Stepping in Dog Turd

Because this is totally like football

It is now conventional wisdom that the San Diego Chargers got the better of the deal that sent 2004 number one overall pick Eli Manning (lol) to the Giants for number four overall Philip Rivers (picked one spot ahead of Sean Taylor) plus draft picks that turned into Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.

But because it was before teh blogging I had toally forgotten that San Diego had pulled off the same thing five years earlier. One day before the 2001 NFL draft, San Diego sent the number one overall pick to Atlanta for the number five overall pick, the 2001 3rd round pick and the 2002 second round pick and receiver Tim Dwight.

Atlanta used the pick on Michael Vick and San Diego used the number five on LaDainian Tomlinson. LaDainian Tomlinson. I say. The other two picks turned into receiver Reche Caldwell and a cornerback that did not stick. Reche and Tim together caught 77 passes in 2002.

Michael has been sensational for Atlanta in six seasons though only been to the playoffs twice. Lifetime Eagles fan, season ticket holder and Curly R reader/lurker Wilbert Montgomery and I spent the coldest day of my life watching Michael lose the NFC Championship on 23 January 2005. His contract is so big that Atlanta cannot get out from under it and they had to let Matt Schaub go. Poor Bobby Petrino he has no idea what he is in for.

In both cases, San Diego and GM AJ Smith got the better player with a lower pick and managed to convert the difference into value, unlike the Redskins who did not need to take a safety despite a safety being the best player on the board.

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Michael Vick is something of a hobby for me, at first because he was just a hated Hokie. As a UVA alum it was painful to watch Michael's team shred the Cavaliers 77 to 28 in two games in 1999 and 2000.

When he was drafted, he was Superman, he was the future of the quarterback position. He can put up mad numbers but in the end he's been a sideshow. There was Ron Mexico in 2005, flipping off hometown fans in 2006 and the water bottle with the false bottom that reeked of pot in 2007 (op. cit.). Now there is the dogfighting.

Running Redskins owns this story but the basic details are that (1) a drug investigation led Virginia police to a house owned by Michael but inhabited by a cousin that was arrested for possession of drugs and paraphernalia. The ohthorties (2) found over 60 dogs, mostly pit bulls and 'evidence' of dogfighting. Just feeding that many dogs alone would cost over one hundred dollars a day and the Humane Society says Michael has long been a dogfighting lover and according to reports, the ohthorities (3) found some fucked up stuff on-site but everything is going to be ok because (4) coach Petrino toally buys Michael's story. Commence (5) the ritual dodge which ends with Michael copping a plea, probably before the 2007 NFL season

As if by magic, this story was given new legs when none other than Clinton Portis (6) said dogfighting was no big deal prompting (7) more response from the Humane Society, (8, 9) an official statement from the team and (10) and a statement of embarrassment and condemnation from new toughguy NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

For the record, Clinton did not weigh in on bull baiting, cockfighting, bear baiting, quail fighting, Siamese fighting fish or stallion fighting, but dogfighting is a very serious crime, it is a felony in Virginia. Two dogs go into a ring and fight, with teeth and claws. They get hurt and die. It requires a syndicate and therefore conspiracy so there are always others involved.

Michael, you dumbshit, it's your family. There's no way you didn't know something was going on at your house.

Clinton, just keep your mouth shut. If you don't think dogfighting or other forms of animal cruelty are a big deal I can't do anything about that but please keep it to yourself. That goes for all you players that are into kiddie porn and date rape.



Pitbull injured in a dogfight from here.