The Globe and Mail

Friday, October 1, 2010 2:11 PM EDT

Vick and McNabb meet again

Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick – two quarterbacks whose paths have crossed more than a few times – will share the spotlight Sunday when the Washington Redskins visit the Philadelphia Eagles.

It began in 1997 when McNabb was a star at Syracuse University, dreaming of the NFL, and Vick was a high-school star looking to follow in McNabb’s footsteps.

McNabb played host to Vick during Vick’s Syracuse recruiting visit, but he opted instead for Virginia Tech, where he became an even bigger star than McNabb had been at Syracuse.

By then McNabb had moved on to the Eagles, part of a draft class that changed pro football forever when three black quarterbacks – McNabb, Daunte Culpepper and Akili Smith – were all taken in the first round.

In 2000, McNabb ran for 629 yards and threw for 3,365 in his second NFL season, helping to create acceptance for running quarterbacks, since along with his ability to rush the ball effectively, he possessed one of the deadliest arms in the NFL.

McNabb was the new breed of dual-threat quarterback, as admired for his intelligence and leadership ability as his physical skills. He helped pave the way for Vick.

When McNabb turned a losing franchise into a winner, won the confidence of his teammates and changed games with his combined talents of running and throwing, attitudes changed.

When Vick became the first African-American quarterback selected first overall in the draft, by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001, it quieted the long-burning issue of blacks at the position.

Vick’s rookie NFL season was like watching the next-generation model of McNabb roll off the line. Only if McNabb was a Corvette, Vick was a Lamborghini. Faster, more fearless, Vick possessed a confidence not seen in many athletes in any sport. He was less refined than McNabb, but more dynamic.

In an NFL that at times looks programmed, Vick was untamed, a player allowed to play the game differently since only a fool would try to limit the first quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

It turned out the only person who could limit Vick was Vick himself.

But when he returned from serving his federal sentence for funding a dogfighting ring, McNabb helped recruit him again, this time successfully to Philadelphia. The Eagles were still McNabb’s team, but Vick could attract the spotlight even standing in someone else’s shadow.

When he played, however, it looked different. Observers said he was slower, less athletic and sharp, that the magic that once was Michael Vick no longer existed in a 29-year-old man who had spent most of the previous two years in prison.

And besides, it wasn’t as if McNabb, who had done everything for Philadelphia but win a championship, was going anywhere.

Or was he? The relationship between McNabb and the Eagles, once a perfect fit, had become strained by four losses in the National Football Conference championship game and one in the Super Bowl. (Coincidentally, to get to the championship game, McNabb led the Eagles over the Vick-led Falcons.)

By last winter in Philadelphia, McNabb was defined not by what he’d done, but by what he’d left undone. Which is a burden Vick doesn’t have to bear now while carrying the torch for a team whose last NFL title came in 1960, well before anyone had ever heard the words Super Bowl.

McNabb is in Washington, trying to show he can do in another city what he failed to do in Philly, that somehow the bad karma was theirs not his.

Vick, who took over the Eagles’ offence in Week 1 after Kevin Kolb went down with an injury, has led the team to two wins and has been named the starter for the rest of the season. Now the hottest topic in the NFL, he’s proving it’s possible to ride out the storm and be yet again cast as a hero, that all those who’d concluded he’d lost something were wrong.

Two players who know what it’s like to be loved and rejected, to different degrees and for different reasons, each seeking redemption.

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Friday, March 26, 2010 6:05 PM EDT

Football’s decline in Toronto

So the International Bowl is dead.

For those of you who may have missed it, the International Bowl was the annual U.S. college clash between representatives of the Big East and Mid-American conferences, played each year in early January at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

During it’s four year existence, the International Bowl showcased a couple of future NFL running backs (Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens and Donald Brown of the Indianapolis Colts) and set the all-time attendance record for a collegiate sporting event on Canadian soil (or turf) when Buffalo played Connecticut before more than 40,000 in January of 2009.

May it rest in peace.

But the death of the International Bowl speaks to a much larger issue -- the complete financial failure of every football venture in Canada’s largest market.

The International Bowl? Dead.

The Vanier Cup? Moved from the Big Smoke because of lack of interest.

The Buffalo Bills playing once a season? No Thanks.

The CFL’s Toronto Argonauts? They haven’t turned a profit since this year’s class of college seniors were in diapers.

Meanwhile, the football programs at York University and the University of Toronto are traditionally at the very bottom in terms of on-field success and support in the stands.

So what gives?

The first thing that comes to mind is that maybe Torontonians don’t like football that much. But that is complete hogwash.

First of all, since we know football is popular across the United States, Western Canada and Quebec – and apparently Atlantic Canada based on this week’s two-day sellout of the game between the Argos and Eskimos in September – if people in Toronto don’t like football that would make this one very unique spot on the North American map.

But of course they do.

The CFL boomed in Toronto until the mid-1980s when the league began a series of self-inflicted wounds from which it has never really recovered in this part of the country. A stroll through the parking lot at Orchard Park, New York, on a Sunday afternoon in the fall will tell you there is still lots of interest in football, just not all of it is directed at the CFL.

High school football in Toronto is right now making a strong comeback. And as for anyone who might suggest Toronto’s multicultural nature is responsible for a football malaise, well forget it. Immigrants now make up the biggest area of growth in football at the grass roots, a trend that is apparent at the high school, collegiate and professional levels in Canada.

So why is Toronto such a lousy football town? How come no one can make a nickel on football in a market of five million people?

Go ahead and have your say before I share my thoughts on this one.

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Sunday, February 7, 2010 10:25 PM EST

Perfect night for football

Great night in Miami, perfect for football ... 17 degrees celsius and not a cloud in the sky.

One thing you don't get to see on television is the thousands of people standing on the sideline before the start of the game. Not sure what they all do but there must be a thousand or so.

Crowd just went crazy when they showed Garrett Hartley's game-winning kick two weeks ago in the NFC Championship game. It set off a roar of "Who Dat" around what seems like a pro-New Orleans crowd.

Can't remember a more revved-up crowd at any of my eight previous Super Bowl experiences.

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Sunday, February 7, 2010 12:12 AM EST

Cam Wake poised to step up for Dolphins

A little update from down in Miami on Cam Wake, the two-time CFL defensive player of the year who now wears no. 91 for the Dolphins.

You may recall that during last summer’s training camp, folks in Miami were a little underwhelmed by the player to whom the Dolphins had given a $1-million signing bonus after the 2008 CFL season.

There were even suggestions that had the Dolphins not given Wake so much up-front money, they might have cut him.

Well, the vibe these days has changed and it appears Wake is about to take on a bigger role with Miami now that Joey Porter has all but said he won’t play for Miami next season because he’s sick of losing snaps to Wake.

Tim Graham of ESPN has been documenting this drama on his AFC East Blog, noting some comments Porter made on radio earlier in Super Bowl week.

"You got a Pro Bowl player, asking to play," Porter said Tuesday afternoon during a long interview with Miami sports radio station WQAM. Porter sat down on Radio Row in the Super Bowl media centre. "If you let us just fight for the job, it's not even an argument. No shots to nobody, but it's not even an argument.”

"All them guys in my room, love them to death, but at outside linebacker, I'm the best one we got, period. There's nothing to even talk about. Who am I switching with? Why should I be switching out with any of them guys?"

He added "If you want to put Cameron Wake in the game, go ahead and good luck to you. Let me go find a new job somewhere."

Graham followed this story up by quoting some research from profootballfocus.com that demonstrates Wake is a superior pass rusher than Porter and in fact ranks among the very best at getting to a quarterback in the NFL.

Apparently only players who ranked ahead of Wake in efficiency at getting to the quarterback were Indianapolis Colts defensive ends Freeney and Robert Mathis and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Trent Cole, all of whom made the Pro Bowl.

So with Porter apparently on his way out of town, it appears Wake will see more time at outside linebacker which, because he is almost always rushing the passer, means playing almost like a stand-up end in Miami’s 3-4 scheme.

Good for him and good for the CFL to see one of its own have such success down here.

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Friday, February 5, 2010 8:51 PM EST

The NFL's Canadian concern

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his annual Super Bowl address.

And as per usual, the Canadian question came up, this time posed in regard to the issue of expansion.

Here’s what the commissioner said:

“As you know, Toronto is a great market. The Bills are playing up there on an annual basis in a regular season game, and then every other year with a preseason game. I think we want to continue to service that market. We have great fans there. I think it’s a great city. I think they are going to be facing, and I’ve talked to some of the leadership up there, potentially a stadium issue that is going to have to be addressed. Their current stadium, as you know, is a multi-purpose stadium and has a relatively small capacity by NFL standards. So I think there are some issues that would have to be addressed up there, but it’s a great market.”

That’s rather interesting, especially the part I’ve highlighted in bold above.

Goodell has talked to some of the leadership “up there”? To whom would he be referring?

And by suggesting there is going to be a “stadium issue that is going to have to be addressed” what exactly does he mean? Presumably he doesn’t mean Toronto is going to “address” the issue by building a new stadium to house the Buffalo Bills once a year? So what exactly is he talking about and who is he talking to?

The commissioner addressed a number of pertinent topics and I’ve selected a few of his responses below.

On the state of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the NFL’s worst attendance and had to black out a number of their games this past season:

“First let me say we know what’s going on in the marketplace, and what our fans and partners are facing in terms of economic challenges. I’ve spent an awful lot of time with Wayne (Weaver) talking about what’s happening in Jacksonville and how that is impacting the attendance. I think Wayne said it very well, that despite other factors, you can’t continue to have an NFL franchise with 40,000 people in the stands. We’ve got to try to improve that. Wayne has been very aggressive in working with the business community, and we will support him in every way. We know there are millions of fans in North Florida that want to continue to see the Jaguars play the great football they did this year, and we will support that, and hopefully we’ll see better results going forward.”

On the NFLPA’s view that the league wants to shut down by locking out its players before the 2011 season:

“We want an agreement and I think every owner will say the same thing. We want an agreement that’s fair to the game, to the players and will allow us to continue to invest in the game. The idea that ownership would be anxious for a work stoppage is absolutely false. You don’t make money by shutting down your business. It’s a bad scenario for everybody. I can assure you the ownership and I believe the players—in talking to individual players—want to get an agreement and want to work to do that. We are currently committed to do that and I am right there at the forefront.”

On whether the league would consider revamping it’s overtime rules:

“I understand your question. We spent an awful lot of time looking at overtime rules, tweaking them and trying to come up with something we thought was better. Frankly, in discussions with the players and coaches and all of our clubs, we haven’t been able to find a better solution. We actually think the rule is designed to win games in regulation and that the players and the coaches all support the system, and I think that’s an important part of this. We saw overtime twice in the postseason this year and they were maybe two of the most exciting games we’ve had. I think the overtime rules have served the league well. We’ll continue to look to see if there’s a better solution. But, I wouldn’t hold your breath on that solution.”

On the future of the St. Louis Rams who may be sold and the potential for relocation:

“We have a lease there. We will respect that lease. We would like the team to be successful in St. Louis over the long term …we will work with the future ownership to make sure that that team can continue to be there and be successful … There are two different processes. Ownership transfer is an important issue for us. We take a lot of time going through that with our committees and with the full membership. And then, if there is any kind of potential relocation, that’s a separate process. Fortunately, we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about potentially just an ownership change …But we want to be in St. Louis”

On the idea of playing the 2014 Super Bowl in New York

“Well as you know, I have to remain neutral on many issues. But this was something that was brought to our committee – our Super Bowl advisory committee – because for the New York Super Bowl bid to move forward, they had to make an exception to our weather issue. I sat in on that conversation and participated with them and I think there are real benefits to the league considering this as an option. I think the idea of playing in the elements is central to the way the game of football is played. I think being able to do that and celebrate the game of football in the number one market could have tremendous benefits to the league going forward. I think you will see that – I think our two co-chairmen are here, Woody Johnson and Jon Tisch – they will put together a very aggressive bid, one that will demonstrate the value of playing in New York and they will be competing against some great cities also. It will be an interesting vote, but I will stand on the sidelines and watch.”

On the possibility of a longer regular season:

“The restructured season is something that we give a lot of consideration, for a variety of reasons. One is the quality of what we do. I consistently hear from player and fans that the quality of our preseason is not up to NFL standards and that we need to fix that, we need to address that. This is one way of doing that, and what I believe is an effective way. Overall, it is consistent with the scene that I tried to present earlier, which is: focus on the quality of what you do, improve that, and create opportunities for everybody that everyone can share in. I think that we’re staying within a 20-game format. We improve the quality of what we’re offering our fans, and what we’re asking our fans to pay for. I think there’s a real strong logic behind all of that that needs further consideration. We spend a great deal of time talking with our partners about it, including the players, and it’s something that we’ll be discussing in the context of a Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

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Friday, February 5, 2010 6:27 PM EST

LaPolice hire shows that Mack is firmly in charge

Some thoughts on the hiring of Paul LaPolice as Winnipeg's new head coach ... from cloudy Florida.

It was interesting that after the Bombers hired Joe Mack as their general manager two weeks ago, it was widely assumed that Greg Marshall would follow as head coach.

That presumption was based on the perception the Blue Bombers' board of directors was pro-Marshall and therefore would exert that pressure when hiring Mack.

It was even speculated that Mack may have been given the GM's job on the condition he hire Marshall.

Now, no disrespect to Marshall, who would have been a fine choice as head coach, but anyone who knows Mack would know he would not have taken over the reigns of the Blue Bombers if his hands were going to be tied in any football matter.

It's a fundemental part of building a team that the people in charge have to be able to make their own choices in who they hire. As an experienced football executive, Mack would know this as well as anyone.

Which isn't to suggest he hired LaPolice to spite the board; moreover that he was always going to make his own decision, no matter whom he chose.

That part of this coaching hire should be good news to Bomber fans.

Now they just have to hope Mack made the right choice.

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Friday, February 5, 2010 11:29 AM EST

Hobnobbing with the rich and famous

Got out to see a bit of the Super Bowl week scene Thursday night at South Beach where myself and Richard Labbe from La Presse attended the EA Sports party at the Clevelander Hotel on Ocean Drive.

Quite a place with four floors of partiers, not to mention a sprawling patio that spills onto the beach, packed with an energetic crowd sprinkled with NFL players.

Here's the list of players (and ex-players) we confirmed were there:

• Miles Austin
• Jared Allen
• Maurice Jones-Drew
• Chris Johnson
• Chad Ochocinco
• Santonio Holmes
• Roy Williams
• Eric Wood
• Marshall Faulk
• Patrick Willis
• Warrick Dunn
• Dwayne Bowe
• Matt Hasselbeck
• Josh Freeman
• Mitch Berger

There were lots more but in a league with 1,900 players who are wearing helmets most of the time they are on television, getting positive ID's was a challenge.

For instance, when I picked out Freeman, Richard insisted I couldn't be right because "he looks like he is 15 years old."

A little Google image search on the Blackberry won the argument but yes, Freeman, who is actually 22, does have a baby face for a guy who signed a $26-million (U.S.) contract as the No. 17 pick in last spring's draft. (Let's hope he's more successful in the NFL than another strong-armed former Kansas State quarterback, Michael Bishop.)

Still, fun time, and quite the scene as you might imagine. (Although we wondered why does anyone who's interested in getting any sleep ever stay at The Clevelander since the rooms are adjacent to the party deck.)

One rule about getting out during Super Bowl week is it's better to do it earlier than later. By the Friday, or especially Saturday night before the game, a city can go into full gridlock. Every place is packed and it becomes impossible to get a taxi and therefore easy to get stranded.

Even leaving Thursday night's party after midnight, Ocean Drive was jammed up with cars so we walked for about 20 minutes before grabbing a taxi. (That gave us the chance to walk past the former mansion home of Gianni Versace, who was gunned down on its steps in 1997 as he returned from a morning walk. A security guard stood on the street in front of the house so we asked him who owned the mansion now. "I don't know who owns it, I just guard it," he said.)

Three years ago, I walked the South Beach strip on the Saturday night before Super Bowl when it started to rain. No chance of getting a taxi so I ended up walking back to my hotel, which that year was on Miami Beach, which was only took about an hour. This year the media is staying in Fort Lauderdale, so I won't be venturing to Miami again until game time.

The Saturday night gridlock happens a lot before a Super Bowl. San Diego backed up so badly when it last hosted a Super Bowl that people were just getting out of cabs and walking and buses full of fans were stranded in traffic and some never made it into the city.

New Orleans was crazy as you might imagine - a little too crazy for comfort actually.

Which is why a lot of times on Super Bowl weekend we end up heading somewhere off the map or just sticking close to our hotel, since getting around comes with its pitfalls.

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Friday, February 5, 2010 1:16 PM EST

NFLPA delivers ominous message

Anyone who has covered the business side of professional sports is familiar with the drumbeat of war associated with the build-up to negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement between owners and players.

Anything else would be surprising.

Even so, there was a strong and ominous tone to the message delivered in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday by NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.

When asked about the possibility of the NFL locking out its players before the 2011 season, Smith replied, “On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s 14.”

Among the things Smith cited is the fact the NFL has hired Bob Batterman, the lawyer who represented the NHL during its lost season of 2004-05 and that the league has negotiated television contracts that ensure it will be paid even if football isn’t played.

Smith said the NFLPA has received a proposal from the owners that calls for an 18-per-cent rollback in salaries. While it has received details of the NFL’s revenues, Smith said the union remains blind as to what the NFL’s profits are, suggesting that $30-million (U.S.) a team was an accurate figure.

“We know their revenue but is there anyone in this room who can tell me what the average team made over the last five years,” Smith asked.

Historically, football player unions have been tough places to maintain solidarity. With players having such short careers, they've have been hesitant to give up salary in the name of winning a larger fight.

Players have been told to stow away 25 per cent of their salaries over the past few years.

“I can tell you we have stepped up our efforts to educate our players on the issue,” said NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, a centre for the Tennessee Titans. “We can’t make 1,900 players save their money but we can educate them that they should start saving money.”

Smith also called upon NFL teams to contribute 2 per cent of their profits towards the welfare of former players.

“The (owners) sell legacy,” Smith said. “They don’t pay for legacy.”

No doubt Friday’s state-of-the-league address by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be similarly dominated by labour questions, including whether the league is prepared to head into an uncapped season in 2010 if no new agreement is reached by this March.

On a lighter note, this year's Super Bowl halftime act, The Who, had a news conference here Thursday afternoon at which Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey took questions from the media and played three selections as well.

It was clear they’re delighted to be here but just as clear that neither one knows the first thing about American football.

Funny comment though when Daltrey suggested he’s been told that, minus the stoppages and advertisements, an average NFL game has just 11.5 minutes of play.

“Which means we’ll be playing longer than the players,” said Townshend.

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Thursday, February 4, 2010 6:55 PM EST

Rams to Toronto?

It's being reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that one of the three bidders hoping to buy the Rams has ties to Toronto and, presumably, would like to relocate the franchise there.

One website, Bleacher Report, goes so far to suggest there is a 50/50 chance of the Rams ending up in Toronto, although there’s scant proof to reach such a conclusion.

Most of the attention about Toronto and the NFL has been focused on Buffalo, with the Bills already playing games at Rogers Centre and the team changing owners when 91-year-old Ralph Wilson passes away.

More »

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010 5:30 PM EST

A job with an upside

Here's a job that comes with an upside: quarterback coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Nice when your star pupil is considered perhaps the greatest student of the game there is.

Sure, there is tutoring to be done with youngsters Drew Willy and Curtis Painter. But the biggest challenge for Colts quarterback coach Frank Reich is not so much teaching Peyton Manning how to play quarterback but keeping up with him.

"He keeps you on your toes," said Reich, the former Buffalo Bills backup to Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

"It's like talking to the smartest guy in the world on a subject. He assumes you always know what he's talking about, and most of the time I do. But there are some times my brain doesn't quite work has fast as his does. And we'll have a conversation and then 30 minutes later I'll say ... Oh that's what he was taking about. Most of the time I get it right away, but there are times the information is flowing so fast ... and there's no one who processes information faster than he does."

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