shreveporttimes.com:Vick should return when he's ready

[TK]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/html/23A8EB97-22E8-4526-B685-4B4014C79BAE.shtml

Sunday, November 2, 2003

Vick should return when he's ready

Nakia Hogan / The Times

Posted on November 2, 2003

TAMPA, Fla. - Mike Vick and Dan Reeves disagree.

Players and coaches often do.

And in this case, the player and the coach obviously have quite different timetables for when the electrifying Vick should return to the football.

For Reeves, tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough. For Vick, some time after Thanksgiving is most likely.

Vick, the quarterback who's been out since Aug. 16 with a broken fibula, originally said he'd prefer to return Dec. 7, before settling a day later on Nov. 30. Perhaps he felt a little pressure from Reeves.

Reeves, Vick's coach with the Atlanta Falcons, would like to see his star return much sooner.

But when it comes to the status of Vick, it should be the player who makes the decision, not the coach.

Although Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb returned from a similar injury a year ago quicker, nobody knows what's going on inside

Vick's body.

"Nobody will put pressure on me to make any decision," Vick told reporters on Wednesday. "I won't let anybody pressure me into doing anything. The decision will be based on me. Myself."

And that's precisely the way it should be.

Rushing Vick back can't do any good for a 1-6 Atlanta team that has lost six straight. Doing so would rob Vick and his fans of seeing the player do what he does best.

Reeves, though, would like to see Vick return, if for no other reason than it could mean instant wins for a team that has lost six straight.

With Vick under center, Atlanta could end the season with a respectable record and Reeves' job likely could saved.

"Mike needs to get back as soon as he possibly can," Reeves said Wednesday at his weekly news conference. "He talks about how he shouldn't come back [until he feels 100 percent], but . . . he's not getting any better sitting on the sidelines. I talked to him . . . and he's going to start working in the drills.

"If he's able to do that, then I think the thing will progress rapidly. The (ankle) is always a lot stronger than you think, but unless you get out there and test it, you really don't know."

Unless Reeves can actually feel Vick's pain, then the coach really doesn't know.

Battle lines: Tampa Bay Buccaneers All Pro defensive tackle Warren Sapp didn't have much to say about Saints right guard LeCharles Bentley, a second-year player who handled the star in two meetings a year ago.

"He's just like any other right guard I face," Sapp said. "Now if you were going to rank their five linemen, I'd say Bentley is the best. But you are talking about a young man who is just trying to find his way in the NFL. Once he gets past 3.7 years, which is the average career, then he might be able to talk a little bit. He's just in his second year."

Bentley, though, refused to get into a war of words with Sapp, whom he will battle when the Saints and Buccaneers meet in Tampa.

"I'm just an average right guard on an average offensive line," Bentley said with a slight grin on his face. "I really might be just another guy. That's fine. He's a great player. I think I've heard his name about 20 times this week in meetings.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks about me. I like myself. He doesn't have to like me. But I respect him a lot. I'm quite sure it's a mutual thing."

Mr. Irrelevant no more: Chicago strong safety Mike Green, a former Northwestern State standout who was the last player selected in the 2000 draft, signed a $10 million, five-year contract extension Friday.

So much for being irrelevant.

Green, who is fourth on the team in tackles with 38, was due to become an unrestricted free agent but said he passed on the open market because he wanted to remain a Bear.

The deal comes before Monday's deadline for contracts to be restructured and applied to this season's salary cap. The Bears had $3 million in room under the cap. Instead of receiving a signing bonus, Green will have $2.05 million from that pool added to his base salary of $605,000 over the remainder of the season.

Game's best centers: These ranking aren't based solely on performances of the first eight weeks of the season.

1. Kevin Mawae, New York Jets: Has established himself as a force since leaving LSU.

2. Olin Kreutz, Chicago; 3. Barrett Robbins, Oakland; 4. Matt Birk, Minnesota; 5. Damien Woody, New England; 6. Tom Nalen, Denver; 7. Jeremy Newberry, San Francisco; 8. Jeff Mitchell, Carolina; 9. Jeff Hartings, Pittsburgh; 10. Casey Wiegmann, Kansas City.

Around the NFC: Of the six victories by the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers (6-2), three have come in overtime, including last week's 23-20 triumph over the Saints in the Superdome. ...

Former Tampa Bay backup Rob Johnson, recently released by the Redskins, attended the Buccaneers' practice this week. The Bucs have an interest in Johnson because backup Shaun King is battling a sprained ankle. ... The Falcons' defense is on pace to give up 6,667 yards, which would be second-most in league history behind the 1981 Baltimore Colts, who gave up 6,793.

Around the AFC: Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer, the first pick in April's NFL draft, has yet to throw a pass this season. Unless there is an injury to starter Jon Kitna, he may not. Kitna, who has a passer rating of 88.2 and has thrown for 1,678 yards and 11 touchdowns, has been productive and coach Marvin Lewis sees no reason to rush Palmer's development. ... The Buffalo Bills, who have a bye this week, are looking to activate rookie running back Willis McGahee to the active roster next week. But a decision on whether he'll play the second half of the season remains to be made. The Bills have until Wednesday to either place McGahee, their first-round pick who has been recovering from major knee surgery, on the 53-man roster or place him on injured reserve. ... During an interview with ESPN's Andrea Kremer, Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson said coach Bill Callahan is ignoring the advice of the team's experienced players. He also said Callahan has lost "a large part" of the team because of the Raiders' tumultuous 2-5 start, the worst since 1964. "You know what's so tough about that, is I think we have a coach with a very big ego, you know what I mean?" Woodson told Kremer. "And he's not listening to those veterans. And that's what's sad about it."

Nakia Hogan is a Times sports writer. He can be reached at nakiahogan@gannett.com