Courtesy Coltpower.com

nfl commissioner Roger Goodell is nothing if he's not consistent.

Since taking over as the NFL's new boss, Goodell has been tougher than a grouchy prison warden, wasting little time suspending players for up to a complete season for violating the league's new rules on discipline.

He may have plodded along a bit more, when deciding what to do about dogfighting conspirator Michael Vick, but in the end, Goodell was the model of consistency in handing down Vick's penalty.

How about an indefinite suspension for a harsh, yet thoughtful, penalty.

Some people may think this isn't so bad; it doesn't have the finality of the one-year that Pacman Jones received for his off-field antics.

Goodell's decision is well-planned, though. Indefinite gives Goodell all of the power.

Vick is most likely going to serve some time in jail - up to a year. If he gets out and wants to return to the NFL, Goodell can simply say the suspension isn't over.

In other words, Goodell can leave Vick hanging - just the way the Atlanta quarterback left his own dogs hanging.

Brutal? Maybe, but definitely a well-deserved punishment.