when things go your way


what does it say that the best thing that has happened to the dog whisperers in the last year happened on a friday morning almost three full weeks removed from the end of the actual football season? well, it means they have a better chance at being on the winning end of a coin-flip battle than they have at winning a real-life football game. kinda sad. but win a coin-flip they did yesterday and, thus, set the stage for the renewed hope that comes with every nfl draft and the fresh season that will then only be four months or so away.

as a falcons fairweather fan, it's been hard to follow a team that is waaaaay more of a story on msnbc and cnn than they are on espn. crazy how the face of your team killing dogs can do that. but with most of that behind them (along with the completely ridiculous cherry on top of their coach leaving for arkansas), things seem more quiet in the "dirty" than they have in a long, long time. no one knows anything about their coach (probably a good thing). they have one overrated cornerback, one blossoming uab blazer and maybe a couple other guys on their team that anyone outside of the team manager would recognize. they are the definition of a team that is ready to rebuild. to refocus. a team that needs a new face.

in my mind, there is only one choice. and his name is mcfadden. it made me incredibly upset watching sportscenter yesterday and hearing their draft expert tell me that they would probably go with dorsey from lsu or jake long from michigan at the three. or if he is there, they would pick a new "franchise" quarterback in matt ryan. matt ryan!!! the same matt ryan that played at boston college for 11 years and only as an 11th year supersenior did he make a name for himself??? that matt ryan? the falcons had matt ryan last year. his name was joey harrington. does anyone remember this? of course you don't. because, you don't care about the falcons. and, quite frankly, neither do i. at least, not a ton. but i would if they picked mcfadden. and isn't that all that matters? do you want to make a football choice or a financial choice, owner arthur blank? do you want to make a coach choice or a fan choice? do you want to build for the "future" or sell jerseys and tickets now? do you want me (and people like) me to drive from birmingham to atlanta to see a potential superstar in person or not watch an all-american tackle on television at home. to me, it seems so easy. to me, the choice is clear.

then again, to me, mike vick has learned his lesson, should be given credit for time served, be released and allowed to play for the falcons this upcoming season. i am a (fairweather) fan. i am not capable of making rational decisions about the teams i want to win.

so, go ahead. pick the tackle (offensive or defensive). build for the future. i'll be watching the colts.