Notebook: Vick heading to Seattle?
Mora, right, and Vick spent three seasons together in Atlanta.
(Christopher Gooley/US Presswire)
The idea that Michael Vick(notes) could land in Seattle has been mentioned to me by multiple league sources over the past couple of days.
From what I've heard, new Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora had a great relationship with Vick while the two were in Atlanta – despite the negative reports circulating through the rumor mill right now – and that he actually "cares" about the former Falcon and his future. I've also been told that, from a public relations standpoint, Seattle would offer Vick some protection from the media since it isn't a city that draws the kind of overwhelming national attention as a Dallas or a Pittsburgh.
Time to throw the Seahawks into the ring for Vick's services? Today, Vick said he's "getting close" to signing with a team, so we should soon know where this story leads.
• I talked to a source close to the Chicago Bears the other day about the injury to starting cornerback Charles Tillman(notes). He told me that although there's always going to be a dropoff when a starter goes down, the Bears still think they have enough depth at the position for the month of August when the young players on this roster can get some much needed work.
The source's main worry was the health of the Bears' secondary in camp. With Tillman already on the shelf, and no exact timetable for his return, Chicago can ill afford to watch defensive backs pile up in the training room because the backups need to take advantage of the extra reps provided by the Tillman injury.
In my opinion, Tillman's health is a major concern for this defense once the regular seasons comes around. The Bears open up under the lights at Lambeau Field, and they'll need plenty of healthy bodies to run with Greg Jennings(notes) and Donald Driver(notes) – and they need Tillman out on that island.
• The Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) signing in Oakland, announced Thursday morning, is a good thing for quarterback JaMarcus Russell(notes). Yes, he's going to have to hold off veteran Jeff Garcia(notes), who is coming to camp expecting to win the starting job, but by getting DHB into camp on time, the Raiders can start to develop the rookie over the month of August.
I talk about it all the time: rookie receivers in the NFL are a risk. Most of the time, their production is far less than the expectations, but at least Heyward-Bey will be able to progress and learn with Russell and Garcia every day. This is a good sign for Raiders fans.
Now, onto the quarterback battle.
• If the Jets decide to hand out a contract extension to running back Leon Washington(notes), who was a no-show at camp this morning, it can't be a good sign for the future of Thomas Jones(notes) in a New York uniform.
If we think about it, the idea of having Washington, whom I see as a dual-threat back in that offense, paired with rookie Shonn Greene(notes) from Iowa severely lessens the need for Jones. I'm sure Jones will see the football this season, but if Greene progresses and continues to impress the coaching staff, which we've already heard is happening, then Jones could be the odd man out and on his way out of New York in the offseason. More and more, teams are using a combination of different styles in their backfields, but having three backs who want the ball doesn't make sense.
• I don't fault Packers safety Nick Collins(notes) for looking for a new contract this offseason after he went to the Pro Bowl last year, and I like hearing that he'll report to camp on time this weekend in Green Bay. But I'm anxious to see how he responds and practices, and if the time he missed during the offseason is detrimental to his progress in Dom Capers' new defensive scheme.
The bottom line is that the Packers did not offer Collins a new deal and also brought in safety Anthony Smith(notes) from Pittsburgh this offseason. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Collins' job is at risk, but he should feel some heat from Smith. Ultimately, this is good for every player, especially one trying to impress a new coach who saw him boycott the offseason.
• It's easy to paint Brett Favre(notes) as the villain in the circus that went on between the former Packers and Jets quarterback and the Vikings, but shouldn't we place a lot of the blame on Minnesota and head coach Brad Childress?
Childress created the mess by allowing this to drag on. Sure, Favre wavered and eventually turned down the offer (probably because he didn't want to go through training camp, in my opinion), but let's not let the Vikings off that easily.
This entire story is like going to a movie that has no climax – and, in fact, you'd probably want your money back after the show. But the Vikings allowed it to drag on and let Favre play them.
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