I loved watching Michael Vick play at VT as well as in NFL. It was like having twelve players on the field. I did not see the game or the comments you are talking about but I agree with Dennis that Michael is going to pay some day for the risks he is taking now. I hope not, but this article on the science of tackles suggests there is a price to be paid from cumulative impacts.
abcnews.go.com
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One Los Angeles Times survey found that 78 percent of retired NFL players reported some kind of physical disability. Another study determined professional football players' life spans are 11 years shorter than the average man.
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Oh, since I post infrequently I will use this excuse to post this article calling attention to how Reyes of Syracuse was instrumental in the playoffs determining the BCS version of a National Championship. What a strange, strange world we live in...
bayarea.com
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Posted on Mon, Dec. 08, 2003
Little-known players played big roles in BCS outcome
By JEFF POTRYKUS
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It was not their intent, but Walter Reyes and Donny Heck helped deny the University of Southern California a berth in the Sugar Bowl and a shot at an undisputed national football championship.
Confused? Welcome to the world of the Bowl Championship Series.
In that world, a game between two sub-.500 teams in the Carrier Dome and a game in Hawaii, one that ended at almost 3:30 a.m. Sunday in the East, helped determine which teams finish 1-2 in the BCS rankings and advance to the Sugar Bowl.
In the former, Reyes rushed 19 times for 189 yards and five touchdowns to lead Syracuse to a 38-12 victory over Notre Dame. The loss by the Irish hurt USC's strength of schedule in the BCS because the Trojans had won the teams' meeting earlier this season.
In the latter, Heck rushed 25 times for 87 yards and four touchdowns to lead Boise State to a 45-28 victory over Hawaii. USC's strength of schedule took another hit because the Trojans had defeated Hawaii earlier in the season.
Consequently, Oklahoma and Louisiana State finished 1-2 in the BCS rankings and will meet in the Sugar Bowl for at least a share of the national title. USC finished No. 3 in the BCS but No. 1 in both major polls and will play for a share of the title in the Rose Bowl.
"It seemed really absurd," USC coach Pete Carroll told reporters when asked about the impact those games had on his team's final standing in the BCS. "The Notre Dame-Syracuse game . . . it just didn't seem right. Two 5-6 teams battling for somebody else's future for the national championship?"
Right or wrong, such scenarios are reality in the world of the BCS.
Oklahoma's schedule was rated the 11th-toughest in the nation by the BCS; LSU's was rated No. 29 and USC's No. 37. That translated into 0.44 points for the Sooners, 1.16 for LSU and 1.48 for USC.
In short, had Hawaii or Notre Dame won Saturday, USC's strength of schedule would have been bolstered enough to hold off LSU and hold onto the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings.
Although the numbers might add up, the logic doesn't. What the final computations essentially determined was that USC, which whipped Oregon State by 28 points Saturday afternoon, became a less-dominant team in a matter of hours because Notre Dame and Hawaii lost.
The effects of the formula were not lost on Paul Hoolahan, the executive director of the Sugar Bowl.
"You hear coaches say football is a game of inches," Hoolahan said. "Unfortunately with the BCS, now it's a game of fractions."
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