

Well, maybe they'll have a publicity campaign calling for others to boycott them.

[Lord Avalon]

RRRRK! Back the truck up!

Nike suspends release of Vick line
New shoe will be delayed becasue of dogfighting case

ATLANTA (AP) -- Michael Vick's legal troubles prompted Nike on Thursday to suspend the release of its latest product line named after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

Nike has told retailers it will not release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. Stoyer said the four shoe products and three shirts that currently bear Vick's name will remain in stores.

Vick will be arraigned next week in a Richmond, Va., federal courtroom on charges of sponsoring a gruesome dogfighting operation.

Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the company still has a standing contract with Vick but declined to speculate on his future with Nike.

A statement released by Nike Inc. said the company "is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick, and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent. We do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen; therefore, we have not terminated our relationship.

Stoyer, who declined to discuss terms of Vick's contract with Nike, indicated the company has no commercials or documentaries planned with the three-time NFL Pro Bowl selection.

In years past, Nike has run footage and interviews with Vick on its Web site, but none of the video promotions are currently posted.

"Some of that was shown on a limited run based on rights and usage," Stoyer said. "There's nothing new planned."

Vick signed his current contract with Nike in 2001, the same year Atlanta chose him as the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick. After leading the Falcons to the 2002 and '04 playoffs, Vick last year became the first quarterback in league history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/07/19/bc.fbn.vick.nike.ap/index.html

[DanS]

A wit with photoshop...

[Zopperoni]

Just dog it

[Lord Avalon]

Porter's punch costs him equivalent of 3 game checks

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has been fined $141,176, the equivalent of three game checks, by the NFL for his role in a March altercation in which he punched Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Levi Jones at a Las Vegas blackjack table.

Porter, 30, pleaded guilty on May 30 to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from the incident.


The fine, first reported by NFL.com and confirmed by league sources, is one of the biggest in NFL history. It represents three-seventeenths of Porter's scheduled base salary o f $800,000 for the 2007 season. But it does mean that Porter, who signed a five-year, $32 million contract with the Dolphins after he was released by Pittsburgh this spring, will avoid a suspension.

It is not known if Porter has or will appeal the fine.

An eight-year veteran, Porter had played his entire career with the Steelers before he was released in a salary cap-related move. The loquacious linebacker, one of the best outside pass rushers in the league from a 3-4 alignment, has 461 tackles, 60 sacks, 18 forced fumbles and seven recoveries in 122 games.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2943394

[-Jrabbit]

For the rich and famous, the accused (through lawyers) ALWAYS issues a statement (usually saying they're innocent as the driven snow and look forward to proving it blah blah) within 24 hours. The continuing silence from the Vick camp is eery.

Whether it's via suspension, leave of absence or whatever, I'd bet a mortgage payment that Vick doesn't play a down this season.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Looks like Peyton just lost his left tackle:

Offensive tackle Tarik Glenn will not be back to help the Indianapolis Colts defend their Super Bowl title, according to several people close to the 10-year veteran, choosing instead to retire.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/SPORTS03/707200535/1100

[Jaguar]

That definitely explains why they were so eager to move up in the draft and take Tony Ugoh.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Whether it's via suspension, leave of absence or whatever, I'd bet a mortgage payment that Vick doesn't play a down this season.

If I were a bettin' man, I'd take that bet.

[-Jrabbit]

I'm not a betting man either, but I stand by my opinion.

We'll see.

[Lord Avalon]

From bad to worse
Falcons fear serious consequences if Vick practices
Peter King - MMQB


Harrington beats Garcia in playoff

Oops! Sorry, that's a golf headline. Never mind.

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon

Harrington beats Garcia in playoff

Oops! Sorry, that's a golf headline. Never mind.

Well played, Lord A.

[-Jrabbit]

Steelers signed S Troy Polamalu to a four-year, $30.19 million contract extension through 2011.

With $15.375 million in guarantees, the new deal makes him the NFL's richest safety and will allow Polamalu, 26, to enter the unrestricted free agent market while he's still young. Polamalu doesn't figure to be at a disadvantage when and if Mike Tomlin transitions to his Tampa 2 defense. This year, he'll remain the focal point of coordinator Dick LeBeau's secondary.

[SlowwHand]

Re: Predictions

5.) Find a pick you feel good about and then stress the heck out of it. If you're confident about a certain team (and better yet, if you have evidence to back it up), beat it into the ground. Bring it up every chance you get, and don't ever stop talking about it. Make the readers so sick of hearing about it that they can't help but remember when you're right later on ... unless you're wrong. Then pray for a quick death.

I went to the same prediction school he attended.

Bears fans graduated summa *** laude.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10263285

[-Jrabbit]

"c-u-m" filter