Michael Vick

Rookie outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw didn't start in Monday's win against the Cincinnati Bengals, but by the end of the evening, he had made his presence felt during his 29 snaps on defense. On Wednesday, Upshaw said he enjoyed every single one of them. And why not? In his NFL debut, the second-round draft pick totaled four tackles, picked up his first career sack and hit Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton once more. “If I'm not starting, as you saw, I'm still going to try to come in and give a little energy and try to make plays.

A decade after graduating from Baltimore's Gilman School, some alumni might be vaulting up the ladder in careers as executives or politicians. But Brian Sher, Class of '86, was looking at the lowest rung - starting out as a trainee in the mailroom of a Hollywood talent agency. After attending Tulane and the University of Southern California, Sher had tried doing most of the things young people do to break into show business: working as production assistant on a movie, playing a walk-on character and writing a screenplay.

The showcase games in Week 8 were headlined by some of the least popular quarterbacks in the league. Sunday's game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers pitted two vastly different QBs -- in both their style on the field and the way they have carried themselves off of it -- against each other. Tom Brady, he of the Uggs boots and once a noted endorser of Bieber bangs, is a pretty boy quarterback with three Super Bowl rings (and a supermodel wife) who drives the Ravens wild whenever he whines to the zebras about them hitting him too hard.

ESPN posed a question a few hours ago that has created a storm to rival Hurricane Irene: What if Michael Vick were white? In an essay posted just posted online that will appear in the Sept. 5 issue of the magazine, columnist Toure wrote: "Race is an undeniable and complex element of Vick's story, both because of his style as well as the rarity of black QBs in the NFL. A decade after he became the first black QB to be drafted No. 1 overall, about one in five of the league's passers is African-American, compared with two-thirds of all players.

I'm pleased to announce that I will be bringing back my weekly fantasy football column this fall. Why am I so pleased? Because it gives me an excuse to tinker with my fantasy football teams when I'm on the clock. I'm scaling back to four or five leagues this year so I can focus on other important things (like the new “Madden” game that comes out at the end of the month). But this column lets me play vicariously through you guys, and I'm always available to give fantasy advice via email, Twitter and the comments section.

Remember back in September when a running back that Terrell Suggs had never heard of rumbled for 144 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens? Well that no-name back is now the cover boy for the next installment of the popular "Madden" franchise. Browns running back Peyton Hillis won a bracket-style tournament using fan votes to determine which player EA Sports would put on the "Madden 2012" cover. Hillis beat out players such as Ray Rice and Aaron Rodgers on the way to the finals, where he nearly doubled up Michael Vick to get his mug put on video game boxes.

You can trust in Brady Dom Amore Hartford Courant As has been the case for much of its history, the NFL is short on greatness at the quarterback position. The list of field generals who truly combine all the skills, including intangibles, is short. For me, Tom Brady still resides at the top. One big game, who else would you want? Who else would you trust? Sunday was the latest in a long list of examples in which Brady, when relatively healthy, will bring his "A" game and avoid the mistakes that loom large when everyone is tuned in. Peyton Manning, sensational as he is, can still be haunted by the crushing interception.

Kevin Kolb will make his second straight start in place of the injured Michael Vick when the Philadelphia Eagles host Atlanta on Sunday. Eagles coach Andy Reid says Vick practiced Friday for the first time since sustaining a rib cartilage injury on Oct. 3. There's a chance Vick will be the backup quarterback against his former team. Kolb began the season as the starter, but lost his job after sustaining a concussion in Week 1 because Vick was sensational in his absence.

In their most important game of the season, the Eagles lost by five. And by 5. That's the jersey number of Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb, who wore that same number for 11 years in Philadelphia before the Eagles traded him in April. Along the way in their 17-12 loss to the Redskins, the Eagles lost quarterback Michael Vick, who suffered an undisclosed rib injury on a dazzling run up the middle at the end of the first quarter when he was sandwiched just shy of the goal line.

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick is no big deal with the Redskins. He's 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, to be exact. That's the size of smoking-fast Redskins rookie Brandon Banks, a practice-squad wide receiver who this past week was assigned to emulate the Eagles quarterback in advance of Sunday's game. Opposing teams will do just about anything to simulate the challenge presented by Vick, who has thrown six touchdown passes and run 23 times for an average of 7.4 yards a carry.