Kyle’s View

Michael Vick’s future in the NFL seems to be very hazy at the moment. The Eagles hold a lot of the cards in what the future may hold for Vick. If they decide they want to part ways with Donovan Mcnabb or Kevin Kolb they could decide they want to keep Vick as a back up to either guy. The other side of the equation is they could decide to move Vick. If they do decide to move Vick there are a couple teams that seem to make the most sense for Vick. The Carolina Panthers seem like the best option at the moment. The biggest reason is this is the team Vick said he would like to play for in a recent interview. Carolina will keep him on the east coast and close to home. The Panthers also features some pieces on offense that make this option very attractive. The ability to hand off to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart would put Vick in a situation where he would not need to shoulder the load on offense. Another weapon that works in Vicks favor is the big play ability of Steve Smith. Smith has the ability to take a 5-yard hitch and turn it into a big play that can result in a touchdown. Fantasy owners would like this option also because the lack of production from Smith seems to result from the lack of play from Jake Delhomme. The quarterback situation in Carolina is in question as well. They have Matt Moore penciled in to start the season but as a career back up and not a huge star coming out of Oregon State, many people look at Carolinas quarterback situation as a question mark.

Another option for Vick seems to be the St Louis Rams. Having the ability to turn and hand off to Steven Jackson provides the same ability to not need to shoulder the load with the Rams. Vick will provide a little more balance and will force defenses to be more balanced. The effect Vick could have for Steven Jackson could help him stay healthy not forcing Steven Jackson to do it all on offense. St Louis also features a shaky quarterback situation at best. The Rams feature Marc Bulger coming off a couple injury riddled seasons and poor play while he was on the field. The backup for Bulger is Keith Null who started his first game this past season. The Rams could go Sam Bradford with the number one pick in the draft and throw a wrench in to things. However if they go defensive tackle and select either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy then Vick could be very much in play.

However news has started to swirl that the Eagles would part with Donovan McNabb for a pick of top 42 picks in the NFL draft. This could put a halt to a deal involving Vick. If the Eagles would part with McNabb, Kevin Kolb would become the starter with a dose of Vick in the wildcat formation. The future of the Eagles quarterback situation is still to be seen.

Since 1994 the team that has won the coin toss in overtime, has won the game 60% of the time. This result lead to a 28-4 vote that passed a proposal on Tuesday that will change the way the overtime works in NFL playoffs.  In the new terms, the team who wins the coin toss can win the game by scoring a touchdown. However if they only manage to score a field goal, then the opposing team, will opportunity to score. If they get a touchdown then the game is over. If they are only able to score a game tying field goal, then the game will continue in a second over time. It will be a traditional sudden death rules. This is a permanent change that will be applied.  This rule change will add excitement and intrigue to overtime. Of the many games I’ve seen the old overtime rules have allowed a team to be super cautious. They pressure to score a td was never there. With the new rule the pressure to put the ball in the end zone will be higher and provide more entertaining finishes to games. No longer will a riveting game end with an anti-climatic overtime. The potential convoluted endings make this rule confusing at first but will keep fans entertained throughout the playoffs. The majority of the owners and the competition committee felt the change was necessary and would improve games for the future. The rule that is being called the “Brett Favre Rule” because of the way the Vikings vs. Saints playoff game ended, lends a little comic value in the fact that Minnesota Vikings were a team that voted against the rule. The only flaw I see in the rule is the fact that it doesn’t take effect till the playoffs. The rules should be consistent and be in effect throughout the season. The biggest reason for the rule to not be in effect for the regular season is the resistance from the NFL Players Association. They feel that the rule in the regular season would keep the players on the field longer and give more opportunity for injury. When the regular season ends team are separated by a game or two and if the rule was in effect during the regular season this could mean the difference between making the playoffs or not, as well as whether a team is at home vs. on the road for the playoffs.