This and That

“I never thought I’d be on the cover of the Atlanta Journal unless I killed someone.”

-Chris Robinson

Robinson, lead singer of Southern rock group The Black Crowes, made the above comment upon achieving an unexpected level of fame in Georgia. Of course, Robinson never killed anyone, it was his music that made him famous. While a certain former Falcons quarterback never killed anyone (or at least any person) either, he did do quite a few unsavory things during his time in Atlanta.

Why are we talking about Michael Vick? Because before Pittsburgh signed him to a one year contract, there were a number of people who seemed to think that the Falcons should bring him in to back up Matt Ryan. Why not? I’ll tell you why: weed concealing water bottles, obscene gestures, Ron Mexico, and a little dogfighting investigation that you may have heard something about. While it is true that Vick has paid for his transgressions, that doesn’t mean that we want him anywhere near the ATL. Just saying.

Now that we’ve gotten that bit of unpleasantness out of the way, on to a few bits and pieces from the world of pro sports in Atlanta:

-The Falcons signed quarterback Rex Grossman to a one year, $1 million contract earlier this week. Grossman, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2011, has worked previously with new Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in Washington and Cleveland.

While the addition of Grossman, a former Heisman Trophy runner-up at Florida, isn’t the kind of move that gets headlines, it could turn out to be important. Anyone who has watched the first two preseason games knows that the Falcons are sorely deficient in the backup QB area. Of course, should Matt Ryan go down, it really doesn’t matter who the #2 quarterback is; the season is more or less over.

-In NBA news, the Hawks recently added veteran guard Jason Richardson to the roster. Richardson, a fifteen year veteran, joins the Hawks after averaging 9.1 points per game with Philadelphia last season. He will likely assume an Elton Brand type of role with Atlanta, mentoring younger players while contributing in a minor role off the bench.

-The Shelby Miller watch continues. Miller, who was acquired by the Braves in the Jason Heyward trade, has now gone an astounding 18 consecutive starts without a win. Despite a 2.62 ERA, good for 11^th in the National League, Miller has been saddled with the loss 10 times since his last win. There always seems to be one pitcher for whom the Braves can’t score runs, but the lack of support for Miller has been nothing short of epic.

-Speaking of our beloved baseball team, the Braves recently went winless on a seven game road trip to Chicago and San Diego, and are 1-9 in their last 10 games. Despite the disaster that has been the 2015 season, there have been a few promising signs. I really like Jace Peterson at 2^nd base, Cameron Maybin in centerfield, and Arodys Vizcaino in the closer spot. Still, there is much work to do before we can contend once again.

-The Falcons’ schedule, while one of the easiest in the league judging by last season’s results, does Atlanta no favors in the first month. The first three games are against NFC East opponents. The Falcons host Philadelphia, before visiting Washington and Dallas. An 0-3 start would effectively doom the season.

That does it for now. Soon Fall will be upon us, and we’ll have regular season NFL football to talk about. Until then, keep the faith Atlanta. What other choice do we have?