Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer announced Thursday that redshirt freshman quarterback Ike Whitaker has been suspended from the team indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

Read (AP via Sports Illustrated)

At this rate, maybe the person that wins the starting quarterback spot will be the guy who can stay out of trouble and remain on the team.

Virginia Tech’s reputation has been iffy over the years. In fact it hasn’t been that great or several years. That’s the problem with forgiveness: Forgivees take advantage.

That coach Frank Beamer kept quiet his knowledge of Marcus Vick’s latest example of an “I’m a Vick at Tech, deal with it” attitude indicates more of a football factory than many may have thought.

Beamer had to be hacked word got out that Vick’s license was suspended, which Beamer didn’t know because Vick didn’t tell him.

The coach said he was told by his director of football operations – is that lingo anymore for “babysitter” or “negotiator” in college football? – Vick’s license suspension was a “formality, a paperwork issue.” So he didn’t think it would count against Vick’s tally.

Read (The Macon Telegraph)

Frank Beamer is finally starting to catch some heat. Good, he should not come out of this smelling like a rose. Hey, Frank, the Oakland Raiders have an opening.

Marcus Vick has been charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm. The crime happened at a McDonalds in Suffolk, VA Sunday night, 12/9, two days after he was kicked off the Virginia football team.

Read (The Virginian-Pilot)

When he said he was “taking it to the next level baby”, I didn’t think he meant the next criminal level.

Marcus Vick

Virginia Tech has permanently dismissed Marcus Vick from the football program.

Read (The Virginian-Pilot)

I’m betting Vick makes himself available for the NFL draft, and he’ll get drafted because of his last name.  His on and off field antics mean that he should be compatible with the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders.  The Denver Broncos like to draft troubled young men, so they are certainly an option if he’s available in one of the later rounds.

Marcus Vick Virginia Tech

In a report filed January 5, Marcus Vick was charged with speeding and driving on a suspended license in Hampton on December 17.  What will Virginia Tech do about this one?  Here’s what the Tech President said when Vick was reinstated last August:

What is clear is that for his previous problems, Virginia Tech suspended Vick from school and the team for the fall semester and the 2004 season. He returned this season under what Steger called a “last-chance opportunity.”

At that time — August 2004 — Steger added that, “If there is any more trouble, his Virginia Tech career is effectively ended.”

Read (The Virginia-Pilot)

Will Steger be a man of his word this time?  Unlike the “no we wouldn’t join the ACC if asked” statement.
And does it normally take 19 days to file a police report?

When Marcus Vick stomped on the knee of Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil, he also came down very hard on the people at Virginia Tech who had put their faith in him. Now Frank Beamer is being portrayed in national circles as a craven coach who places victory ahead of sportsmanship.

In another era, Vick’s expulsion would be a no-brainer. His assault on Dumervil was his fourth or maybe even fifth strike. But some of our college football factories, in case you hadn’t noticed, want it both ways. They preach sportsmanship and class even as they fill their lineups with ticking time bombs.

Read (The Virginian-Pilot)

Enough of Marcus Vick. Enough of his antics both on and off the field. It’s time for Virginia Tech to tell him he’s done playing football at Virginia Tech. If he wants to stay and finish his degree, let him do that, but no football. Let him know now so he can decide if he wants to make himself eligible for the NFL draft. I’ll bet he chooses the draft.

Until a few minutes ago, I’d forgotten that my 5-year-old son came home from school Monday and said that his class got to watch the first half of the game during school. The Vick stomp wasn’t something I’d like my son to see. Look class, this is an excellent example of unsportsmanlike conduct!

Marcus Vick Virginia Tech

The Washington Redskins have reached an agreement with Gregg Williams that will keep him as the team’s assistant head coach for defense, and the 3-year contract extension is reportedly worth $8 million.

Read (Washington Post)

With all of the head coach openings in the NFL, I didn’t think it would be possible to keep Greg Williams. Kudos to Dan Snyder.

43-year-old New England Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie converted the NFL’s first successful drop kick since 1941.

I was kind of pleased to know that somebody can still drop kick,” Dolphins Coach Nick Saban said. “Man, when I was a kid we all practiced that. Thought it was a lost art.

“But,” he added, “you know Flutie showed his age on that one.”

Read (ESPN)

I practiced those drop kicks as a kid, too, but mine never made it through the uprights.

Peaking at the right time, the Redskins (9-6) won their fourth straight and will clinch at least a wild card berth if they win at Philadelphia in next week’s regular-season finale. They will win the NFC East with a win and a Giants loss at Oakland next week.

Read (AP via Yahoo)

This win was a very nice Christmas present. One more win next week and a playoff spot is guaranteed. ❗

Washington 35, Dallas 7.

It really wasn’t even that close Sunday in front of a record crowd of 90,588 at FedExField.

Read (The Dallas Morning News)

The only thing better than beating Dallas twice in 1 season would be winning the Super Bowl.

It’s possible, perhaps even likely, that a nine-win team will make the NFC playoffs. If the Redskins can get to that level it’s very likely that they would win the tiebreaker against any other nine-win NFC team and snag the final wild card slot.

Read (scout.com)

…but they need help. They also need the Cowboys, Falcons, and Vikings to each lose 2 of their last 4 games… Possible? Yes. Likely? Unfortunately, no.

The Redskins lost to Norv Turner’s Raiders, and that makes nine straight losses to AFC teams. [Mark Brunell](http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/2485 “Yahoo”) doesn’t look all that great anymore. He’s starting to look more like last year’s Brunell than this year’s preseason Brunell.

Looking at the rest of the schedule, I only see one game that Washington should win – the [Arizona](http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/ari “Yahoo”) game. It would appear that this season’s record will end up being another losing or mediocre 8-8 record, so why not go ahead and put [Jason Campbell](http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7201 “Yahoo”) in and let him start learning? Campbell is the future not Brunell and apparently not [Patrick Ramsey](http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5918 “Yahoo”). Can the front office do something right this time and trade Ramsey while he still has some value?

I should be used to losing by now, but it still sucks. My wife said that she hates when I watch football, because I usually end up in a foul mood. After games like this one, yes, I’m in a foul mood for an hour or so.

Read (Yahoo)