The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Michael Vick is not a suspect in an incident that occurred early this morning that resulted in a man named Quanis Phillips being shot outside a nightclub in Virginia. Vick had been celebrating his 30th birthday at the restaurant/club sometime before the shooting occurred.
The police have stated that they have no interest in Vick, but that doesn’t mean he won’t face punishment from the NFL. When commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Vick last July, part of the deal was that Vick wasn’t supposed to associate with anyone from his days as a dog fighter. And Phillips was just one of the people that Vick had a close “business relationship” with when he owned Bad Newz Kennels. Goodell also announced upon Vick’s reinstatement that the quarterback’s margin for error was “extremely limited.”
Falcons’ receiver Roddy White, who was apparently with Vick earlier in the night, said that the two of them had left the party before the shooting took place. Said White: “I don’t know what’s going to go on with that or whatever, but we didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Not many details are available right now, so we can only speculate about what transpired leading up to the shooting. Maybe Phillips was there without Vick’s knowledge or arrived to the restaurant after the quarterback had left. Who knows?
But the mere fact that Vick’s name is being brought up in relation to another off-field incident is troubling to say the least. It sounds as if he did nothing wrong and wasn’t involved in the shooting. It also isn’t a crime to celebrate your birthday with your friends, although if one of those friends is an old acquaintance that helped you set up an illegal dog-fighting ring, then that’s a problem. And if Phillips was invited to the party, then Vick’s decision-making is yet again up for criticism.
Check back for more details on this developing story.
Michael Vick told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he still has visions of being a starter in the NFL and thinks teams we see that they missed on a golden opportunity to trade for the former No. 1 overall pick in the offseason.
“Actually, I understood because I’d been out of football,” Vick said Monday after a workout at the NovaCare Complex. “I didn’t play behind a center for three years. I know how good I am. The [Eagles] coaches know how good I am. I know I could have landed some place, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Being a competitor, you always want to start,” Vick said. “I know in my future that’s there for me. I’ll be a starter in this league again. Right now, I’m just having fun honing my skills.”
“My skills are back,” Vick said. “I’m ready. I’m faster than I’ve ever been before. I’m quicker, light on my feet. So I guess somebody missed out this time around. But I’ll make it work here, and they’ll see.”
“When I get back to [practicing more], I’m going to be dangerous,” Vick said. “That’s all I can say. I’ll be dangerous.”
Vick had a fair amount of success in Atlanta due to his athletic abilities alone, but there were more than a handful of games in which he lost because he couldn’t read a defense. He wasn’t prepared for situations late in the fourth quarter when he needed to make a play against a good team that had the ability to bottle him up. Monte Kiffin used to make him look like a fool twice a year when the Falcons played the Buccaneers because Vick didn’t know how to adjust mentally.
The problem with Vick has never been his athletic ability. It’s always been with him taking that next step as a quarterback and as a student of the game. If he has changed, then maybe there’s still time for him yet. But if he’s still the same QB that relied solely on his athletic talent, then he’ll be nothing more than a gimmick the rest of his career.
Good to see Michael Vick still has his priorities in order. (Fast forward to about the 7:40 mark.)
Let’s review:
“If I could play for any team in the league, it would probably be two teams, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the Carolina Panthers.”
Why, Mike?
“Well, you know, it’s close to home. I like the uniforms. You get to play against Atlanta twice a year. Ain’t nothing better than playing against your former team, right? So, yeah, that would be a good look, it would be a good look.”
Oh, you mean the same team that was loyal to you and you screwed over by operating an illegal dog-fighting operation in your spare time? The same Falcons team that you admitted to not giving it your all for and overall being lazy? Stay classy, Mike.
And I don’t care if he was joking or only half serious, but him saying that he wants to play for the Panthers because he likes their uniforms is painstakingly stupid. I’m well aware that I might be going overboard with this and I’ll admit that I’m bitter towards this pile, but may he go to Carolina and may Curtis Lofton give him the beating of a lifetime for 120 minutes twice a year.
According to beat writer Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams are seriously considering trading for Michael Vick this offseason, although Thomas didn’t provide much detail outside of that.
If Thomas is right, the question now becomes whether or not Vick is a good fit for the Rams. On one hand, he provides an upgrade over Marc Bulger just based on his athletic and playmaking ability. Bulger hasn’t resembled a starting caliber quarterback since 2006 and even though Vick hasn’t taken a meaningful snap since that year, at least he would instill some life into the position.
On the other hand, who knows how Vick would handle a full season under center. Again, he hasn’t played since 2006 and he only attempted 13 passes this season for an average of 6.6 yards per attempt. And quite frankly, he wasn’t that good of a passer even when he was a regularly starter.
That said, the Rams are so devoid of talent that acquiring Vick just from that standpoint would be a good move. And unless they view Jimmy Clausen as a franchise quarterback (which is possible), then whom else are the Rams going to get? Bulger is a has been and Kyle Boller was a never was. At least Vick could run around and make a couple of big plays on the Edward Jones Dome carpet.
Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch speculates that the Rams might make a move to acquire Michael Vick from the Eagles this offseason. Thomas sites the fact that GM Bill Devaney worked for the Falcons when Vick was in Atlanta and even visited the troubled QB in prison.
Devaney worked for the Atlanta Falcons before coming to St. Louis, so he’s very familiar with Vick. In fact, Devaney visited Vick in prison while Vick was serving 18 months for running a dogfighting operation.
In St. Louis, Vick could bring sizzle to an offense that was among the league’s worst in ’09. As one long-time NFL coach told the Post-Dispatch: “That team lacks perimeter players. They can’t play straight up (on offense) and win. They need to create explosiveness where it’s not.”
Vick would be a solid fit for the Rams. He’s lost some burst as a runner and considering he hasn’t been a starter in three years, he’ll be rusty as a passer when he does get under center full time. But he’s worth a shot for a team like the Rams, who are in desperate need of overall speed and talent.
St. Louis isn’t a team that’s on the verge of making a deep run in the playoffs, so taking a chance on a player like Vick is a less risky proposition for them then it would be another team that’s counting on a quarterback to get them over the hump. Vick isn’t magically going to transform into the electrifying player he once was, but he would upgrade the Rams’ quarterback position and would give them a chance to acquire Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh with the No. 1 pick in April.
I know this is just speculation on Thomas’ part, but I like the thinking.
