thesportsfag | my gay sports blog

As we reported here a couple of weeks ago Top 25 College Football Hottie Matt Barkley will be the first ever freshman to start at USC. Not sure how much of a gamble this is because on paper they have more talent than any team they will face this year. I predicted USC to play Florida in the BCS title game. I will stick with that pick even though with a freshman QB I think they lose at Ohio State on September 12.

Vick’s return last night overshadowed the performance of the Eagle’s receiving corp who look as explosive as any group I have ever seen. While Vick was 4-4 for 19 yards passing rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin continued to impress with 4 catches for 53 yds. The Eagles must figure out how to utilize Vick better. Shuffling QBs in and out of the game hasn’t worked for any team in the NFL or college and it will not work in Philly. Get Vick his touches at receiver or in the wildcat but remember Vick’s an athlete, McNabb’s a QB.

How is it possible that a little leaguer could beat my ass? Well if you believe Luke Ramirez is really 13 years old then it’s possible. He’s 6-0 and 212 lbs for christ sakes, WTF?!? Look at how he compares to his teammates in this video, it’s RIDICULOUS. Someone needs to do some serious investigative journalism here.

Week 3 of the NFL pre season gets underway tonight with three games on the schedule. Surely, the most talked about game will take place in Philadelphia when former quarterback Michael Vick , fresh out of his bankruptcy hearing, makes his on the field debut for the Eagles. As I have said before Vick deserves a second chance and the Eagles are my pick to win the NFC this year. With Carson Palmer and Mark Bulger out with injuries, the Bengals/Rams matchup is a must miss game.

Good news for gay sports fans on Tuesday. Part-time lifeguard Mark Sanchez was named the Jets opening day starter which means that, unlike Brady Quinn during his rookie season, Sanchez will get lots of face time on TV. Speaking of Quinn, he’s still listed as number one on the Browns depth chart.

In San Francisco, the 49ers are suffering offensively and the QB situation better improve quickly or the 49ers are going to have a rough start. Starter Shuan Hill is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Cowboys. While backup and stud Alex Smith has already been ruled out of the game. That leaves the Niners with Damon Huard and rookie Nate Davis neither of which impressed much in Tuesday’s practice.

On Sunday night the Chicago Bears led by former Bronco and big cry baby, Jay Cutler, travel to Denver. Cutler took his lies and prima dona attitude to Chicago during the off season and while there’s no doubt he’s a winner he’s also a whiner. Both teams are better off and he appears to like the bars and food in Chicago just fine. I’m glad I haven’t found any shirtless Cutler photos.

Sorry Vikings fans, my blog is now officially a Favre fee zone so I’m not going to comment on the brouhaha in the Vikes locker room.

The surprise comeback of Michael Vick overshadowed Tom Brady’s triumphant return to the NFL. While the Partiots walked away with the preseason win the Eagles signed another offensive player with first-round draft pick ability. Michael Vick isn’t going to be expected to play quarterback anytime soon but adding his abilities to an offense which now includes playmakers Michael Westbrook, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and some guy named Donovan McNabb and suddenly the Eagles have become one of the most feared offenses in the NFL.

Michael Vick was a pretty good QB in Atlanta and was always considered a dual threat. There’s no doubt the Falcons are a better team with Matt Ryan at QB but the Eagles took a big step towards the Super Bowl yesterday. Vick’s gonna play several positions and make life hell for NFC defenses.

If the preseason is all about repitition and getting your timing down then fear the Eagles in the NFC this year. Here are some stats from their first preseason game: Donovan McNabb 11/18 for 103 yds, LeSean McCoy (pictured here) 10 rushes for 55yds and Jeremy Maclin 2 rec. for 44 yds and 121 return yds. Those are scary numbers against the Patriots first team defense.

Who would’ve though hot ass Tom Brady would’ve been the second story here. He looked good as usual in his post game presser. On the field Tom was 10/15 for 100 yds and 2TDs and the Patriots won 27-25. In his final series the Patriots even went no-huddle and Brady was 5/8 for 63 yds. Granted it was against the Eagles second team defense but Brady looked sharp in his first action in close to 12 months. Randy Moss caught 3 passes for 54 yds and with Brady’s return now official, Moss in the happiest man in Massachusettes.

In the AFC I consider the Patriots, Steelers, Titans and Ravens as AFC favorites. And now, with the addition of Michael Vick, the Eagles along with the Giants, Vikings, Seahawks and Cardinals are NFC favorites.

I can’t help but wonder will Dante Stallworth’s return to the NFL receive as much coverage and outrage as Michael Vick? He was suspended for a year by NFL commissioner Roger Goddell for DUI manslaughter? DUI is something that most Americans have heard of, done and joked about. Dog fighting is a dark under world, seedy and just plain evil. I believe there is also a cultural element at play here but I didn’t come to this conclusion on my own. While on Twitter last night I read the following message:

MICHAEL VICK Signed by EAGLES white men can hunt deer chop off the head & hang it in the living room & its called a sport

At first I chuckled but then I realized this guy’s gotta point here but it’s a little off. I’m gonna take race out of this cause I believe that’s the lazy man’s way of looking at it. In my opinion, intentionally hurting an animal for any reason other than for eating it is considered animal cruelty. It’s going out of your way to be cruel to animals.

Is there a difference between the hunter who kills for sport and the men who train dogs or other animals to fight? I think you could argue the methods of the kill are different with one being just plain evil. After all, if Dante Stallworth would’ve tortured his victim before killing him he would still be in jail. Then again you could argue intent when he decided to get behind the wheel. The NFL has a free-ride program for intoxicated athletes. You call a number and they will get you transportation within minutes. Apparently Dante didn’t make that call.

Yet, what about animal cruelty with other cultures? What about bull fighting? They torture and kill Bulls in Latin America for sport and bull fighters are heroes in these countries.

Personally, I do not think Michael Vick has served near enough time for his crimes against animals. Animal cruelty penalties are extremely lenient in this country. These crimes are just heinous. Yet, there is a cultural double standard. This cultural standard is not about race but the value our culture places on one animal versus another. How else do you explain the disparate treatment of bull fighting in Latin America and cock fighting and dog fighting in the U.S.?

it just seems weird to me that me Michael Vick is getting all of this coverage and Dante Stallworth is skating on serious jail time for killing someone. 24 days for DUI manslaughter, really?

Vick’s a terrible human being but so are those of us, including myself, who’ve driven drunk and put innocent people’s lives at risk?

So with the rampant speculation regarding Michael Vick’s return to football, what can his new team expect? I imagine ESPN is gearing up for 24-hour coverage. After all, if they bent over to stick a washed up, 40-year old QB like Brett Favre up their ass what are they gonna do with someone who could actually contribute down the road? They might even start up a new channel, ESPNVICKHD.

But what about the team that’s about to sign Vick, what should the organization and their fans expect? In grad school I studied a marketing theory called the Rogers Adoption/Innovation Curve that explains how consumers, and fans are consumers, adapt or embrace new products or changes with existing products. A simple summary of the theory goes a little something like this:

When dealing with new products or changes to an existing product, consumers, or fans in this case, can usually be divided into 5 groups:

1. Innovators & Early Adopters Makes up about 16% of consumers. This group will quickly accept the change and even champion it in an effort to bring others along. This is the group of people who have probably already forgiven Vick cause he has served his debt to society and made changes in his life.
2. Early Majority and Late Majority The biggest slice of people weighing in around 68%. This group will take between a few months and a few years to get on board.
3. Laggards The final 16% of people who are hesitant to accept change or new ways. We all know an older family member like this who longs for the ‘good ‘ol days’. It’s doubtful that many out of this group will ever embrace the idea of Michael Vick playing football again.

I think this model is a good starting point for the organization to consider. However, if not messaged properly, this could be a huge negative for the organization. On the other hand, if the organization works hard to put this signing in the best light then they have a chance to build on the loyalties of their base and skew the numbers towards innovators and early adopters. You can bet there are some people hard at work right now crafting how to deliver this news.

Not to be overlooked here is that the Laggards will probably never accept that fact that Vick is playing at all. The organization in question should expect an early negative outcry from the Laggards.

I believe in second chances, no matter how much of a douchebag, prick or ahole you were at one point in your life. If you are truely remorseful you should be given a second chance. And, yes I am a dog owner. But if we aren’t able to give people second chances then what’s the incentive for anyone to turn their life around.

Michael Vick isn’t gonna be an effective QB in the NFL for quite some time, maybe ever. He has lost too much time, but he deserves a second chance.