Andy Reid has decided to go for the jugular against Jacksonville this week and make Michael Vick his top dog. Reid explained that Kevin Kolb is not in the doghouse, but rather Vick just seemed to "electrify the team." It's hard to disagree. The team seemed hungrier when Vick was leading the pack.
"He played with a ferocity that can only be taught," Reid said. "He just grabbed the opportunity and wouldn't let go."
"I just wanted to go out there and show the team what I can do," Vick said. "I knew that I was on a short leash and any mistakes could kill my chances to be a starter."
As for Kolb, he'll just have to lick his wounds and hope that he can eventually have his day. "It's not like I'm getting taken out back and shot," he said. "I've still got a future as a starting quarterback in this league."
Even with Kolb's potential, Vick's stellar play backed the Eagles into a corner. The decision they made to go with Vick proves, once again, that when it comes to being an NFL quarterback, it's a dog eat dog world.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Am I My Player's Keeper?
A report just came out saying that Florida has had twenty-seven players arrested under the watch of Urban Meyer. How is this allowed to happen? How does he keep his job as a mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? Only the head of a certain major church could keep his job if that many people had been arrested under his watch. Yet, he's able to keep cashing million dollar checks as often as his players are posting bail.
Coaches, of course, will pull out the old, "They're grown men, I can't control what they do all the time." But, it's funny how the players can change from grown men to "just kids" in the blink of an eye. When they make a major mistake they're grown men. When they make a minor mistake they're kids again. Remember, "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!"? Had a typical coach been talking about the arrest of a player he'd be saying "Go after him! Not me! He's a man! He's 20!"
Actually, the coach would probably never even talk about it. In fact, it seems like they never even get asked about it. Somehow, in this world of instant reporting and instant knowledge, it was a revelation that so many players had been arrested. We hear about it in the news when it happens and I'm sure that many people probably knew what was going on, but it seems like the scope of the problem was kept quiet. Did the president of the university just find out last week that so many players had been arrested? Did he not know all along? Or, was he blinded by the stacks of booster money that two national championships bring in?
Even the media seems to gloss over it. You can't tell me that there's not one reporter who covers the program everyday that didn't think it was newsworthy that so many players were being arrested. Were they thinking, "Well, once about twenty-five or so players get arrested, then we'll report it?"
I don't think that's the case. I think that the overall reputation of the program is more valuable than a couple of good stories. Especially to the people who cover the program everyday. Why would they devalue and hurt the popularity of the product that they get paid to cover? If people lose interest, they lose a job.
The media, as well as the schools, are both selling a product that relies heavily on its reputation. People may buy a paper or two, or read a blog or two, because there's a story about a player getting arrested. But, over time, they'll buy many more papers and read many more blogs about the school that they root for. In this way, the fans are also responsible. Often, they're just as willing to turn a blind eye. But who wants to root for a program that they can't be proud of?
Of course, the players get suspended or kicked off the team, but the coach just says how disappointed he is and moves on. A single player is never bigger than the program. But, when it comes to a coach the caliber of Meyer, he is the program.
So, how does a guy keep his job as mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? He wins.
Coaches, of course, will pull out the old, "They're grown men, I can't control what they do all the time." But, it's funny how the players can change from grown men to "just kids" in the blink of an eye. When they make a major mistake they're grown men. When they make a minor mistake they're kids again. Remember, "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!"? Had a typical coach been talking about the arrest of a player he'd be saying "Go after him! Not me! He's a man! He's 20!"
Actually, the coach would probably never even talk about it. In fact, it seems like they never even get asked about it. Somehow, in this world of instant reporting and instant knowledge, it was a revelation that so many players had been arrested. We hear about it in the news when it happens and I'm sure that many people probably knew what was going on, but it seems like the scope of the problem was kept quiet. Did the president of the university just find out last week that so many players had been arrested? Did he not know all along? Or, was he blinded by the stacks of booster money that two national championships bring in?
Even the media seems to gloss over it. You can't tell me that there's not one reporter who covers the program everyday that didn't think it was newsworthy that so many players were being arrested. Were they thinking, "Well, once about twenty-five or so players get arrested, then we'll report it?"
I don't think that's the case. I think that the overall reputation of the program is more valuable than a couple of good stories. Especially to the people who cover the program everyday. Why would they devalue and hurt the popularity of the product that they get paid to cover? If people lose interest, they lose a job.
The media, as well as the schools, are both selling a product that relies heavily on its reputation. People may buy a paper or two, or read a blog or two, because there's a story about a player getting arrested. But, over time, they'll buy many more papers and read many more blogs about the school that they root for. In this way, the fans are also responsible. Often, they're just as willing to turn a blind eye. But who wants to root for a program that they can't be proud of?
Of course, the players get suspended or kicked off the team, but the coach just says how disappointed he is and moves on. A single player is never bigger than the program. But, when it comes to a coach the caliber of Meyer, he is the program.
So, how does a guy keep his job as mentor and leader of young men if they don't seem to be listening? He wins.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Starting Reluctantly: A Fantastically Hyperbolic Tale of Sisyphean Hope
The sweat begins to protrude from the pores above my brow. My hand begins to shake. The possibilities run circles through my head. The pressure is almost unbearable. But this is something I have to do. Something that once done, cannot be undone.
The decision I make now will impact my life in an almost indescribable way. It will lead to either utter elation or utter depression. The highest of highs or the lowest of lows. This decision, this moment, is the most important thing in my life right now. Do I? Don't I? Is there anyone who can offer guidance?
Forget guidance. I've gotten all the guidance I need. This is the time for me to make the choice for myself. I'm the one who will have to live with the results. I want to bear the burden on my shoulders. If it's the right decision, I want to know it was me. If it's the wrong decision...
The moment has arrived. The clock is ticking down and it's time to end this quandary. My finger almost pushes back against me as I move it towards the button. I'm startled by a drop of sweat that splashes as it hits the table. I wipe the sweat from my brow and run my wet fingers through my hair. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and use all the force of will in my body to push my finger down on the button.
I take another deep breath. This time accompanied by a sigh of relief because the decision is over with. The deed is done. I hold my hands behind my head, stand up still exhaling, and walk away knowing that what's done is done.
I can only hope that I made the right decision. If I haven't I won't be able to live with myself. If I have I can bask in the short-lived glory.
If only the highs were as strong as the lows. If only the bad decisions didn't sting so bad. If only knowing that I did the best I could was enough. But, it never is. The pain never goes away. But, the pain is what makes the glory feel so good.
Having made my crucial decision, I can only sit, watch, and wait. I am now helpless. I am at the mercy of things I cannot control. I can only hope. Hope with all the energy inside me. Hope that things go my way.
But, hope is not a very powerful thing when you have no control. Sometimes it isn't enough. That's when things get really hard. When the decision haunts you. When it won't let you sleep. When the thoughts of what could've been wear tracks in your brain like a five-ton dump truck doing donuts on a muddy road.
The cold sweats. The regret. The regret is what drives me. Or, at least the fear of regret. But, perhaps I have nothing to fear. Perhaps I have made the right decision. Perhaps hope wins out this time. Or maybe I didn't even need hope. Maybe some insight I've gained has led me in the right direction. But again, maybe not. That's the thrill. That's the agony. That's fantasy football.
Well...maybe only for those of us who take it a tad too seriously.
The decision I make now will impact my life in an almost indescribable way. It will lead to either utter elation or utter depression. The highest of highs or the lowest of lows. This decision, this moment, is the most important thing in my life right now. Do I? Don't I? Is there anyone who can offer guidance?
Forget guidance. I've gotten all the guidance I need. This is the time for me to make the choice for myself. I'm the one who will have to live with the results. I want to bear the burden on my shoulders. If it's the right decision, I want to know it was me. If it's the wrong decision...
The moment has arrived. The clock is ticking down and it's time to end this quandary. My finger almost pushes back against me as I move it towards the button. I'm startled by a drop of sweat that splashes as it hits the table. I wipe the sweat from my brow and run my wet fingers through my hair. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and use all the force of will in my body to push my finger down on the button.
I take another deep breath. This time accompanied by a sigh of relief because the decision is over with. The deed is done. I hold my hands behind my head, stand up still exhaling, and walk away knowing that what's done is done.
I can only hope that I made the right decision. If I haven't I won't be able to live with myself. If I have I can bask in the short-lived glory.
If only the highs were as strong as the lows. If only the bad decisions didn't sting so bad. If only knowing that I did the best I could was enough. But, it never is. The pain never goes away. But, the pain is what makes the glory feel so good.
Having made my crucial decision, I can only sit, watch, and wait. I am now helpless. I am at the mercy of things I cannot control. I can only hope. Hope with all the energy inside me. Hope that things go my way.
But, hope is not a very powerful thing when you have no control. Sometimes it isn't enough. That's when things get really hard. When the decision haunts you. When it won't let you sleep. When the thoughts of what could've been wear tracks in your brain like a five-ton dump truck doing donuts on a muddy road.
The cold sweats. The regret. The regret is what drives me. Or, at least the fear of regret. But, perhaps I have nothing to fear. Perhaps I have made the right decision. Perhaps hope wins out this time. Or maybe I didn't even need hope. Maybe some insight I've gained has led me in the right direction. But again, maybe not. That's the thrill. That's the agony. That's fantasy football.
Well...maybe only for those of us who take it a tad too seriously.
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