Michael Vick awarded $100 million from Eagles

From convicted felon to multi-millionare.



Yes, post jail dog life has been good for Michael Vick as he was given a new six year $100 million deal from the Philadelphia Eagles to remain their starter.



It's not like this wasn't coming. The Eagles dealt Kevin Kolb a month ago, after Vick had an incredible 2010 season, where he re-established himself as one of the game's most talented football players.



Vick will earn $40 million guaranteed on the contract, making him one of the highest paid players in the league.



This will be a slap in the face to those dog rights activists, who are sick and tired of Vick getting all kinds of second chances and accolades. I agree with these people -- Vick has gotten more kudos than he deserves and awarding him with this much money sends the wrong message that anyone can get away with anything.



Still, the NFL is a performance first league. Nobody cares in the NFL what your personal history is. If you play well, you will get paid. From that standpoint, one can't blame the Eagles for breaking the bank for Vick; he's been the best thing that's happened to the Eagles in a very long time.

Jets and Giants both struggle in NY vs. NY clash

JETS 17

GIANTS 3

This was ugly.



Sure it is preseason, but by the looks of it, neither the Jets nor the Giants are ready for the regular season. Typically the third preseason game is the dress rehearsal for Week 1, and after tonight neither team can look at this game and feel confident about where they are.



Let's begin with the Giants.



Their offense was sloppy all night long. Five time in the first half, the Giants were faced with third down inside Jets territory, and each time, they failed to convert. Then, when they went for it on fourth down, they were either short or called back for a penalty.



This has been a pattern all summer. The Giant inability to cash in on third down has cost them points at the most inopportune times. Last night's exhibition against the Jets was an embarrassment for the Giants mainly because Gang Green was not doing anything to stop them through the air; Eli Manning threw for 200 yards in the contest.



Defensively, the Giants did a solid job against the Jets passing attack. The D neutralized Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes downfield, holding Burress to zero catches in fact, and forced Mark Sanchez to check down all night long.



So while there are concerns about the Giants secondary after the number of injuries they have endured, they did a very nice job against the Jets to give their fans some confidence heading into the season.



And then there is this: Brandon Jacobs. Does Brandon Jacobs have to treat an NFL football game like it's MMA? Really!? How many times was Jacobs seen taking shots at Jets players; it was embarrassing. It even got to the point that he was ejected from the game for taking a punch at Jets rookie Muhammad Wilkerson; moreover,it has reached the point with Jacobs that the Giants have to decide to keep him or to cut him loose. He took a pay cut to be in the team, and he's not even the number one back anymore. More stupidity from Jacobs and he is going to hurt this team in a big way.



Now for the Jets. Where was the offense? Sure the Giants did a great job in coverage, but the Jets looked like a team that hadn't practiced in weeks. Their big, physical receivers couldn't get off the ball and couldn't get separation. The running game was non-existent; they racked up only 43 yards on the ground in the first half, and 73 yards of total offense in the first half. It was humiliating, like watching Paul Hackett's offense again. Dink here, dunk there, then punt.



Still the Jets showed fans a reason why they can be explosive. After the Giants grabbed a 3-0 lead, Antonio Cromartie's 68 yard kick return reminded you that the Jets do have an dynamite kick returner not named Brad Smith. Then Mark Sanchez's 17 yard rope to Santonio Holmes for the go-ahead touchdown was the lone highlight of the night. It displayed the kind of power the Jets offense possesses and how quickly they can score at any point in a game.



Defensively the Jets bent but didn't break. The Giants chewed them up for yards, including a bone headed play by Bart Scott, who had a clear shot at Ahmad Bradshaw in the backfield but missed him. Bradshaw chugged down field for 29 yards. Yet, when the Jets needed to make plays defensively, they did. They knocked passes away inside the red zone, and, in the third quarter, the Jets second string defense did a great job in a goal line stand against the Giants first string offense, forcing Big Blue to turn the ball over on fourth and goal.



So overall, an uneven display by both New York teams. Are they ready for the regular season? NO!

New York teams cancel games with Irene on the move

All of New York's professional sports franchises have canceled or postponed their games for the weekend.



The Yankees were scheduled to play a double header in Baltimore this afternoon, but those games were postponed. They are also scheduled to play Sunday -- that is probably postponed as well.



Meanwhile the New York Mets canceled their entire series with the Atlanta Braves. After playing a 6-0 victory over Atlanta last night, the Mets and Braves agreed to not play the remaining two games of the series.



And the Jets and Giants have agreed to move Saturday's football contest to Monday night at 7 p.m.

Hurricane Irene affects start time of Jets-Giants clash

Hurricane Irene, which is being categorized as possibly the worst hurricane to hit the East Coast of the United States, ever, has caused the Jets vs. Giants match-up to be moved.



Originally scheduled for 7 pm, the battle of New York will now take place at 2 pm on Saturday afternoon, which gives fans who attend the game a chance to get home to be with their families.



Irene is scheduled to hit North Carolina sometime late today, and will slowly climb up the east coast.



It is not expected to hit New Jersey until 8 am, Sunday morning, but the storms presence will surely be felt in the next 48 hours, before it lands in the metropolitan area, with rain on Saturday.



Everyone is encouraged to stay home if they can.

Triple Coverage at Connecticut School of Broadcasting

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to help out some good friends at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.



Needing someone to man the boards and co-host the show, I stepped in to lend a helping hand.



Take a listen to the podcast, here!!!



For your own information, I will be starting my own podcast on FlippinOut Radio on Friday September 2 at 2 pm. log onto www.stereodigital.com/for for more details.

Big Blues: Giants lose three players to injury for the season

If things couldn't get worse for the New York Giants when they received word that Osi Umenyiora would miss a month due to a knee injury, Big Blue received word Tuesday that they will be without three more players, only this time it will be for the season.



During the second quarter of their 41-13 victory against the Bears Monday night, cornerback Terrell Thomas tore his ACL when he got tangled up with a teammate and rolled over on his leg as he fell. The loss of Thomas is huge considering he was one of the leaders in tackles on the team with 101, including four forced fumbles and five interceptions. He was the Giants' best corner, and, as a team that has had secondary issues in the past, this is a loss that will hurt all season.



To add insult to injury, the Giants lost Marvin Austin, torn pectoral muscle, and reserve corner back, Brian Witherspoon to a torn ACL. Both players are to miss the season as well. Granted nobody knows what kind of impact Austin and Witherspoon would have made on this team, but, without them, the Giants will be depleted on the depth chart.



Also, add to this list that first round pick Prince Amukamara, who was expected to be a big contributor in the Giants secondary, broke his foot three weeks ago and is out for 10 weeks.



Coach Tom Coughlin tried to put a happy face on this situation, saying: "I think our guys will come rallying back. Certainly it will be a bigger plus if we find there are contributors. Some of the people we have here, some of the people we may be able to discover, if they can help us and contribute it will be a big plus. I think our guys will continue to believe in themselves. We're going to have to push our way through this."

No matter how the coach tries to sugar coat this, the Giants are in trouble. With so many injuries to their defense, it will be very hard for the Giants to remain competitive all season.



This is a clear result of the NFL Lockout. There was always a fear that many players would get injured in camp and during the course of the season because there wasn't a normal off-season and work out regime for players to follow. This is not to make an excuse for the players that are injured on the Giants; they had to take care of themselves, and I am sure they did the best they could, but, let's face it, this is a direct aftershock of the lockout.



What will the Giants do from here on will go a long way in determining where this team goes this season. After a inactive off-season where the Giants did absolutely nothing in free agency, these injuries only make things worse for Big Blue. An 8-8 season might be the best they can do this year. We shall see.

Sanchez, Burress sharp as Jets roll past Bengals

JETS 27

BENGALS 7

For the first time in almost three years Plaxico Burress stepped onto an NFL field to play a game. It has been a long road for the former New York Giant receiver, and he made the most of this opportunity. Buress, who was thrown in jail in 2008 for possessing an illegal firearm in a New York City nightclub, now knows the mortality of his life and football career.



Once considered a guy who was notorious for being lazy in clubhouse meetings and on the football field, he has been, as far as we know, a good soldier with the New York Jets. Everyone who knows him claims that Burress is playing with a chip on his shoulder that he has something to prove.



Sunday night, Burress looked like he had never left the NFL in November 2008. Out of the gate, Burress hauled in a 20 yard pass from Mark Sanchez for a Jets first down to open the contest.



Later in the first half, Burress dove for a Mark Sanchez pass near the end zone, caught it with one hand, tucked it in and scored a touchdown to give Gang Green a 17-7 lead. Redemption!



Overall, the Jets first stringers delivered a solid effort against the bumbling Bengals. Sanchez was very sharp, completing 13 0f 20 for 173 yards and two touchdowns, including a 16 yard strike to Santonio Holmes for the Jets first score.



Still there were problems. For a period of time the Jets offense couldn't get off the ground. On their first drive, after the Burress 20 yard catch, the Jet offense stalled, forcing New York to attempt a 44 yard field goal, which Nick Folk missed in Nick Folk style.



Later in the second quarter, after the Jets got a turnover, with possession at the Bengals 10, they couldn't plug it in for the score, recording a net loss of two yards on the entire drive. The Jets again, settled for the field goal to take a 10-0 lead.



Defensively the Jets were crisp. They held the Bengals to 12 first downs, and kept rookie quarterback Andy Dalton in check with 86 yards passing on 8-of-19 passing with two picks. Also former Buffalo Bills bust Aaron Maybin, whom the Jets picked up as a free agent, looked good. He recorded a forced fumble on a clean hit to the quarterback and was in on a few plays as well. The Jets hope Maybin doesn't turn into another Vernon Gholston.