It is so nice to be able to be talking football again. We always talked about it some, of course, but now things are really getting rolling. I love summer for the weather, but sports are at their best in the fall. With training camps well underway everywhere now, let’s take a look at some of the stories that have caught my attention today:
– Interesting reports coming out of Philadelphia where DeSean Jackson is missing time. He hurt his hamstring in June, and he re-injured it on Sunday. I’m not a fan of drafting small, fragile players like Jackson , so I feel a little vindication about this. Players of his type are impressive and can put up flashy highlight reel plays, but they are too small to be durable in the tough NFL. Where’s Dante Hall these days? I don’t want to suggest that this injury is more significant than it is, but I certainly don’t think that it is a good sign for the development of the player, or for the team that is relying on him to both return punts and convert on deep third down plays. Incidentally, I put PercyHarvin in the same category as Jackson, and have similar frustrations about his pick. Ted Ginn, too.
– I like the addition of Amani Toomer to Kansas City – any team is better with the addition of a good Michigan man. Toomer isn’t exactly young, but he came cheap, he’s a hard worker, and he’ll be a positive presence in the locker room. Matt Cassel needs all the help he can get this year, and the Chiefs have done a nice job of adding some pieces to complement the nice young core they have in place. I don’t expect the team to be a major contender, but the early feedback is very positive for the Todd Haley era.
– I wish some team would just get over themselves and sign Michael Vick. He’ll come cheap, he’s not going to be a problem in the short term at least, he’ll sell tickets out of curiosity, and he’ll be useful as a change of pace if nothing else. I know there are more teams interested than would ever admit it, so one of them needs to get him signed and get him in camp as soon as they can. Green Bay has come up in talk the last couple of days, and I think he could be very interesting there.
– I like the addition of Andrew Walter as a backup in New England. He’s a better fit than Cleo Lemon in my mind – more game experience, and more reliable. I’m sad to see Matt Gutierrez get the boot, though.He’s a good player who has had bad luck ever since he got hurt at Michigan and lost his job to Chad Henne.
– I’ve read in a couple of places now that Matt Leinart is in a serious competition with Brian St. Pierre to back-up Kurt Warner. Does anyone else find that news as hilarious as I do?
