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Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
Good article, sums up alot of my thoughts:
Vick not worth the trouble for Eagles
By Phil Sheridan
Inquirer Sports Columnist
With their shocking decision to sign Michael Vick, the Eagles are taking an enormous risk. All that's at stake is everything owner Jeff Lurie and head coach Andy Reid have ever said about what the franchise stands for, and they have put all of that in the hands of a man who went to prison for murdering dogs.
It just isn't worth it. Not from a football standpoint, which is secondary, and not from any other standpoint.
"It's up to Michael to prove that change has taken place," Reid said. "I think he's there. That's what he wants to do. He knows not everybody is going to have that trust in him or belief in him. But I think he'll go out and prove" he's changed.
And it would be nice if Vick has changed and dedicates the rest of his life to good deeds. It would just be nice if that happens somewhere else.
Let's be clear about this from the very top:
Vick did his time for the heinous and despicable dogfighting operation he financed and operated in Virginia. He went to federal prison. He lost millions of dollars. Like anyone else, Vick deserves the chance to return to his chosen profession.
Just not here.
Full disclosure: I received the e-mail about Vick's reinstatement by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell while waiting for my dog to finish his first chemotherapy treatment. I'm sitting in a sterile waiting room, worried sick about a 7-year-old Shih Tzu named Pogue, and a guy who oversaw the torture and murder of dozens of animals is getting cleared to play in the NFL. Let's just say the news rubbed me the wrong way at that moment.
But I also get that Vick comes from a different background, that there is a surprisingly large subculture that sees dogfighting as acceptable. I believe in people getting second chances in life. I think Goodell was right to reinstate Vick. It would be wrong to ban him for life after he served his criminal sentence.
Actually hiring him is a different matter.
Reid emphasized the importance of second chances, taking the rare step of mentioning his two sons' issues with drug addiction and the legal system. That tells you he has given this a lot of thought and is doing it for what he believes are strong reasons.
But he is asking the millions of people who follow the Eagles, who spend their money on tickets and sweatshirts and invest their hearts as well, to share his faith in Vick. And that's asking too much.
The Humane Society, which has endorsed Vick's return to football, is smart to seize this as an opportunity to reach people it might not. Vick's fame and infamy both make him uniquely qualified to speak on the subject of his former pastime.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very difficult to watch this guy without thinking about those dead and tormented dogs. There will be protests, and there should be. There will be verbal abuse from fans, and there should be. As much as Vick has the right to get on with his life, the rest of us have the right to remind him of what he did.
"This is America," Reid said. He has to know that works both ways.
It seems inappropriate to discuss the football stuff, given the gut reaction brought on by the off-field aspects of this. But the Eagles are also creating a difficult situation on their roster and in their locker room. Bringing in a guy like Vick, who will draw lots of negative attention and who may well repulse some of his teammates, is a potential team-killing move.
Terrell Owens was a jerk, but he wasn't as polarizing a figure as Mike Vick.
Vick ran a version of the West Coast offense while he was in Atlanta, but he was not nearly as efficient a passer as Donovan McNabb. If he's slated to be the No. 2 guy, then Kevin Kolb's whole tenure here just became an absurd waste of resources and time.
Maybe Reid thinks Vick can be a kind of situational player. Get him the ball in a Wildcat-type formation and see what happens. As long as McNabb is here to run the real offense, it would be an interesting idea.
But it's an interesting idea Reid should have written on tissue paper and flushed away forever.
The downside here just isn't worth the potential upside. It just isn't.
Vick did an interview with 60 Minutes that will air Sunday night. In it, he seems remorseful. But there's something hollow about his comment that "I didn't step up" - as if bankrolling a criminal operation for six years was the same as a bad fourth-quarter performance.
Sure, Vick is remorseful now. He's unemployed and in desperate need of a job in the NFL. He has been financially devastated and shamed in public and sat in a prison cell. He has every reason to be remorseful. No doubt he's sincere.
And perhaps someone, somewhere should have given him an opportunity to play again. Just not the Eagles. Just not here.
- FlashFlood
- Rep: 55
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
I'm surprised anybody wanted him. He's the most overrated athlete of the decade.
overrated may be appropriate...but i would say misused is more appropriate. there is no doubt that the man is pound for pound one of the best athletes in sports, he just can't play the NFL quarterback position.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
Don't understand why his crime is still an issue to people. Be concerned about where he fits in a depth chart, be concerned about his throwing arm after years of not being in the NFL, but for a sports writer to dwell on his off the field character is a bit childish. There is no moral dilemma in signing him. Talk about what he can do on the field. Which is fairly little, imo.
Very glad the Bills didn't pick him up, as there was rumored interest. Matt Ryan has already surpassed Vick on any list of best Falcons' QBs imo.
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
Don't understand why his crime is still an issue to people. Be concerned about where he fits in a depth chart, be concerned about his throwing arm after years of not being in the NFL, but for a sports writer to dwell on his off the field character is a bit childish. There is no moral dilemma in signing him. Talk about what he can do on the field. Which is fairly little, imo.
Couldn't disagree with you more. Todays athletes are so overpaid, and spoiled, all we ask is they not fuck up. Not do anything stupid. It's pretty easy really. 99% of them comply. Those that don't, well, if they're not the most talented, they get the boot. If they are talented, exceptions are quickly made to the rule. For Vick, PacMan & Plaxico there's probably a dozen athletes who did something stupid & was immediately released & not picked up by another team. Why? Because they were backups anyway, and backups are replaceable.
I root for the jersey. You bring TO back I'll root for him. You bring in Tony Romo next year, shit I'll root for him. You draft a college player I hate, I'll root for him. But when a franchise brings in non-character people, they bring the baggage and the backlash with them. And this stubborn "We're the team. We dictate who you root for" ceases to apply. Because "I'm the fan, and I'll chose who I root for".
Plus, beating, hanging and electrocuting dogs with water & car batteries is pretty fucking low. Hard to just let that go & judge him for what he does on the field.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
Unlike many other crimes, what Vick did was socially acceptable to a certain sect of our society, and while it was illegal. And unlike many star athletes, Vick was punished to the nearly full extent of the law. It's over. Crime committed. Justice served. You can't play both the 'everyone deserves a second chance' and the 'this guy is a prick, he hurt dogs' card at the same time. Pick one. If you believe in giving someone a second chance, do it. And then when your team signs him talk about what he brings to the field, not the mistake he's supposedly made up for.
Vick hasn't even had locker room problems or problems with teammates. He's by all measures less disruptive than TO, who Philly fell in love with. The city can pretend to be pissed at the signing but once McNabb throws his first pick, Vick will be everybody's favorite man on the team.
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
Fine.. I hope the Sabres sign Todd Bertuzzi. He went to jail, did his time so get over it. Besides, aren't you the one who posted bashing about the hockey player who talked bad about another players wife or something?! That's not even illegal. Big deal, suck it up.
TO came here with very little baggage. He created baggage while an Eagle.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
That's bad locker room stuff, talking about another player's girl on camera to get their attention. Vick never got into bad relationships related to football, which is what counts. Bertuzzi is a douche because of the crimes he committed on the ice, whereas Vick's crime was totally away from the sport. Zero connection to it. They are not remotely similar situations. Nor are they the same sport, and hockey has more dignity than football in general. The standards are higher there imo.
TO had already gotten a coach and quarterback basically fired and during his time on the 49ers they went from having 15 years of greatness to then becoming a bad team in a worse division. The signs were there but because they thought he was a winner it didn't matter. If Philadelphia thought Vick was going to be a major help on the field they'd love him. It's only because his playing impact seems minimal that his morals are being attacked.
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
Your logic is flawed. So if Bertuzzi ran into that player at a nightclub, and sucker punched him in the same fashion, causing identical injuries, it's then acceptable since it happened off the ice. & he would then be allowed back onto your team. I fail to see the relevance. A douchbag off the ice, is a douchebag on the ice.
besides, I stated in my OP I wasn't irate over this, just not ecstatic. My point is the Eagles went too far out of their way to give him a second chance. They don't NEED a backup QB. AJ Feeley actually has a very good record when filling in with the Eagles. And, he was the first one to lead a fight against the 2007 NE Patriots when ever other team & QB laid a turd against them & rolled over like a bunch of scared dogs. AJ threw for over 300 yards & was 30 yards short of winning it all. Also they drafted Kevin Kolb 3 years ago wasting a first round pick on him. If he sucks admit it, don't sugar coat it, admit if you fucked up & traded your first round pick to archrival Dallas for some bum. In addition, McNabb said he'd "gladly" take a few plays off to rest & get a breather and allow Vick to get some plays in. Funny, he didn't make such an offer to keep Jeff Garcia in town?? But anyway our Middle Linebacker was hurt on the first day of training camp, and our offensive line is now a bunch of rejects after Tre Thomas & Jon Runyan are gone. Our OG (who's sitting out with a "bad back") is such a big baby that we had to sign his brother, just to be a locker presence/psychiatrist for him. So we now have 2 players who wanted their 'friends/family" on the team, taking up now 2 roster spots. And our OT let up 12 sacks against the Giants last year on MNF!!! The OL was actually were called for illegal formation ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME last night!! First play.
I'm sorry, does Vick play MLB?? Can he double team on Osi Uymenyora?? Otherwise whoop de fucking dooo. We can run the Wildcat offense 3 or 4 times a game. Great. Not like the defense will see it coming when Vick runs into the huddle.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: The 2009 NFL Season Thread
I love your last two paragraphs. That's how the signing should be discussed and that article barely touched on that aspect.
I don't believe that you belong to your job except during the hours you're working, when Vick was in workouts, at team meetings, in practices and in games he did nothing wrong. If off the field issues effect your ability to perform, then you are in trouble. But that was the Falcons issue, not the Eagles. With no solid reason to believe he will repeat his crime, his morals aren't the issue.
I guess my major point is that while he got into trouble, it wasn't football or team related and it doesn't look like he'll have any future trouble of the same kind. So the focus on his signing should be his talent and his fit as a player, not how having a dog killer on the team feels wrong.
