Tag: Michael Vick NFL (Page 1 of 3)

Was Vick overrated? Only because media made him that way.

June 26, 2009 /

There’s something that still chaps my hide whenever the topic of Michael Vick (the quarterback, not the dog fighter) gets brought up.

ESPN.com is running an “All-Decade” feature this week and for one of their topics they listed the top 25 most overrated NFL players of the decade (Insider subscription required). Who is No. 2 you ask? Well the dog fighter former Falcons quarterback himself, of course.

2. Michael Vick: Even before Vick’s sordid off-field activities came to light, he was a disappointing No. 1 overall pick. Vick was a great runner, sure, but when he dropped back to pass, he turned into Tyler Thigpen or Derek Anderson, quarterbacks who are close to Vick’s career averages of 6.7 yards per pass attempt, 1.4 touchdowns for every interception and 52.8 completion percentage. His upside at this point is “Best Wildcat Quarterback,” not best NFL quarterback.

What I’ve always found funny is that the media was the one that built Vick into this Super Jesus Quarterback (SJQ) coming out of college, then when he never lived up to their lofty expectations, they were the first to say he was one of the most overrated signal callers ever to lace up the cleats.

The media were the ones who said Vick would reinvent the quarterback position, find a cure for lupus and solve the world’s hunger problem. And some fans bought into that because of all the hype that surrounded him coming out of college.

But what was he at Virginia Tech? A runner. And what was he in Atlanta? A dog fighter. A runner. So how is he overrated? Because he didn’t live up to the media’s expectations? That’s what makes him overrated?

Why is it such a conundrum that Vick wasn’t a great passer? Frank Beamer only gave him six plays to learn at VA Tech, so it’s not like Vick was Peyton Manning (a great passer who put up great passing numbers at Tennessee) coming out of college. Dan Reeves and Jim Mora did their best to try and make Vick a quarterback, but obviously he just didn’t have it in him.

The media saw Vick’s big arm and thought, “passer.” But the fact of the matter is that Vick was an athlete first and always. Fans are partially to blame in all of this because they hyped him up too, but they mostly loved his athletic ability and marveled at what he could do with the ball in his hands. It was the media that wanted him to reinvent the position as both a runner and a passer. Now they want to claim, “Vick wasn’t a good quarterback – he was overrated.” Really, Captain Obvious? Well you made him that way.

You know what’s overrated? The term “overrated” in sports. A player is only overrated when the media over hypes him and he fails to live up to those expectations. So let’s relax with all the overrated talk and just enjoy the damn games for once. Either that, or let’s only talk about the players who are underrated, because at least it focuses on those who deserve more attention for what they can do on a field.

NFL

Goodell to wait on Vick decision

June 26, 2009 /

According to the Associated Press, Roger Goodell has started to focus on Michael Vick’s future, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that the NFL commissioner will make a decision by the start of the season.

Goodell hasn’t given a timeline yet on when he’ll come to the decision on how long he’ll suspend Vick and when he’ll reinstate the quarterback into the league. Considering the media exposure that is sure to follow a story this big, it’s probably a good idea that Goodell doesn’t put himself in a spot to have to make a decision by a certain date and time.

If Goodell waits until right before the season starts, that obvious hurts Vick’s chances on playing this season. Chances are, no team is going to sign him without knowing how long he’ll be suspended for.

On a side note, who wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall when Goodell finally does meet with Vick (which should be after Vick is released July 20 from home confinement and federal custody)? Don’t forget that the two met at the draft a couple years ago before the whole dog-fighting situation went down and Vick assured Goodell that he wasn’t a part of it. Oh boy…

NFL

Falcons release Michael Vick – what next?

June 12, 2009 /

The Falcons have officially released quarterback Michael Vick, ending an eight year marriage that started with Vick being selected with the number one overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and ending with him spending the past two years in a federal penitentiary for dog-fighting.

The release of Vick was just a formality for the Falcons, who had zero plans of honoring the rest of his contract. The remainder of Vick’s signing bonus ($8 million) will count against the team’s cap this season but after that, all financial ties will be severed.

Atlanta tried trading Vick this past offseason and unsurprisingly found no takers. The Rams, Redskins, 49ers, Jets and Raiders were all mentioned as possible trade suitors at one point or another over the past couple months, but most teams declined having any interest in the end.

Vick is now free to sign with any team he wants, but he’s waiting to see if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate him first and if he does, whether or not another suspension is forthcoming. Once Vick was indicted on federal charges, Goodell suspended him indefinitely, but it remains to be seen if the troubled quarterback will receive any more suspension time.

Assuming he does get reinstated, I don’t think a GM with half a brain would take the risk of signing Vick. Not only will he probably be suspended again, but nobody knows what kind of shape he’s in and whether or not he’s even mentally ready to play football. Not to mention whichever team does sign him, they better be ready for the national media storm that will certainly blow in upon his arrival.

Oakland is about the only place I could see Vick winding up in. Al Davis doesn’t care what anyone thinks and if a player has talent (which Vick certainly does…or did), then Davis will find a spot for him. The only problem is that JaMarcus Russell is the team’s quarterback, so would Vick be willing to move to another position or take a backup role? Considering what he’s done, he better be willing to take whatever a team gives him, but who knows.

Let the Vick speculation begin.

NFL

Skins’ Snyder to go after Vick? Don’t count on it.

June 10, 2009 /

According to a report by the Washington Post, the Redskins made a “quick and unanimous” decision to pass on signing suspended quarterback Michael Vick if he were released by the Falcons (which is inevitable).

Some figured that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder would consider making a move for Vick because well, Snyder usually makes decisions without completely thinking them through and signing the troubled QB would certainly play into his consistently clueless thought process. But Vick would have been a horrible fit for Washington for a couple of reasons.

Outside of the obvious reasons not to pursue Vick (i.e. he could be suspended by the league, he’s nowhere near in NFL game shape, and the little fact that he used to breed dogs in order to fight them in his spare time), he simply isn’t a good fit for the West Coast Offense.

When he became head coach of the Falcons in 2004, Jim Mora naively hired buddy Greg Knapp as offensive coordinator because he thought Knapp could teach Vick the WCO. The problem was, Vick’s main struggles surrounded around his inability to set his feet properly, making quick reads and getting the ball out of his hand in a timely manner – skill sets that are imperative for a quarterback to have in order to be successful in the WCO.

Vick not being an ideal fit to run the WCO would have been reason enough for the Redskins not to pursue him – pissing off Jason Campbell would have been another. Snyder has done a horrible job instilling confidence in Campbell this past offseason and if Washington actively pursued Vick, it might have sent Campbell off the deep end. I realize Campbell doesn’t have massive upside, but he does have potential and with a little support, he might even become a reliable QB for the Skins in the near future.

Either way, don’t look for the Skins to pursue Vick – Snyder be damned. It just doesn’t seem like an ideal fit when you look at the situation realistically.

NFL

Rams interested in Vick?

June 1, 2009 /

According to a report by Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post, the Rams are interested in suspended quarterback Michael Vick, who was recently released from federal prison.

Michael Vick update: According to people I’ve talked to who are close to him, Vick is in great spirits and looking forward to the future. I’m told he’s in great “non-professional football shape” and is determined to prove he can regain his superstar status in the NFL. He’s also very determined to do all the little things he didn’t do previously. He intends to spend more time studying the game, more time preparing to play, more time working on his game. Two years alone with nothing but your thoughts can be a powerful motivational tool.

Several people in the NFL told me not to rule out St. Louis as a possible destination for Vick. The Rams might have some ownership issues to deal with before actually signing him, but they have genuine interest. They’ve been doing their due diligence on Vick, and if the Commissioner does reinstate him, look for them to actively pursue him. It makes sense — a new coach with an older quarterback who hasn’t played well. Playing in a dome on carpet would highlight Vick’s speed and athleticism.

As with all rumors, this should be taken with a grain of salt, but as Lombardi notes in his article – don’t rule the Rams out. Then again, the Rams organization is in complete flux because of a possible sale, so they have bigger things to concentrate on right now.

People are generally going to have two thoughts on whether or not a team should pursue Vick. One group will think it’s a disaster waiting to happen, while the other will look at a team signing him as a low risk, high reward type of situation. I guess it all depends on whether or not he’ll be suspended, when the Falcons will officially release him (don’t forget he’s still under contract in Atlanta), and what kind of shape he’s in.

But personally, no matter how high the reward might be, I wouldn’t invite that circus to town if I owned a team. I wouldn’t want to deal with PETA or the media storm that would come with his signing, nor would I want my team to endure that.

NFL, Rumors & Gossip

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