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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Leftwich at least provides more hope than Harrington
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Flowery Branch — How can you not like Byron Leftwich?
I mean, really?
He has that infectious smile of Magic Johnson. He acquired a fearless reputation when he broke his shin during a college game, was carried down the field on the shoulders of teammates and overcame a 17-point deficit. Courtesy of his strikingly quick wit, he could take his act on the road.
He just can’t play as efficiently anymore. He gets hurt too much. He also has a goofy throwing motion. And did we mention his mobility is slightly better than that of a goalpost?
Even so, the Falcons signed Leftwich to become another backup statue to the one that starts at quarterback. There also is this matter of the Falcons’ invisible offensive line. As a result, defenders have toppled that starting statue with blitzes from everywhere for 13 sacks to drop the Falcons to 0-2.
So, in an effort to improve their plight, the Falcons just got another immobile quarterback to go with Joey Harrington and Chris Redman, who hasn’t thrown an NFL pass in four years courtesy of back and shoulder problems.
Yeah, this makes sense.
But Leftwich does have more of an upside than the Falcons’ starting statue. While Leftwich’s career record as a starter is 24-20, the other guy is 23-45. Plus, Leftwich always has been the people’s choice in his locker room. He is something like a Chris Tucker at 6 feet 5 and 250 pounds, but he has an arm just shy of Brett Favre velocity.
Speaking of Favre, when he played for the Falcons 15 years ago before getting traded with his Hall of Fame gifts to the Green Bay Packers, he also wore his famous No. 4. Now Leftwich will do so with the Falcons after four years in Jacksonville wearing No. 7.
“I mean, we all know that No. 7 is Mike’s number,” Leftwich said Wednesday, referring to Michael Vick, the former Falcons starting quarterback who will have a longer set of numbers on his new uniform as a convicted felon for illegal dogfighting.
Added Leftwich, at his stall in the Falcons locker room, “I figured that I was just going to pick a number, and No. 17 didn’t look good on me.”
Leftwich laughed, saying, “I’m trying to look as slim as possible, so I figured I’d pick No. 4.”
As for that statue thing, which contributed to defenders crushing Leftwich enough in the Jacksonville backfield to miss 15 of his past 21 starts in the regular season due to injuries, he laughed again. Then he said, “Like I’ve always joked and mentioned since the day I got released [by the Jaguars two weeks ago], I’m not the slowest quarterback. I’m just the slowest black one.
“That’s just the truth. I might surprise some people. I’m not that slow, y’all. I just look slow. I’ve got like a Randy Moss stride.”
Still, there were more than a few reasons the Falcons joined their 31 peers in ignoring Leftwich during all that time he was available. In addition to that statue thing, there was that injury thing. Two years ago, Leftwich missed the Jaguars’ last five weeks before the playoffs with a fractured left ankle. He later started well in their playoff game against the New England Patriots (11 straight completions), but he stumbled toward an 18-for-31 day in passing for 179 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
The Leftwich slide was on, with the former Marshall star becoming inactive for the final four games of last season courtesy of that same ankle. Then he was released before this season and replaced by David Garrard.
How’s the ankle now?
“I haven’t felt this good, and that’s the thing, because my ankle has been bad [since that 17-point comeback he generated over Akron], and I was naive or not smart enough to know that my ankle was really that bad,” said Leftwich, suggesting that everything is now eternally fine with his health.
The Falcons can only hope. Otherwise, they’ll be more of the punch line than the ones for Leftwich’s jokes.
Permalink | | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Terence Moore
Richt’s rightfully scared
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Roger Goodell blew it.
Look. The revelation of Bill Belichick’s cheating ways is affecting just about every football team at every level - including the one that barks at the University of Georgia.
I mean, Mark Richt, the anti-paranoid coach, closed Bulldog practices this week to outsiders for the first time ever.
That’s because Georgia plays at Alabama on Saturday night, and Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban once worked for Belichick, the New England Patriots coach, who finally was busted for using a video camera during games to swipe opposing team’s defensive signals.
Like mentor, like pupil.
You’ve got to think that way if you’re Richt or anybody else facing a team whose coach once worked with a guy whose three Super Bowl titles should include asterisks.
In case you didn’t know, other teams, ranging from the Green Bay Packers to the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Jacksonville Jaguars, have accused Saban of espionage in the past. Nothing was done. The NFL hierarchy implied by its silence that “everybody does it.”
The truth is, such things always have taken place in the league, but not with such arrogance and blatancy.
So this punishment for Belichick from the NFL commissioner’s office was outrageously soft: $500,000 fine, and the loss of a first-round draft pick if the Patriots reach the playoffs, or the loss of their second-and third-round picks if they don’t.
The guy should have been fined AND suspended for at least two games. That, and he should have been forced to replace his hoodie on the sideline with a suit.
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