Thumbs up
To former running back Warrick Dunn, who has joined the Falcons as a minority owner. Dunn, one of the game's finest men, played for the Falcons from 2002-07. He was the '04 winner of the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his longtime community service, which includes his Homes for the Holidays program. Dunn has helped 91 single parents and their children buy their first home.
Thumbs down
To Redskins owner Dan Snyder for his rapid-fire hiring of former Bucs and Raiders executive Bruce Allen as his new football operations vice president. I've got two problems with this. One, Allen is a barely - and I mean barely - more competent talent evaluator than the boob he's replacing, Vinny Cerrato. Two, the Redskins announced the hiring of Allen less than 2 hours after Cerrato's long-overdue resignation was announced. Makes you wonder how earnestly Snyder complied with the league's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one African-American candidate for coaching and front-office positions. He probably brought in Bob from accounting and Frank from marketing for 5-minute interviews right before hiring Allen, who will fit in nicely as Snyder's newest yes man.