Sunday, July 26, 2009

My Take On Michael Vick


Michael Vick is out of jail and ready to play football again, and play it in the NFL. Should he be allowed to play? In my opinion 100% absolutely yes. There is no condoning what he did, it was terrible, but he spent over 18 months behind bars. He lost everything he had, the houses, the endorsement deals, over $30 million in salary. His debt to society has been paid…and then some. Donte Stallworth drives drunk and kills a man with his car and he spent less than 30 days in jail.

I’m sure that the NFL, namely Roger Goodell still wants to punish him in some way. As I said before, I think he’s already paid his debt. But, I understand that Goodell wants to run a tight ship and punish the players whose conduct is detrimental to the league. If he suspends Vick, it should be no longer than 2 games. 4 would be too long and 6 would be totally excessive. So what teams should consider signing Vick…?

My simple answer is every team has to consider signing him. He’s going to get the league minimum salary and he’s not going to cost your team a draft pick. Use him as a backup QB and slash type of WR. He could play 5-10 snaps in the “wildcat” formation. He could play a handful of snaps under center. He can play 5-10 snaps at WR. Think about your favorite team. Is there a 3rd QB or 3rd WR you wouldn’t want to replace with Vick? Think of your team’s punt returner and now replace him with Vick, doesn’t that look better? He can make a difference for a team playing 15-20 plays per game.

Now I have to go against everything I’ve said, the Redskins should not consider signing Vick. The Skins are set with their backup QB’s in Collins and Brennan and don’t need the Campbell/Vick controversy. I believe that Devin Thomas is going to have a breakout year and catch at least 50 balls…I’ll take him over Vick as a 3rd WR. There’s no room for Vick here in DC, but in New England or San Francisco…plenty of room.

Whoever signs Vick will have to deal with the backlash and repercussions. There will be organizations like PETA who will come out to the stadiums and stage rallies. The team that signs him may lose a handful of season ticket holders that revolt because they can’t give the man a second chance. I believe in second chances and think the man deserves one, I hope he makes the most of it.

Cheers and Hail

No comments: