Ryan's zero coach of the year votes a mystery

Earlier last week I spoke to a friend whilst inebriated beyond reasonable comprehension. Despite my ramblings about the NFL being hilariously 'out there' (How about a college coach for the Seahawks? Broncos the most likely team to play the 49ers at Wembley?) I did hit upon one subject that I think was worth dwelling on further - If the Jets win two postseason games, how about Rex Ryan for coach of the year?

The fact that Ryan got zero votes staggers me. The Jets were frankly not in great shape when he took over, and he has instilled an air of confidence that we simply have not seen from the Jets in recent years. Despite this, Ryan came away from this year's voting with the square root of... something impolite. I'm no Jets fan (as you will see tomorrow) but Ryan deserves a hell of a lot of credit for his approach to a franchise that could well have stagnated after the Favre fiasco.

To put it another way: He has achieved more with Mark Sanchez than Mike Smith did in his first year as coach of Atlanta with then-rookie Matt Ryan. If that warrants zero votes, then something isn't right in the process.

Michael Vick: What next? (part one)

Another week, another talented Quarterback who's status is up in the air to talk about.

Michael Vick, jailed for his part in a Dogfighting ring in December 2007, will be released from prison this week, and the media frenzy is already starting. Will Vick return to the NFL? The answer is out of his hands, but if Roger Goodell approves his reinstatement before the 2009 season begins, could Vick land on a roster? I believe that Vick has two problems, so I'll address them separately.

Should Mike Vick be reinstated to the NFL?

Vick's release is merely the first step on his path to redemption. Of course, he will first and foremost concentrate on getting his personal life in order, the time will come in the next few months where Vick appeals to commissioner Roger Goodell in an effort to seek employment in the National Football league once more.

There are those who believe that Vick is not deserving of reinstatement, that his callous cruelty to animals and premeditated approach to the execution of those dogs unfit to fight shows a character that is not capable of being reformed. As a dog owner, I can relate to that point of view, but I also think it shows rank hypocrisy. We all make mistakes. Some are worse than others, and some reveal parts of our character that people will not forget in a hurry. Michael Vick will live with the stigma of his actions for the rest of his life. There will likely not be a Ray Lewis-esque Superbowl victory that somehow erases people's feeling towards him. He is guilty, and there can be no argument that what Michael Vick did showed a worrying side to a player who was a role model to millions.

Unfortunately, there are many questions regarding the wider issue of giving a criminal a second chance that I really don't intend to delve into here. Every case is different, and there is no right answer that will somehow uniformly cover all eventualities.

But Michael Vick deserves his chance, and here's why: For starters, he has served his time. He committed a crime and was punished heavily for it. He has lost his entire fortune, his freedom, and ultimately it could have cost him the chance to maintain his way of life. Is that not ample punishment? Murderers have got away with less, and whilst I would never condone or justify Vick's actions, we need to put this into perspective and realise that Vick deserves contempt, but also he needs our help to overcome this.

The partisan nature of football means that many of us were quietly satisfied with Vick's fall from grace. Watching a sportsman lose his personal wealth is engrossing, but when the dust settles, there is another human being under the uniform. What good would it do society in general, to hang Vick out to dry and deny him the chance to earn a living? We're talking about a guy who doesn't have anything else to fall back on, and if anything, I'd say that treating him as a pariah is more likely to send him back toward the people who instigated his downfall. Far better, I think, to give him the chance to repay his creditors, to get his life back on track. He will never get another $130m contract, and indeed, as I'm about to point out, his problems off the field may not be his only issue as regards his personal income.

But that comes with the territory of playing in the NFL. Vick knows what he has done wrong. Even if he doesn't believe what he did was wrong (there is no way of quantifying remorse, you know), he is now fully aware that wider society will not tolerate dogfighting, and I'd class him as 'highly unlikely' to get involved in anything that will jeopardise his NFL career again.

So my appeal to Roger Goodell would be 'Give Mike Vick another chance'. If we turn our back on Vick, we will merely be doing it out of misplaced moral righteousness, and if he were then to go back to his old ways, it would be us who were to blame as much as Vick.

Matt Ryan to be named Falcons starter

If Kurt Warner's potential ascension to the starting role in Arizona is set to be the shock of the pre-season, then the revelation that the Falcons are about ready to thrust Matt Ryan into the mix should surprise nobody.

When the Falcons drafted Ryan, we liked it. He has the arm, he has the physical talent, and most of all, he's an intelligent guy who just does not feel pressure. It would be easy to hold Ryan out while the team inevitably loses this season, but we doubt that's what Ryan actually wants. The guy is ready to lead his franchise, in the same way the Peyton Manning knew he was ready to lead the Colts.

The baptism will be harsh, but 'Matty Ice' is ready for it. He does not 'want' to win per sé, but the advantage to having a guy with Ryan's temperament on the field is that when the chips are down, he will not change his demeanour, nor will he get frustrated to the point where he lets it affect his game.

All in all, we meant to write this gushing praise earlier in the day, but the various injuries got in the way. Now that he has been named starter, it seems an appropriate time to say 'we would have told you so, if only you'd asked'.

Where will Favre go?

With the news that Brett Favre is seeking his release from the Green Bay Packers, the league will be buzzing with rumour and conjecture regarding Favre's final destination. For us the biggest question is whether Favre has the desire to play anywhere because he misses football, or if he wants to win another championship.

Here are our top 5 contenders for his signature:

New York Jets

The Jets have spent big money this off-season. They have invested in almost every position - except the one that matters. The QB battle between Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington is likely to produce nothing concrete heading into this season - a season that will almost certainly decide the fate of coach Eric Mangini. The only question is whether they can afford Favre. If he still wants his $12.5m salary, the Jets will need to clear $3m of cap room, which they could only do by trading Pennington, realistically.

Minnesota Vikings

Obviously, there is one major sticking point in this situation, and that is the rivalry between the Vikes and the Packers. You could argue that if the Vikings are on this list, then why not Chicago? Well, the Vikings (like the Jets) have thrown money at their situation this spring, and again, their big question mark is at QB. The Bears have never thrown money at anything. Ever. It would be extremely unlikely that the Packers would ascede to Favre's demands to be released if they believed he would be playing against them twice next season. The other big question is how excited Favre could be to play with receivers Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice. It's certainly not the kind of receiving unit that delivers championships.

Tampa Bay Buccanneers

Bucs coach Jon Gruden is a well known advocate of veteran Quarterbacks, and currently has about 4,000 on his roster. Actually though, it would be interesting to see how this situation plays into the contract negotiations with Jeff Garcia. With a player of the same age - but greater talent available, Garcia should be aware that now is not the time to be playing hardball with your team. The Bucs have a mix of veterans and rookies at WR, but definately have considerable talent in Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, and Dexter Jackson. They also have an enormous amount of cap room, and really this could hinge on whether Gruden believes that Favre can deliver what Garcia cannot.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are probably slightly better than their record last year suggests. If anywhere makes sense on paper, it's Baltimore. At Quarterback, the Ravens would prefer not to start rookie Joe Flacco, but it's something they have had to seriously consider in the last few weeks. The otehr alternatives are Kyle Boller and Troy Smith, neither of which seems to be the long term answer. Apart from that, there are veteran receivers such as Derrick Mason, a great rushing attack, and a solid line, despite the retirement of Jonathan Ogden. One other thing - the Ravens Defence can create the kind of opportunities that Favre would relish.

Detroit Lions

Much like the Vikings, this could be a non-starter because of the fact that Favre would be coming back to haunt the Packers twice next year. On the other hand, the team has many ingredients that could make them an attractive proposition to a veteran Quarterback. The team has one of the best Receiving corps in football, with Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Shaun Macdonald, and Mike Furrey all capable of big plays. Questions do surround the running game, however, and Favre may be unwilling to play for a team that has rarely looked like coming out of a slump it has been in for 20 years.


Other teams in the mix:

Carolina Panthers - If Delhomme is fit, it's not happening
Kansas City Chiefs - No weapons = No playoffs
Chicago Bears - Not enough to make him public enemy no.1 in Green Bay
Atlanta Falcons - Unlikely, but he has been there before, and the Falcons may want to avoid blooding Matt Ryan early.