Joe Don't Blow your Horne

I wish I could take credit for this quote, but I found it on a local (Georgia) sports board, Georgia Outdoor News. "He's (Joe Horne) always been an average receiver with an above average mouth". For someone who has yet to play a game wearing a Falcons Jersey, Horne has now proclaimed himself the "mouthpiece" of the Atlanta Falcons. He appeared on the Dan Patrick show over the weekend rambling how the media (he specifically mentions Nancy Grace) has been quick to find Michael Vick guilty and so he offers his thoughts that Vick needs to play with the team and the team supports him and wants him to play. It might be different if Horne was a team leader with some experience around the Falcons locker. He's the new kid on the block! If anyone were to proclaim themselves to be speaking for the Falcons team, it should be Keith Brooking or maybe a well-respected player like Warrick Dunn. Brooking's comment was only that he had been impressed with Vick's dedication to learning the Petrino Offense in the off-season. This says nothing about the "team" supporting Vick and wanting him to play.

There is a time and place for everything! The one thing the Falcons need right now is cohesion. The Falcons do not need publicity-starved teammates offering blanket statements of support. I'm quite certain there are some team members that are very tired of the negative publicity that Vick has generated since January of this year but they have not sought out a public forum to speak out against him. Instead, they handled it professionally and with some dignity. Now, it's time for Joe Horne to learn some as well. No smack needed!!! Last night on the local news, Keion Carpenter (former Falcons player and former Vick teammate from VT) was proclaiming his support for Vick and saying how Vick wants to play and his teammates should be there to "uplift" him. ("Uplift" is his word choice, not mine!). He also went on to say that Vick has been "misinterpretated". ("Misinterpretated" is his word choice, not mine!) Note to Carpenter, the next time you decide you want to comment, perhaps you should consult a dictionary. Then, just maybe, will you be respected. Just so you know, "misinterpretated" is not a word, but misinterpreted is.