Week 12 Thanksgiving 10-pack

We’ve moved the Friday 10-pack to Thursday, since posting it on Thursday puts the Thanksgiving games in play for our 10 takes regarding the coming weekend of games.

I also needed to get it done early because I’ll be spending Thursday night preparing to host The Dan Patrick Show on Friday, a process which may look a lot like achieving and maintaining a turkey-induced stupor.  Primarily because that’s precisely what it will be.

1.  At least the NFL tried to give us good games on Thanksgiving.

Every year, complaints arise regarding the quality of the games played on the fourth Thursday in November.  This year, the NFL did something about it.

Though the Lions continue to have a hammerlock on the early game, the NFL picked the Patriots to be the visiting team.  (Because CBS will televise the game, the road team had to be from the AFC; this year, the choices were the Jets and the Patriots.  Either way, a quality opponent would have been pegged for the game.)

For the afternoon contest, the NFL earmarked a game that, as of April, looked to be one of the 10 best of the year — Saints at Cowboys.  Though the Cowboys’ struggles have made the game less intriguing, the NFL opted not to take advantage of its captive audience by offering up the weakest home game on the Dallas schedule.  (Then again, the Lions already were booked.)

The night game — Bengals at Jets — also looked as of April to be a potentially great game, given that the Bengals and Jets both made the playoffs in 2009.  Who knew that the Bengals would be after 10 games The 2-Ocho Show?

Short of moving Thanksgiving to September, the risk that games that looked great in April will be relevant in November applies to every NFL season.  All we can ask is that the NFL attempt to provide quality games.

Even if the Lions and Cowboys would lose their automatic home games, there’s no way of knowing that the games picked prior to the season will involve quality teams by the time the games are played.  What if the Vikings had “earned” a home game on Thanksgiving as a result of their 2009 performance?  Or the 49ers, based on the widespread belief that they’d be much improved in 2010?

In April, every season is a crapshoot.  At least the NFL has finally decided to shoot for something other than crap on Thanksgiving.

2.  Favre could thrive under Frazier.

The decision of Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier to keep brett Favre at quarterback makes sense.  Frazier will earn the job for 2011 only by winning games, and Farve at quarterback gives Frazier the best chance to do that.

The Vikings don’t need to know what Tarvaris Jackson can do; he had relevance only when a change of quarterbacks may have belped salvage a playoff berth.  And Frazier has no interest in developing Joe Webb to become the possible starter for the next regime.

So what of the notion that Favre will continue to produce more turnovers than a baker on an IV full of Red Bull?  Without former coach Brad Childress peering over Favre’s shoulder and constantly telling him what to do and what not to do, it’s entirely possible that Favre will perform better.

Even though reeling off six in a row likely won’t be enough to edge out one of the three-loss teams currently in position to take both of the wild-card spots, a strong finish to the season would partially rehab Favre’s fading legacy — and it would give Frazier a fighter’s chance at keeping the job.  Having Childress out of the picture will make if easier for Favre to just relax and play.

3.  Delhomme’s revenge.

Earlier this year, the Carolina Panthers discarded quarterback Jake Delhomme like an empty bottle of screw-top wine.  And for good reason.  Ever since the completion of the 2008 regular season, Delhomme had been playing like a guy whose Gatorade had been spiked with a full bottle of screw-top wine.

On Sunday, Delhomme will get his first start since Week One, due to Colt McCoy’s ankle sprain.  Coincidentally, that start will come against the Carolina Panthers.

So the game will provide Delhomme with a shot at redemption, a chance to prove the Panthers wrong.

Then again, given that Delhomme received a contract worth $20 million guaranteed before the 2009 season, it’s the Panthers that should be thinking about revenge.

Either way, the link gives a sliver of meaning to an otherwise meaningless game.

4.  It’s getting no easier for Mike Vick.

If the Eagles and quarterback Mike Vick struggle at Soldier Field on Sunday, it’ll be easy to blame the Sports Illustrated jinx, given that he graces the magazine’s cover this week.  But we’re not much for jinxes, unless the person to be jinxed allows himself to think that the jinx exists.

For Vick, the bigger concern should be opposing defenses studying ever bit of tape from his performances to date, building on game plans that slowed him down and trying to devise the one tactic that will shut him down and/or knock him out.

Though the Bears present the latest challenge, a pair of games against the Cowboys, a rematch with the Giants, and a date with the Vikings remain.  With each passing week, defenses will be trying even harder to be the team that solves the Vick riddle, preferably by putting him back on the injury report.

Look for the Bears, mired in a seven-quality-teams-but-only-five-spots chase for the postseason, to pull out all the stops.

5.   Monday night loser could still be alive.

Thanksgiving weekend wraps up with a Monday night game between the 49ers and Cardinals.  It presents a rare stinker on ESPN’s 2010 slate.  But it’s not as bad as it appears, if we ignore the fact that each team has a record of 3-7.

If the 5-5 Seahawks lose on Sunday against the Chiefs, the loser of Monday night’s game will remain only two games out of first place with five games to play.

Sure, the loser will be a woeful 3-8.  But if we can get past that won-loss record, the reality is that the loser can still get hot in December and steal the division and reset its record to 0-0 in the single-elimination tournament that will commence with the NFC West champion hosting a playoff game.

6.  In Atlanta, home-field advantage possibly hangs in the balance.

The game of the week undoubtedly occurs in the Georgia Dome, where the red-hot Packers take on the red-hot Falcons.

Under quarterback Matt Ryan, the Falcons have won 18 games and lost only one at home.  Under quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have scored a total of 76 points in consecutive games against the Cowboys and Vikings.

The Packers are more than a good offense; their defense has allowed only 10 points in three games, including the pitching of a shutout of the Jets at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

With these two teams destined to play beyond January 2, this game will go a long way toward determining where the second game may occur.  And regardless of what happens this time around, the location of a January rematch will have a lot to do with its potential outcome.

7.  Keep an eye on Tom Brady’s foot.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has no qualms when it comes to talking about his injuries.  Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is more apt to talk about his hair.

And so it’s impossible to know the exact diagnosis of and prognosis for Brady’s current foot injury, which caused him to miss practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and to be listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, a rare departure from his usual designation as probable.

Sporting a defensive line that could give the Patriots flashbacks to Super Bowl XLII and a Detroit team that is otherwise irrelevant in NFL circles, it’ll be interesting to see whether these Lions use their rare national spotlight as an occasion to roar, by pouncing on Brady’s bum foot.

8.  Colts are suddenly in trouble.

If the season ended today, the Colts’ season would be over.  And while they’ll play four of their final six games at home, the Colts face the prospect of missing the playoffs — and of winning fewer than 10 games — for the first time since Jim Mora refused to use the “P” word.

The slide very well could continue on Sunday night, when the surging Chargers come to town.  The Chargers have played the Colts well in recent years, providing Indy with a consistent thorn in their side.

And while both of the quarterbacks have had to overcome injuries to their supporting cast on offense, the Chargers are getting healthy a lot faster than the Colts.  And the Chargers will have receiver Vincent Jackson back, for the first time all year.

It could spell trouble once again for the Colts.  At 6-5, the Colts would have to make like the Chargers and finish strong in order to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.

9.  Bucs get their chance to impress.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have handled every team they’ve faced, with the exception of the three elite franchises they’ve played — the Steelers, Saints, and Falcons.

This weekend, the Bucs draw the Ravens.  On the road.

On paper, this is another game that Tampa should lose.  If the Bucs find a way to win, it’ll be time to take this team seriously.

Actually, it’s already time to take this team seriously.  With upcoming games against the Redskins, Lions, and Seahawks, 10 wins could be in the offing.  With the Ravens, Falcons, and Saints also on the docket, victory in any one of those games will help the Bucs do the unthinkable — nailing down coach of the year honors for Raheem Morris, and possibly executive of the year recognition for Mark Dominik.  With a roster devoid of pricey veterans, the Bucs are one of the few teams that is playing like a true team.

10.  Chargers are following form, and will likely continue to do so.

After the Chargers lost five of their first seven games, we said (one or twice, or more often) that the team eventually would try to follow a slow start with a fast finish — and fail.

But the Chargers have shown that they can do it again, reeling off three wins and moving to within a game of first place in the AFC West.  And they’ll likely continue their climb to the playoffs.

Where they’ll likely lose in one of the first two rounds.

While, as mentioned above, they match up well with the Colts, the Chargers eventually would face the Patriots, Jets, Ravens, or Steelers.  And with five losses already in the standings, the Chargers will have to take their pass-first offense to an open-air stadium in the Northeast.  In the middle of January.

Moving forward, and as our friend Scott Caplan of XX 1090 in San Diego pointed out during our weekly Wednesday morning radio visit, the Chargers should redouble their efforts to figure out why they can’t win more games in September and October.  If they could emerge into November and December with a better record, they’d be able to force some of the other elite teams to San Diego in January.

Hey, at least the Chargers wouldn’t have to face a long flight home after losing.

AP

After two women sued Browns running back Trent Richardson for allegations that he instigated their assault outside his home in December 2012, some pointed to the absence of criminal charges as proof that Richardson is blameless.

At the time, a representative of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office explained that the alleged victims had not cooperated with the investigation.  (Their lawyer disagreed.)  Now, a prosecutor has confirmed that there will be no charges, absent additional information.

According to the Morning Journal, Elyria City Prosecutor Matt Mishak said that, due to conflicting statements, there was no probable cause to arrest Richardson.  Mishak added that, absent new evidence, charges are unlikely.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit against Richardson was transferred from Cuyahoga County to Lorain County, a move that presumably occurred at the request of Richardson’s lawyers.  It’s part of the games lawyers play as they try to position cases so they’ll be heard by judges and/or juries deemed to be more favorable.

The absence of criminal charges has no impact on a civil lawsuit, which is subject to a far lower standard of proof and can be filed without meeting any initial burdens like probable cause.

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The Dolphins are getting closer to signing all of their draft picks.

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that running back Mike Gillislee, a fifth-round pick in April, has signed his contract with the team. According to the report, Gillislee’s four-year deal is worth $2.322 million and he received a signing bonus of $162,800.

Gillislee will fight Daniel Thomas for snaps behind projected starter Lamar Miller in 2013. After the draft, Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said (via the Miami Herald) that he thought Gillislee could handle himself in pass protection. If that proves to be true, that skill could help push him into a third-down role on the offense this season. He ran for 1,152 yards and 10 touchdowns at Florida in 2012.

With Gillislee in the fold, the Dolphins have now signed five of their nine draft picks from last month.

AP

As we learned last week, some teams are more willing than others to work with players with certain medical conditions.

But the Giants had no such qualms about drafting safety Cooper Taylor in the fifth round, even though he had a lengthy medical report including a heart condition which was diagnosed in 2009.

During a game his sophomore season at Georgia Tech, his heart began racing, he felt dizzy and blacked out. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a rare issue with the electrical pathways in the heart. He had a procedure the next day, and was assured it wouldn’t prevent him from playing again.

“When it comes to heart conditions,” he told Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, “it’s a good one to have because they can fix it 100 percent.”

Of course, he had plenty of other health issues as well, during a college caerer that included a transfer to Richmond. He had the usual assortment of knee sprains and broken bones, and also missed most of 2010 with a “heat-related illness,” which he said was unrelated to the WPW.

But the heart problem was the one teams were careful to check out, causing him to travel with a full file of documents.

“A lot of teams wanted to make sure that I had all the doctors’ records,” Taylor said. “So I was travelling with a stack of notes and papers that I had from the best doctors in Atlanta and whoever I was seeing up in Richmond when I transferred that said the heart pathways have been fixed and there should be no other problems. So any team that needed it, I had that information right there for them.”

The Giants said they didn’t consider him a medical risk after checking his file, giving Taylor a chance to fulfill a dream he thought was taken away from him years ago.

AP

Bills DE Mario Williams graduated from the Lone Star College Law Enforcement Academy on Friday, which makes him a licensed peace officer in the state of Texas.

The Dolphins went fishing for charity this weekend.

Members of the Patriots recently played in a charity basketball game with the Tewksbury Police Association.

Jets RB Mike Goodson’s recent arrest could land him in prison, which is where his father is currently serving a 20-year sentence.

Ravens CB Marc Anthony gets asked about Jennifer Lopez and Cleopatra more than he’d like.

Former Steeler Greg Lloyd paid a visit to Bengals coach Marvin Lewis’ charity golf outing.

Is CB Leon McFadden destined for a starting role with the Browns?

Former Steelers QB Charlie Batch gave the commencement address at Washington & Jefferson College, alma mater of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Five things to watch when the Texans gather for OTAs.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano caught a ride around the Indianapolis 500 track with Mario Andretti.

Playing time at receiver is there for the taking with the Jaguars.

Playing for former offensive linemen Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews helped convince Robert Turner to sign with the Titans.

There will be a lot of competition at wide receiver and linebacker for the Broncos.

Members of the Chiefs staff spent Friday touring the site of this year’s training camp.

Eight members of the Raiders visited Facebook headquarters to learn about the company.

LB Larry English could be in line for an expanded role with the Chargers.

Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News thinks rookie CB B.W. Webb and rookie WR Terrance Williams could have an impact for the Cowboys this year.

Giants S Cooper Taylor has long looked up to former Giants CB Jason Sehorn.

The Eagles are planning shorter, more efficient practices this season.

A look at who’s in the mix for the right tackle job with the Redskins.

Mike Ditka shares some thoughts on QB Jay Cutler and other Bears.

Lions QB Shaun Hill had a walking boot on his foot after what he called a “very minor” procedure.

Versatility is one of the things Packers DL Datone Jones brings to the table.

It’s going to be a big season for Vikings QB Christian Ponder.

The Falcons are set to have their largest offensive line in years.

LB Jon Beason hasn’t joined his teammates in restructuring his contract with the Panthers.

Said Saints T Charles Brown of his bid for a starting job, “I feel like my time has come, and I’m trying to get ready for it.”

Buccaneers G Davin Joseph’s charitable foundation is helping schools in Tampa.

Cardinals tight ends coach Rich Christophel hasn’t found it too difficult making the jump from college to the pros.

The Rams will host a 5K run the day before the start of the regular season.

49ers WR Ricardo Lockette is getting help with the playbook from QB Colin Kaepernick.

A call for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll to address the team’s performance-enhancing drug suspensions.

AP

Plenty of players test positive for performance enhancing drugs.  But the Seahawks definitely are in the midst of a troubling trend.

As pointed out by Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune, defensive end Bruce Irvin has become the sixth Seahawks player to test positive for performance enhancing drugs since 2011.

The others are cornerback Brandon Browner, safety Winston Guy, offensive lineman John Moffitt, offensive lineman Allen Barbre, and cornerback Richard Sherman.

Sherman’s suspension was overturned on appeal, based on irregularities with the sample-collection process.  Officially, then, he tested positive but the league determined that he did not violate the PED policy.

Irvin’s suspension also proves that, no matter how good a team looks on paper in May, plenty of things can happen to derail what appears to be a certain Super Bowl run.

AP

Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch recently landed on NFL Network’s Top 100 list.  Four spots higher than Darrelle Revis.

Which prompted a candid reaction from MDS.

And so Tulloch has found a way to find extra motivation, based on the response to his placement ahead of Revis.

“Trust me, I’ve been [a] fourth-round pick, undersized, this and that.  I’ve heard it all,” Tulloch said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.  “I’ve came to the league, I’ve played a long time, I’ve made good money, I’ve done it all.  At this point, you can keep throwing stones at me but I’m going to keep breaking them up and keep doing what I do.  That’s just another one.  It’s all good.”

Still, Tulloch believes the players who vote on the top 100 players (actually, the players who vote merely pick their top 20) got it right.

“People don’t realize that when you play the game of football you endure a lot and you go through a lot and the players, they understand that,” Tulloch said.  “So for the players to vote [me in the top 100] and leave the writers out of it, it speaks volumes because we know what it is to go week in and week out and play against one another.”

Tulloch was more direct in response to MDS’s assessment of the wisdom of Tulloch’s placement ahead of Revis.  “Lol I love it when people hate @ProFootballTalk Michael D Smith!” Tulloch said on Twitter.  “He can sit behind a computer & write about something he wish [he] could play!”

Tulloch has a right to his opinions.  And so do we.  On the question of whether Tulloch is actually a better player than Revis, we’ve got a feeling that most people would agree with our opinion.

AP

The Panthers launch their Organized Team Activities this week, the first official practice with Mike Shula in charge of the offense.

But coach Ron Rivera says it won’t be Shula’s offense, per se.

“It’s not necessarily his offense as much as the Panthers’ offense, what we’re going to do,” Rivera recently said, via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Shula was bumped up from quarterbacks coach after former offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski became head coach of the Browns.  Rivera picked Shula in part because of the continuity he brings.  Shula also is expected to rely extensively on input from the rest of the offensive staff.

Though Shula has a reputation for being conservative when it comes to calling plays, Rivera sees it differently.  “I think what I like about him is his aggressive nature.  I like that,” Rivera said.  “I think the thing that he and I have talked about is doing things that will maximize each individual’s abilities.”

That’s the key to good coaching.  Too many coaches try to force players into a predetermined system.  The best coaches take the talent they have and draw up plays that highlight their strengths and hide their weaknesses.

The Vikings’ new stadium has a large glass roof.  Which raises a fair question.

Who will clean the bird droppings and stuff that could land on the roof?

“The [ethylene tetrafluoroethylene] product is self-cleaning,” Vikings V.P. of public affairs/stadium development Lester Bagley recently told Bob Sansavere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  “It’s the largest clear roof in the world and the first on a stadium in the U.S.  There are some in Europe.”

Bagley explained that the self-cleaning will be accomplished by “rain and moisture.”  Which makes the roof “self-cleaning” in the same way parking a car in the rain makes the vehicle “self-washing.”

The sloped roof also should cause snow to slide off; then again, the roof of my house is sloped, but the snow doesn’t slide off.  Then again, given what happened at Cowboys Stadium during Super Bowl week in early 2011, maybe the Vikings don’t want the snow or ice to slide off.

“There’s a basin that catches the snow and prevents it from going down to the street,” Bagley said.  “It slides off the roof into a gutter, essentially, and it breaks up from there.  It will be very safe.”

Regardless of the details, designers surely engineered the building to withstand and manage the elements.  After what happened in Minnesota late in the 2010 season, no one reasonably can claim that they didn’t know the roof of the football stadium could be self-opening.

AP

At a time when the Jaguars aren’t interested in bringing Tim Tebow home to Jacksonville, he went there anyway.

Via the Florida Times-Union, Tebow was in town Friday night to speak at New Life Christian Fellowship.  As he did earlier this month in Michigan, he said nothing about his NFL future.

Tebow did offer one funny, self-deprecating jab at his NFL past.

“One of my favorite stories, ironically, was against the New York Jets,” Tebow said, referring to the game-winning touchdown run for the Broncos, in a 2011 Thursday night game.  “And probably my greatest Jets highlight, I guess.”

The Jaguars remain uninterested in allowing Tebow to create similar highlights for them, even though in 2012 the Jags tried to trade for Tebow.  Jaguars legend Tony Boselli recently suggested that Tebow possibly could be a “franchise quarterback,” but Boselli agreed with the Jaguars’ decision to steer clear of Tebowmania.

“What team wants to bring a guy who’s a developing player onto their roster when he’s going to be a complete distraction — through no fault of his own — and become a disruption in the locker room?” Boselli said.  “It becomes all about that — whether he is going to play, whether it’s going to work — and the rest of the team is saying, ‘We’re trying to win ballgames.’  I feel bad for Tim because I don’t think it’s all his fault.  It’s outside circumstances and people who are making it tough on him.”

Still, Tebow’s image feels partially scripted and contrived.  Though he seems to be a good person, there’s a too-good-to-be-completely-true element that Tebow and/or those close to him possibly have helped perpetuate.  Many casual fans have bought it completely, prompting them to skew their view of his football abilities.

Unless a team is willing to embrace Tebow and Tebowmania, making him the starting quarterback no matter how bad he is in practice or the first 3.75 quarters of a close game, it won’t work.  With no team willing to do that for 2013, the question becomes whether a team that stinks this season will decide that, for 2014, it can stink again without Tebow — or it can stink with him.

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As Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski prepares for a fourth surgery on his forearm and a probable back surgery, we’ve been reminded of the concerns that caused Gronkowski, a potential first-round pick in the 2010 draft, to slide to round two.

While a stellar performance in 2011 blew the red flags away, Gronkowski has had multiple injuries during his time in the NFL.  His career fairly can be characterized as being at a crossroads.

Plenty of league insiders and observers aren’t surprised.  In 2010, several teams had him off the draft board due to his health.  He had missed three games in 2008, and all of the 2009 season after injuring his back while lifting weights.  As late as February 2010, he wasn’t able to run.

Even after the 2009 surgery, Gronkowski had a significant bulging disc in two different areas of his back.  As a result, many believed he would have chronic back issues, and that his NFL career would be short.

After three seasons, it’s unclear when Gronkowski will be ready for his fourth.  And given the injuries he has sustained during those three years, it’s hard not to wonder how many more he has left.

While it makes him look even smarter for signing a long-term contract when he did, the Pats may never have to decide whether to fork over a $10 million option bonus in 2016, because he has to make it through three more seasons before that question even becomes pertinent.

AP

In the last paragraph of a very thorough look at the potential impact of the scandal involving Pilot Flying J on the ability of Jimmy Haslam to continue to own the Browns, Don Banks of SI.com writes that, according to league and team sources, “the idea of Haslam having to change his long-term status in team ownership in reaction to the fraud case seems unlikely.”

The key words in that sentence are “for now.”

Much remains unknown as it relates to the federal probe that launched months ago, with an employee secretly recording conversations at the behest of the FBI.  Last month, the investigation culminated in the issuance of a search warrant that allowed the FBI and IRS to descend on the Pilot Flying J headquarters, seizing documents and computers and all sorts of other potential evidence that possibly will prove beyond a reasonable doubt fraud against multiple customers.

For starters, no one knows the contents of the documents and computers and all sorts of other potential evidence.  There could be one or more smoking guns, for example, in emails sent or received by Haslam.

There also could be much more evidence that was harvested before the execution of the search warrant.  The 120-page affidavit that resulted in the issuance of the search warrant mentions only one conversation indicating that Haslam was aware of the alleged scheme, with words coming not from Haslam but from another employee.  There could be other, similar proof that the feds opted to withhold, for now.

Thus, the 120-page could be the tip of the iceberg.  We just don’t know — and we won’t know unless and until the feds decide to pursue indictments.

Then there’s the possibility that one or more of the employees who currently are being pitched under the bus by Haslam’s apparent I-didn’t-know-what-the-scoundrels-who-work-for-me-were-doing strategy will trade immunity for testimony that Haslam at best was aware and at worst ordered the proverbial customer code red.

So while there likely won’t be an abundance of awkward moments this week when owners gather in Boston for their first meeting since the scandal broke, it’s impossible to know how this will unfold until we know more about the evidence that the FBI and IRS were, or weren’t, able to develop.

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From the moment we commenced the process of accepting nominations for each team’s Mt. Rushmore, we’ve received scattered communications from Patriots fans lamenting the task of identifying the four greatest figures in franchise history.

The time has come, at least when it comes to coming up with the list of finalists.

Nominate your favorite Patriots below.  Eventually, we’ll come up with 10 or 12 on which you’ll all be able to vote.

And, no, Matt Walsh and Walt Coleman will not be among the finalists.  No matter how many times you try to nominate them.

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With all the criticism Mike Vick has absorbed during his NFL career, you’d think he’d be used to it by now.

He apparently isn’t.

Earlier this week, Vick got a little testy during an interview with Mike Missanelli of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia on the topic of those who say he doesn’t read defenses quickly enough, and that he holds onto the ball for too long.

“I’m really tempted right now to just say no comment to that because like I said a second ago, you don’t last 12 years in the NFL not being able to read the defense,” Vick said, via Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com.  “Those people who are talking and saying that are just ignorant, and they know nothing about football.  Unless they turn on the film and watch my game and see what goes on, then they’ll replace those comments with the right comments.”

Missanelli pointed out that critics who know football have made those claims.  “But it’s incorrect,” Vick said.  “Without getting sensitive about it, it’s incorrect.  So I’d rather not talk about it.”

We’d hate to hear what Vick would say if he were sensitive about it.  (Actually, we’d probably love to hear it.)

Vick attributes the perception of holding the ball too long to the West Coast offense the Eagles ran under Andy Reid.  “We had a lot of deeper throws last year, which required more time,” Vick said.  “It’s just a big difference.”

New coach Chip Kelly’s system will result in quicker throws; if Vick can make them, he’ll likely be the starter.  Kelly also has taught Vick something unrelated to throwing the ball — how to run with it, without fumbling.

“The other day, I broke out in the pocket, and the first thing Chip told me was to tuck the football,” Vick said.  “So I showed him how I was running with it, and he looked at it and he knocked the ball right out of my hands.  And he was like, ‘Hold it like this.’  And what he told me felt comfortable.  I had a tighter grip on the football. That should secure that problem as long as I work on it.”

It remains to be seen whether Vick will undergo a Tiki-style transformation when it comes to ball security.  But if he can get rid of the ball when he needs to and keep possession of it when he has to, Vick could have a big year in 2013.

AP

The medical condition that made defensive lineman Kyle Love unfit for further employment with the Patriots has not kept him from working for the Jaguars.

According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Love passed a Friday physical in Jacksonville, with one caveat — the he receive treatment for Type-2 diabetes.

Clearance came after the Jaguars subjected Love to a “battery of tests” at the team’s facility.  On Thursday, the Jaguars claimed Love’s contract on waivers, following his release by the Patriots.

And so the Jags are giving Love that which the Pats weren’t willing to provide — a chance to show that he can play football with diabetes, like others have done.  While that doesn’t mean Love will win a spot on the 53-man roster in Jacksonville, the Jaguars were willing to not apply labels or presumptions to Love’s condition, and instead to give him an opportunity to contribute, regardless of a health condition with which many people lead entirely normal lives.

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Earlier this month, the Jets cut defensive end Claude Davis and cornerback Cliff Harris after they were arrested for marijuana possession.

Now, the Jets face a more delicate dilemma.

With running back Mike Goodson facing guns and weapons charges, it’s easy at first blush to assume the Jets won’t mess around.  That’s precisely what Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon believes will happen.

“It’s one of the things where it’s zero-tolerance with stuff like that,” Colon said Saturday, per Seth Walder of the New York Daily News.  “It’s sad.  Mike could have been huge for us.”

He still could be.  As Colon learned during his time with the Steelers, certain players get the benefit of the doubt, and certain others become the example.  With Goodson, who received a $1 million signing bonus as part of a three-year, $6.9 million contract in March, the Jets could be inclined to give him a second chance.

Much of that depends on Goodson’s legal situation.  Some players get to continue playing while charges are pending; others (like Mike Vick) don’t.  If the NFL doesn’t suspend Goodson pending the resolution of these charges, the Jets can either keep Goodson on the team and possibly recoup some of the signing bonus if he’s suspended/incarcerated at a later date, or they can cut him and let him walk away with a far better deal than DeAngelo Hall’s $8 million for eight games.

Goodson would get $1 million for no games.

That gives the Jets one million reasons to keep him around.