8 Reason Why the NFL Need Michael Vick

Americans are serious about our football - about the way we play the game, about the integrity of the game. You can sense it as you walk through airports or stand in line for coffee in the morning. Verbal fights break out and banter turns into the battle of who’s right and who’s wrong - which is strange, when you consider that this is coming from a generation overflowing with low expectations. We’ve always managed to tread water as a society by taking nothing too seriously, always ready to tell the next joke about the latest incompetent politician or celebrity who happens to tickle our fancy that day.But for some reason, the Michael Vick case got to us as a nation. After all, Americans, black and white, love their dogs too.As a result, mere football games that were once the highlight of our Sunday evenings as we watched arguably the greatest athlete of our generation – the human highlight reel – are about to become serious business as Vick prepares to return to the National Football League. Everyone seems to have something to prove.It's idiotic on one level, yet makes total sense when you consider Vick's crime and the depths at which people so passionately care about what happened. But, in the final analysis, we all make mistakes. And once you've served your time, don't you deserve something akin to a clean slate? Plus, most of us have made very stupid ones at that; we just didn’t get caught. That’s the American way, right?Michael Vick should get his second chance at life. Even more important: The NFL needs Vick just as much as he needs it. And here are some reasons why.1. It’s about a sense of forgiveness. Americans are famous for that. We love the underdog; no pun intended. And like Kobe Bryant and the NBA, Vick and the NFL have an opportunity to write a wonderful comeback story. It's the marketing opportunity of a lifetime.2. Vick could definitely be a backup for any of the 32 teams and could be a starter for at least 10 of them right now. 3. With all the issues that NFL has to face with its players - domestic abuse, drug abuse, tardiness and so on, Vick should be a welcome addition to the NFL. No “Pacman” Jones-like behavior here, I promise you.4. With the murder of Steve McNair at the hands of his mistress, the image of the black quarterback took a huge hit publicly. And say what you will, but the expectations are still very different for black quarterbacks, the elite position in all of sports. Vick has an opportunity to reinvent the image once again. The NFL needs more than just Donavon McNabb; it needs a guy like Vick too, who is electrifying, good looking and charismatic enough to change to things around – again.5. The last two years. Can you name anyone who was as exciting to watch as Michael Vick? No. Enough said. His style of play alone is why the NFL needs Vick back; the No Fun League could actually become fun again.6. Every now and then, there is a necessity to do what is right. This is one of those times. It’s just the right thing to do. The man has paid his debt to society, apologized and has done all of the necessary things that Commissioner Roger Goodell has asked him to do. What more can you ask for?7. Vick will be great role model for younger teammates and players who are making their way in the NFL and for children all over the county as well - especially young black men, who will see how thoroughly he has turned his life around by doing the right things. He can be a role model to all on the importance of doing the right thing, socially and financially.8. And finally, the NFL has an opportunity to humanize the league. For so long, they have been our modern-day gladiators, the ultimate man’s sport. This is an opportunity to show that although these men put their bodies on the line every Sunday, they are human, made of flesh and bone, as capable of achieving great feats as they are of making mistakes. Through Vick, we will see this. We can see it now - in his eyes.

Obama cuts 100 million

President Barack Obama participates in an

It's not real money as measured by the Washington adage of "$1 billion here and $1 billion there," but President Barack Obama's Cabinet has just delivered on his demand for $100 million in budget savings.The release came late Monday with little of the fanfare that accompanied Obama's promise to deliver the savings, which was greeted with considerable ridicule since it amounted to a pledge to cut about $1 for every $10,000 of the $1 trillion budget for agency budgets approved by Congress in March.That represented the equivalent of cutting a foot-long submarine sandwich from the budget of a construction worker making $60,000 a year.Obama himself announced the initiative after his first Cabinet meeting in April; the results were revealed in a blog entry Monday evening.The tally is $102 million for 2009, with $165 million more in savings identified for 2010 and beyond.The Agriculture Department's agency for animal and plant inspection canceled a meeting in Australia, while the Commerce Department scrapped $131,000 worth of unnecessary office renovations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is turning over 120,000 temporary housing units called "Katrina cottages" to the General Services Administration for maintenance and disposal, saving $3.8 million in "operational savings."Several agencies are making greater efforts to go "paperless" whenever possible, saving on copier costs. The Treasury Department will shred and recycle classified materials rather than burn them, saving $40,000 this year.The Justice Department will save an estimated $4 million next year making travel arrangements online, rather than using travel agents. The Air Force will install 2,800 compact fluorescent light bulbs, reducing electricity costs by $36,000 a year.In an example of sizable savings, $52 million, the Air Force will use commercial jet fuel plus additives instead of using JP-8, the standard fuel used by the military. Another $18 million would be saved by putting more soldiers on charter aircraft used to transport soldiers taking leave."These savings reflect the president's belief that even small savings can add up," said Peter Orszag, the White House budget director in a blog entry.

NFL Pro Football PLAYA Michael Vick Back to the NFL.. but with WHO??

The door is open for Michael Vick to return to the NFL. Only Vick, and any team willing to sign him, can open it fully. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Vick on Monday, with conditions. Free after serving 18 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring, Vick could participate in regular-season games as early as October.Vick can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games — if he can find a team. A number of clubs have already said they are not interested.Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19) at the latest."I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League," Vick said in a statement released by his agent, Joel Segal. "I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have been given."As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward," he said.Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation on his property in Virginia. At the time, Goodell said Vick must show remorse before he would consider reinstating him."I accept that you are sincere when you say that you want to, and will, turn your life around, and that you intend to be a positive role model for others," Goodell said in his letter to Vick. "I am prepared to offer you that opportunity. Whether you succeed is entirely in your hands.""Needless to say, your margin for error is extremely limited," the letter said. "I urge you to take full advantage of the resources available to support you and to dedicate yourself to rebuilding your life and your career. If you do this, the NFL will support you."Goodell said he spoke to numerous current and former players and coaches as he weighed his decision and that the responses were "very mixed.""I do recognize that some will never forgive him for what he did," Goodell said. "I hope that the public will have a chance to understand his position as I have."The announcement came after a busy first week of freedom for Vick, who met with union leaders and Goodell on consecutive days last week. His 23-month federal sentence ended when an electronic monitor was removed from his ankle on July 20 at his home in Hampton, Va.He met with DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, last Tuesday and, on Wednesday, with Goodell at a security firm in Allendale, N.J.Goodell said Vick agreed to undergo psychiatric testing, which determined that he was capable of returning to the NFL but needed continuing counseling.He said keeping Vick from playing at the start of the regular season wasn't a form of punishment, but a chance for the quarterback to gradually transition back into the league."I have thought about every alternative, but I think this gives him the best chance for success," Goodell said. "We are not looking for failure here. We are looking to see a young man succeed."But Vick's issues are far from over and he needs a team to call his own. So far, the owners of the New York Giants, Jets and Dallas Cowboys have said they had no interest in the 29-year-old quarterback. Neither do the Falcons, who officially released Vick in June.Vick filed for bankruptcy protection last July, listing assets of about $16 million and debts of more than $20 million, and has a hearing about his plan to repay his creditors on Friday in Newport News, Va. That plan is built around his ability to make NFL-type money again.He's unlikely to command anything close to the 10-year, $130 million contract he once had with the Falcons, or to get endorsement deals after the grisly details of the dogfighting ring were publicized.Vick pleaded guilty after his three co-defendants had already done so. They told of how Vick participated in the killing of dogs that didn't perform well in test fights by shooting, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground.Vick's appearances at federal court in Richmond, Va., prompted large groups of protesters to gather outside. Many were with PETA and held signs depicting photographs of pit bulls ravaged in dogfights.Still, there were supporters who wore his No. 7 jersey.Vick has already taken steps to rebuild his image.He met with the president of the Humane Society of the United States while serving his federal sentence at Leavenworth, Kan. He plans to work with the organization in a program designed to steer inner city youth away from dogfighting. He was not permitted to work with the program while in custody.Ed Sayres, president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the organization hopes Vick "rises to the occasion and proves worthy of the rare second chance Commissioner Goodell has granted him.""Opportunities for redemption are rare — but that is exactly the opportunity that awaits Mr. Vick," he said.