As this season went along, the Broncos picked up several of Michael Vick‘s former teammates. Jordan Beck had been with the Atlanta Falcons the previous two years and early this season. Josh Mallard, Paul Carrington and P.J. Alexander were Falcons last year and earlier this season.
They were all there for the circus that was the Falcons’ training camp. They were interested spectators from Dove Valley when Vick, their former star quarterback, was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison for his lead role in a dogfighting operation.
“It’s a little longer than I thought it would be,” said Beck, a special-teams standout and a backup linebacker. “I wish the best for Mike. He was a great teammate. I believe in the justice system, also. He can start making good decisions from here on out and have a bright future.”
Because the Falcons separate their defensive and offensive players into different locker rooms, Carrington didn’t get to know Vick well. “He was always a quiet guy, anyway, usually kept to himself,” said Carrington, a defensive end. “But from my experience he was always real personable, a good teammate.”
Shanahan fine.
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan isn’t optimistic he will be able to overturn the $25,000 fine he received from the NFL last week for speaking out on the Travis Henry case.
“If I was driving down the street and the officer pulled me over for speeding, say 20 mph over, and I disagreed with it and decided to go to court,” Shanahan said. “And I went to court and the officer was the judge. I wouldn’t feel very good about it. So I would say the chances aren’t very good. I think I saw that on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ one time.”
Footnotes.
Safety Hamza Abdullah said he wasn’t poked in the eye, contrary to previous reports, because he wears a visor. But he suffered a bad bruise in the eye area in the second quarter and did not return. “I could have gone back in, but they said hold off until Thursday,” he said. With receiver Brandon Stokley again hobbled by a knee injury, the Broncos hope Javon Walker can return full go and play at Houston. Kick returner Andre Hall suffered a dislocated thumb Sunday but has not been ruled out for the game against the Texans. Stokley’s three-year extension includes $3.7 million in total salary and $5 million in roster bonuses.
Mike Klis
