FanHouse MIchael Vick

A recent FanHouse post on the tragic (albeit peaceful!) death of Uga VII inspired some emotional responses from the passionate readership. So I'm pretty excited to find out what folks think about the latest news regarding the Georgia Bulldogs mascot.

PETA, the ever-popular, never-annoying animal rights activists, want an animatronic bulldog to take the place of the real live bulldog. Yeah, I know. I wish I was kidding too.

Via the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick has all but disappeared, since the season began, into the Eagles' multifaceted offense and Andy Reid's secret future plans for it. But he is still MIchael Vick, convicted dogfighter and NFL lightning rod. So when he said in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas on Sunday that he'd have a hard time returning to the Eagles in his current role next year, he wasn't surprised that it became big news.

But on Wednesday, before the Eagles took the field for practice, Vick spoke briefly to reporters in the locker room and wanted to make it very clear that, while he'd obviously like to be playing more than he is, he's still enjoying the Eagles' bench much more than he was enjoying federal prison.

PHILADELPHIA -- You don't think of the Eagles along with the Saints or the Colts or the Patriots in terms of the number, the variety and the explosiveness of their offensive playmakers. Teams like that set the standard, and the Eagles don't feel like they fit into that kind of conversation. And that's fine, because they're not there yet.

But if you watched the Eagles score on big play after big play Sunday afternoon against the Giants, you got the feel that they might very well be there soon. Andy Reid's Philadelphia offense remains a work in progress, but with the number of different weapons he has at his disposal on any given play, we could soon be talking about the Eagles as one of the most exciting and dynamic offensive teams in the league.

Michael Vick's addition was supposed to add a dynamic dimension to an already stacked Philadelphia offense -- the Eagles experimented with the wildcat, with Vick and Donovan McNabb on the field together, with Vick playing wide receiver.

None of it has panned out yet. In Philadelphia's stunning 13-9 loss at Oakland last week, Vick was on the field for just two plays. So far this season, he's accounted for 1 yard passing and 13 yards rushing. So what's going on here? If Vick can't even get on the field when the Eagles are struggling to move the ball, then what's the point of having him around?

---

---

OAKLAND, Calif. -- About 30 animal rights protesters gathered outside the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday, waving signs decrying dogfighting in response to Michael Vick's arrival with the Philadelphia Eagles and drawing mostly praise from Raiders fans entering the stadium.

Oakland has been the happy ending for many of the animals rescued from Vick's dogfighting and gambling operation in Virginia. Ten of the dogs in Vick's pit bull collection -- the ones that could be saved and rehabilitated -- found new lives in San Francisco's East Bay, fostered and treated by the group BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls).

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

---

Did the injury bug hit your fantasy football team like it was a car windshield moving at 100 MPH? If so, it may be time to do some Damage Control.

Quarterback

• Michael Vick, Eagles - Vick took a hard hit to the ribs and had X-rays. The results came back negative.

• Peyton Manning, Colts - Manning has a sore knee after Sunday's win. The injury isn't serious, which is good news. Better news comes as the Colts now enter a bye week.

• Kyle Boller, Rams - Boller was knocked out of Sunday's game with a concussion. He'll have tests done on Tuesday to see when he can return to action.

• Carson Palmer, Bengals - Palmer injured his left (non-throwing hand) thumb on Sunday. the Bengals don't seem too worried about the injury.

Reports surfaced last night that Eagles quarterback Michael Vick had signed a new endorsement deal with Nike just months after completing his two-year prison sentence for dogfighting-related crimes. But Nike moved today to deny those stories, saying it "does not have a contractual relationship" with Vick.

Nike signed Vick in 2001, when he was an NFL rookie, and released several versions of Vick signature shoes. But it terminated its relationship with Vick in 2007 after the quarterback pleaded guilty to the dogfighting charge. Vick has since returned to the NFL -- on Sunday he played in his first regular-season game since 2006 -- and like many pro athletes he apparently still gets his shoes from Nike. But the company claims it has not entered into a new endorsement agreement with Vick.

---

---

NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael Vick is back with Nike two years after the company severed ties over the quarterback's involvement in a dogfighting ring.

"Mike has a long-standing, great relationship with Nike, and he looks forward to continuing that relationship,'' his agent, Joel Segal, said Wednesday.

Segal would not reveal terms of the agreement. Nike did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Coming off an easy victory in Kansas City, the Eagles have made a pair of roster moves involving big names. Jeff Garcia, who was brought in as quarterback depth after Donovan McNabb fell injured, has now been released. In a corresponding move, the Eagles have brought back linebacker Jeremiah Trotter for a third stint in Philadelphia.

The move to release Garcia isn't all that shocking. The Eagles lost McNabb after Week 1. At the time, Michael Vick was still suspended and Kevin Kolb had never started an NFL game. Now, Vick is back and Kolb became the first player in NFL history to throw for over 300 yards in each of his first two career starts. Plus, with a bye this week, it's likely McNabb will be ready to start in Week 5. There was simply no need to carry four quarterbacks.