Hair-raising superstitions

Michael Vick's not cutting his hair until the Falcon's win the Super Bowl.

Good luck with that Mike. You should worry about staying healthy for an entire season before you bring the 'fro back into the NFL.

With Vick, Dunn, and Peerless Price, Atlanta certainly has the ability to be a playoff team, but I don't see Vick in the barber chair anytime in late January, in any immediate year.

Perhaps instead of letting his locks develop, Mike should spend more time schooling his little bro Marcus on how to not throw away your quarterback career on drug charges. Perhaps Quincy Carter can be their third wheel.

In more QB hair-news, David Carr and his father aren't cutting their hair until the Texans win back-to-back games. That's a little more realistic.

Realistic, but still pretty unnecessary. If the Texans can't get their young leader a haircut by mid-season, it's time to go back to not changing your socks.

So what is it about these quarterback's and their growing-hair threat? Superstition is one thing, but neither of these guys is Sampson, and their strength isn't in their hair.

Vick's strength is in his legs, Carr's in his cannon arm. All their doing is making their helmets a little tighter; making themselves sweat a little more in "Hotlanta" and Texas. Way to think it through guys.

I grew my hair out for a few months, then buzzed it when the July heat became unbearable. I didn't accomplish any professional feat or overcome adversity- it simply got too hot under all my hair.

At the time of my trim I wasn't dying from two-a-days, scrimmages or football games -- I had to stay hydrated to get the mail.

In a time when heat exhaustion and dehydration have caused tragic deaths and ended careers- I'm not so sure this is the best media ploy for a team leader.

So to all NFL athletes, my advice to you is this: study film, take your o-line to Smith & Wilensky's, shave your head, and stay off the Madden covers.