While I probably should be doing some sort of Cheers and Jeers article. I just don’t have that many NFL-related kudos to hand out right now. On the flipside, there’s plenty of blame to go around after three weeks. So, while it may offend the “stay positive” types out there, this rant is about the NFL negative. In particular, there are four people who earn the Wunderdog “Knucklehead” award this week…

Michael Vick

Michael, Michael. Will you ever learn? We fear not. Where did things go so wrong? I think it was after you left Virginia Tech. Upon entering the NFL, your on-the-field physical talent didn’t dissappear. But, your ability to help a team win did. You rushed for more yards than any NFL quarterback. But, the numbers that mattered (passing, win-loss) told a much different story. While fun to watch, you were nothing better than an average quarterback on the field. Your completion percentage and TD to INT ratio were downright bad and you just didn’t get your team enough wins. You underperformed. For the first few years, to your credit, you kept the off-the-field stuff to a minimum. Then you flipped off some fans, and then the whole killing dogs for fun thing. Finally, this week, you get cracked for smoking the weed. That’s gotta help your upcoming sentencing! We look forward to your next act.

Lovie Smith

Lovie, we gained a lot of respect for you last year. But, you lost a lot of it for sticking so long with a terrible quarterback. Yes, you finally did the right thing in benching Rex Grossman this week. But, it was way too late. If you look at Grossman’s numbers since the middle of last year, you can’t find a worse quarterback. He rates dead last in passer rating. But the Bears were winning you say? Yes, despite Grossman, they won. Without him, they are a much better team. Lovie, you put the Super Bowl in Rex’s hands in February. He lost you that game. That’s when we knew he was destined for the NFL QB scrap heap. Why did it take you three more games to figure this out? In our 2008 NFL predictions column, we told you he wasn’t long for a starting job in the NFL. Lovie, while we respect loyalty to your players, you screwed up big time by hanging on to this kid long after it was evident he was not starting QB material. We like you so let’s hope with Griese at the helm, your team can get back to winning games with defense.

A.J. Smith and Dean Spanos

If I were San Diego Chargers GM A.J. Smith or owner Dean Spanos, I’d be in hiding. How can these guys face their players, coaches or fans? In what could go down as one of the biggest blunders in sports history, these guys took a 14-2 team and turned them into a 1-2 team on the brink of throwing away a season in which they were one of the favorites to win it all. What was a top defense and unstoppable offense one year ago, has turned into a terrible defense and awful offense - with the same players! By firing their head coach, they disrupted something that wasn’t broken. Whether it’s new head coach Norv Turner’s fault, or something else, the blame falls on these two guys who pulled the trigger on letting Marty Schottenheimer go. Like him or hate him, at least under Marty this team won. And, the best player in the NFL, and one of the best running backs ever - in his prime, was getting more than 45 yards per game. If anyone needed a time machine, it’s this franchise.

DeAngelo Hall

Disclaimer: yeah, we’re still bitter. We were on the Falcons last week over Carolina and lost that bet. Atlanta had a couple good chances to cover (2nd and goal late in the game) but Harrington couldn’t convert. A touchdown gave us the cover but they settled for a field goal. But, it never should have come down to that! With the Falcons up 17-10, the Atlanta defense had stopped Carolina and were going to get the ball back on a punt. But, DeAngelo Hall committed one of his 3 penalties for 67 yards on that drive. The Panthers ended up scoring a touchdown and went on to win. To make matters worse, Hall kept ranting on the sidelines and got into an argument with an assistant coach and head coach Bobby Petrino. Prior to that drive, Atlanta was in control of the game and had the emotional edge. After what Petrino called Hall’s “emotional, momentum-changing tirade,” Atlanta never got back in the groove and a winless team in need of a win lost. Now instead of 1-2 and on an upswing, this team is 0-3 and downtrodden. DeAngelo, you may have put an unrecoverable dent in your team’s chances this season. And more importantly, you cost us a perfect week last week!