He's Back ! Vick signs with Philly

The speculation of what team might sign Michael Vick is over. Tonight Vick signed a two year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles where he will back up Donovan McNabb for the time being.

The Eagles should be a good fit for Vick as they have a strong head coach that is willing to put in extra time with his players to keep them on the straight and narrow and a very strong fan base who should embrace the electrifying Vick as he gets back into playing shape.

Michael Vick will be eligible to play in the final two preseason games and will be fully reinstated by week six this season. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles fit him into their game plan this year.

Crabtree Continues Holdout

Michael Crabtree still isnt at 49'ers camp and it doesn't look like he will be there any time soon. Crabtree, the tenth pick in this year's draft, wants more money than Raider and seventh pick Darrius Heyward-Bey's 5 year, $38.25M ($23.5M guaranteed) because he was projected to be higher on the draft board than DHB in mock drafts.

That's crazy and absolutely rediculous. The notion he is willing to sit out the entire season this year to re-enter the draft next year is even more crazy. I seriously doubt a NFL franchise will want to take a wide receiver with a top five pick who hasn't played in a year. Sounds like he needs to play some more poker and learn how to bluff before he sits down with the big boys.

Michael Crabtree hasn't proven anything in the NFL and seems to think he is worth Larry Fitzgerald money right out of college. Sure, Crabtree was a great college receiver but that doesn't mean anything in the NFL. Ryan Leaf, Charles Rogers, and Peter Warrick , to name a few, were all great college players at their own positions but turned out to be busts in the NFL. Until Crabtree proves he is even worth a dollar he needs to get paid like the tenth pick in the draft should - not on how high you were projected to be drafted.

Historically rookie wide receivers don't fare well in their first year in the league. NFL cornerbacks are faster, stronger, and smarter than in college and his routes are going to have to be flawless in order to get open for a reception. It's hard to practice your route running if you aren't at practice. The longer he holds out the worse off he, and the 49ers, are going to be going into the season.

Crabtree needs to get his head out of the clouds and his butt into camp. He has a lot to prove before he has the clout to demand more money. I really hope the 49ers call his bluff and if he isnt bluffing he could prove to be the dumbest football player of all time.

Retirement is for suckers! Mason back with Ravens

I guess retirement isn't what it used to be. For many athletes it means the end of a career, sometimes long and other times shortened by injuries, but meant you were done. These days it seems like a synonym for "vacation" in the sports world. A term that is used abruptly and seemingly without reason. Its almost like the athlete wakes up says to themselves "Ya know, I'm kinda tired. A little sore. Maybe I should retire. Yep, sounds good. Honey, let's go to the beach!!"

Derrick Mason became the most recent inductee into the Un-Retirement Cub and rejoined the Baltimore Ravens at training camp at McDaniels College on Saturday. The decision to come back ended his two week retirement.

It seems he made a rash and emotional decision to retire just a week or so after his good friend and former teammate Steve McNair was murdered. Other factors could have also played a role in his decison to retire also. The Ravens had not been very willing to rework his contract for the coming season and had hinted at holding out. Mason was quoted as saying he still has an "intense fire" to play and feels like he isn't finished yet. Hopefully he was able to get that beach trip out of his system. Sometimes you just have to get away I guess.

This comes as good news for the Ravens who were in desperate need of a number one receiver for the coming season. Mason's sudden retirement left a huge hole in the Ravens receiving corps. Ed Reed was probably the best receiver they had on the roster and he plays safety.

There were some talks about trying to trade for the Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall, who is unhappy with his situation in Denver, before Mason came out of retirement. The Ravens should still be pursuing some kind of trade considering Mason is 35 and will be out of gas in a couple of years and Marshall gives them a long term threat at the position.

Welcome back Derrick! I hope retirement was good to you and they don't take back your AARP card. You get pretty good discounts from what I hear.