Fresh Loaf

In what has been an off-season from hell for Falcons QB Michael Vick, the star football player has found himself up the wrong shit creek this time, literally.

Both the AJC and ProFootballTalk.com have reported that as of early Thursday morning, Vick is yet to pay a fine that he was given for a misdemeanor trespassing citation back in February for fishing in the Western Branch lake in Virginia. He was due in Suffolk County Court today to settle the matter. Odd.

But even stranger is the new AJC story reporting that the charges have suddenly been dismissed. More odd.

The AJC reported that it is not known whether Vick or a representative appeared in court today, just that the court papers document the case has been dismissed.

This is really no big deal and just seems fishy. The strangest thing is, coming only a few days after Vick’s AirTran mishap, this has been an off-season full of headlines for Vick as he has found himself in small pieces of trouble far too often. He has never been convicted of any sort of violent crime, nor has he really done anything wrong, but his record of missing breakfast with Congress, giving the finger to the crowd and fishing in the wrong end zone just seems out of place for the Falcons QB — whose name usually only appears in box scores.

Opening day is just over four months away … how about laying low for a while, Vickster?

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Michael Vick can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to his commercial flights these days.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback was scheduled to speak at a Capitol Hill breakfast Tuesday morning, where he was to receive an award for his work with his foundation helping to improve after-school programs in Georgia and Virginia.

Vick was a no-show. And the whole thing has escalated into a bru-ha-ha between Vick and AirTran.

According to press reports, Vick was scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., Monday night on an 8:35 p.m. AirTran flight from Atlanta. He missed the flight because he arrived late in Atlanta on his connecting flight from Tampa, where he played in teammate Warrick Dunn’s charity golf tournament. AirTran confirms that Vick’s plane from Tampa landed in Atlanta at 8:38 p.m.

So what’s the issue? Well, Vick was rescheduled on a 10:50 p.m. flight that he also happened to miss — and therein lies the problem.

Vick claims that his “travel situation” did not allow him to make it D.C. on time to appear in front of Congress. It all seems a little fishy, though, since Tad Hutcheson, a spokesman for AirTran, said that Vick was confirmed and had been notified of his rebooking on the 10:50 p.m. flight.

Vick’s mother, Brenda Boddie, accepted the award on Vick’s behalf, as she was able to make it to the breakfast.

Vick makes more than enough money to charter a jet. With all of the trouble that commercial take-offs and security lines have given him this year, NetJets might be a good investment for the fellow.

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The NFL just recently fined Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher $100,000 for drinking Vitaminwater and wearing a Vitaminwater hat during media day in the week that precedes the Super Bowl. Vitaminwater is not an official drink sponsor of the NFL — only Gatorade is the NFL’s official drink, hence the extreme fine.

Now, I don’t know what Vitaminwater is and I’ve never heard of it (but I think I might try some now), but this fine got me thinking about Atlanta sports figures and some of the fines they’ve been handed over the years …

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OK, baseball fans, the last-place Chicago Cubs (5-8) begin a two-game series with the division-leading Braves (9-4) tonight, so I thought a small comparison of the team histories was in order — that is, considering they are so drastically different.

Being a Braves fan has been easy. It’s like being a baby: Every time we open our mouths, someone shovels more food in; when we take a shit, someone else cleans it up. There are no curses, no bad joo-joo, nada. The only thing difficult, it would appear, about being a Braves fan is showing up to the games! This is not true for Cubs fans.

All of that said shit has been dumped on the Cubbies, those lovable losers from the North Side of Chicago. Not since 1908 have the Cubs won a World Series — the longest dry spell in all of baseball and of every major sport in the United States. I’d list the huge events that have occurred since the last time the Cubs won the championship, but you are probably planning on going to bed tonight before 3 a.m. (If not, well, maybe you should get a job.)

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According to profootballtalk.com, Falcons guard Kyman Forney is upset about former offensive-line coach Alex Gibbs’ policies regarding his O-linemen’s bellies.

While there were other concerns voiced, Forney is most upset about Gibbs’ ideas regarding the players’ weight. He says the coach forced them to weigh-in under 300 pounds each week — somewhat light for an O-line — or face team sanctions.

“They would tell you that you have to weigh 295 so you’d be sitting up Wednesday and Thursday night starving sometimes.”

Three hundred pounds might not be an issue for you and me, but for these Goliath-like offensive linemen who are forced to block even bigger 340-pound defensemen like Green Bay Packer Gilbert Brown, this weight issue can be a struggle. Turn on the TV on any given Sunday in the fall and you’ll understand exactly what this whole thing is about. The line of scrimmage is about control. Ever played tug-of-war against a sumo wrestler? I think you get the point.

Forney says that Gibbs wanted the players light so they could better execute his zone-blocking scheme. Forney says that he and his teammates would have been better off at a more comfortable playing weight.

“You should be able to weigh what you’re comfortable playing at, as long as you can move and you’re strong. If you’re starving yourself, you’re burning up muscle and getting weak over the course of the season,” Forney said.

It’s difficult to take up argument with Gibbs, whose Falcons rush attack has led the league in yards gained for the past three years. I mean, let’s face the facts, the scale is tipped in Gibbs’ direction on that one.

But this issue is about more than yards gained and weigh-ins. For some time now, stories have been written and aired about the plight of linemen and their struggles with various diseases, such as diabetes and other ailments, all relating to their playing days at abnormally high weights. Some coaches prefer their linemen to be heavy, where extra pounds can often be the difference between an RB getting tackled at the line and breaking one for 20 yards. Coaches’ jobs depend on their ability to produce numbers, which are dependent on the players and their weights … it’s a vicious cycle.

Most linemen are upset because they have to maintain above a certain weight to play, not below. So on one hand, we have a coach demanding his players to stay light and quick against their will, and on the other is a guy saying he’d rather play at a more natural weight. Not an easy issue. I’m sure we’d all like to see these humans live long, meaningful lives after football — especially if that means losing some weight.

But Gibbs and Jim Mora Jr. are out, and Bobby Petrino and staff are in. So I guess we’ll have to wait a year to see how this plays out and how the 2007 Falcons will look in their uniforms. But as long as they lead the league in rushing, it’s all gravy.

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The Falcons’ 2007 schedule just came out and … that’s that. It’s no big deal, let’s not overanalyze — but it’s worth taking a look, right?

On first glance, what jumps off the page are the two Monday Night Football games the Falcons will play this year. The first is versus the New York Football Giants Oct. 15 and the second is versus the New Orleans Saints Dec 10. Not the two easiest games on their schedule, but both Monday-nighters are in the ATL and winnable games in front of the millions who’ll be watching.

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Excuse my favorite arcade-game reference; this is no childish matter.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came down hard on CB Pacman Jones today when it was announced the Tennessee Titans player would be suspended for the entire 2007 NFL season.

About the suspension, Goodell had this to say: “We must protect the integrity of the NFL. The highest standards of conduct must be met by everyone in the NFL because it is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right. These players, and all members of our league, have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis.”

Georgia-born Jones attended Westlake High School in Atlanta and had a great on-field season in 2006 for the Titans, nabbing a career-best four interceptions while tying for the league lead in punt returns for touchdowns with three. But it was his off-field moves that had everybody talking.

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According to several sources, including profootballtalk.com, ESPN, and the NFL network, the Atlanta Falcons are on the verge on inking a deal with Joey Harrington.

Just weeks after losing former Michael Vick backup Matt Schaub to the Texans, the Falcons seem to be close to signing a marquee name. Harrington, the former No. 3 overall draft pick in 2002, reportedly will be arriving in the ATL on Tuesday to sign the papers and hold up his uniform for the cameras.

Harrington hasn’t had the sort of career that your average No. 3 overall draft pick does. With big hopes, he entered the league with the Detroit Lions only to come up short under the enormous pressure put on him to save the entire franchise. He then went south to the Miami Dolphins and faltered yet again.

This is an important move — assuming it goes through. Vick has play-making ability unlike any other quarterback in the league. But with his athleticism and chance-taking is an inherent risk that few other quarterbacks ever face. And in these days of Jeff Garcia-led Eagles through the playoffs, the backup quarterback position is becoming that much more important.

Now landing in Atlanta, Harrington has the chance to resurrect his career and play like the QB he was back in college at Oregon. He has the skills, and a great arm. Maybe backing up the Vick-ster will calm him down and allow him to make the reads necessary to hit Alge Crumpler in the end zone.

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It’s understandable that the casual sports fan in Atlanta might put the TV remote control down tonight after the NCAA Final Four concludes. But the truth is that this great week of sports in Georgia is only getting started.

When the clock strikes zero at the Georgia Dome and the nets are cut down, it will mark the end of one event and the beginning of another: the Masters.

Getting underway today with the first practice round, the Masters is the No. 1 golf tournament in the world, and it’s held every year a few hours outside of Atlanta at Augusta National Golf Club.

Beginning with round-one play on Thursday, the world’s best golfers — including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh — will all be at Augusta fighting for the right to wear the green jacket on Sunday evening.

With only the best players competing at what is arguably the most challenging golf course in the world, it’s OK to spend another few days glued to the television. Just try and take care of business during the commercial breaks, I guess.

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