EXTRA! Reid All About It!

So I was listening to sports talk radio this past weekend (the national four-letter network that has taken over the world), and the on-air host made a statement that I can't stop thinking about. He was discussing the Philadelphia Eagles and said (I'm going to have to paraphrase here) that Andy Reid got lucky with Michael Vick.

That's not a fair statement. It's a statement that quite frankly discredits the character of Andy Reid. In the summer of 2009, the Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on Mike Vick. Thirty-one other teams passed. Most owners probably felt it wasn't worth the headache. It certainly would take the right type of coach to handle such a unique situation like this. Eagles' owner Jeffrey Lurie believed Andy Reid would be up for the task.

Andy Reid is all about second chances. Why? He has to be. Reid has two sons that have been to prison. One from a drug and weapons charge and the other from an altercation at a halfway house. There isn't one NFL head coach in the league today that has a better grasp on how prison can affect a young man, than Andy Reid. Make amends for your errors. Learn to live a new life. Mike Vick needed someone to open up that door to a new life and Andy Reid was right there to invite him in.

Not only did Andy Reid give Mike Vick a second chance in the NFL, he gave him a second chance to be a starter in this league. Sure, Vick got his break when Kevin Kolb got injured, but once Kolb got healthy, Reid stood by Mike.

The Mike Vick resurrection project wouldn't have worked out just anywhere. This project wasn't about playing time and depth charts. It's been about belief and encouragement. It's about faith and second chances. This journey is personal for Andy Reid. This story hits home. He deserves all the credit in the world for his team's success and Mike's success. There is nothing "lucky" about it.

Time To Say GoodBuy-Out

Calling all Georgia Tech alum! Calling anyone that is a fan of Georgia Tech men's basketball! We are starting a fundraiser. We need to raise money immediately. How much? Are you currently sitting down? I'll wait....

Approximately $8.1 million dollars.

That is how much its going to cost Georgia Tech to tell Paul Hewitt to clean out his locker. This program has reached it's breaking point. It's reached the point where we must now say: it's worth it.

I don't want to make this column about numbers. It's too easy to talk about his inability to get past the 2nd round in the NCAA tournament (in years his team has even qualified: 5 years out of 10). Yeah, I know, he took his team to the Final Four in 2003. That seems like it was at least seven years ago....it was. You know who else has gone to the Final Four since then? George Mason University & Butler University.

This season has been a disgrace and ACC play hasn't even begun. Hewitt's team already has losses to Kennesaw State, Northwestern and now in-state rival Georgia. Horrible, bad, trouble. For years, Hewitt has typically saved face in the offseason by landing a prize recruit. The problem is that window of opportunity with said star recruit closes so quickly, we hardly remember their name.

Ironically, while Georgia Tech was losing to UGA Tuesday night, I was at Philips Arena watching the New Jersey Nets, and former Paul Hewitt star recruit Derrick Favors. His stat-line: 24 minutes / 4 points, 5 rebounds. By the way, Hewitt's other prize recruits: Thaddeus Young has an NBA career average of 11 points and 4 rebounds. Javaris Crittenton...well, let's just say his NBA career bit the bullet (sorry, pun intended) and he now plays in China.

Coach Hewitt is always praised for his recruiting. However, it begs two questions: (1) is he good enough a coach to do something with these kids in the one year he has them? Calipari seems to do it. (2) why can't he convince these kids to stay more than one season? Coach K and Roy Williams seem to do it.

It's clear Georgia Tech is headed towards another subpar year. The ACC hasn't even been that competitive the past few years and this program had the chance to be one of those 2nd tier teams behind Duke and UNC. Instead, Georgia Tech has become nothing more than Virginia basketball or Clemson basketball. Irrelevant. A non-factor. Sadly, it doesn't have to be this way.

Bobby Cremins spent 19 years building this program into something special. Paul Hewitt is taking 10 years to slowly erase all the goodwill and credibility established by Cremins. It's time to stop the bleeding. This program is worth saving. It's ACC basketball in a fertile recruiting area.

There is an old expression: you have to spend money to make money. If the athletic department and alumni base at Georgia Tech are committed to producing a winning program, it's time to raise that $8 million dollars and make that 'donation'. It's worth it...