No chance in Hell
Mike Florio from Profootballtalk.com joined Brad Riter on WECK to talk football. One of the topics was Mike Vick being reinstated by the NFL. Florio dropped a semi-bombshell on the program when he said that he had spoken to sources who wouldn’t be shocked if the Bills came calling and tried to sign the controversial Quarterback. The source’s reasoning was because the Bills took a stab at Terrell Owens and are no stranger to sign controversial guys.
Terrell Owens and Mike Vick are completely two different guys. Owens resume reads as followed:
1) T.O. has arguably been the best wide receiver in the NFL for the last 10 years.
2) TO is an ego maniac.
3) Owens has a tendency of throwing teammates under the bus.
If TO’s resume is considered controversial, then how would you rate Vick’s resume?
1) Over the last 10 years Vick is maybe ranked in the top 15-20 QB’s.
2) Vick was called out by his coach’s father who called him a coach (and dog) killer.
3) And Vick’s a convicted felon who was the mastermind of an illegal dog fighting ring in WV that killed 100’s of dogs.
So now that we got who the “real” controversial player is out of the way. Lets break down the possibility of Vick being a Bill.
1) Vick is average at best: I’ve never been a Mike Vick fan. To me he is one of the most overrated QB’s of my time. He has only guided the Falcons to two playoff appearances and he has a completion percentage of 55%. More Importantly, Vick is almost 30 years old. Vick’s claim to fame on the field is that he has amassed almost 4,000 yards in rushing. That may look great but that means he has a taken a ton of hits (and not from his water bottle bong). Take for instance Steve McNair. The QB had the same style as Vick with being a running quarterback. McNair actually was a better pocket passer than Vick, but all the hits he took from running took a huge toll on his body. McNair started breaking down at the age of 32 (Retiring at 35). If history repeats itself with Vick, then he only has 2-3 years left. That means having an average QB for only 2 years before he may deteriorate.
2) Vick Ticket Value: There is no question that the T.O. experiment has brought in a huge boast to the morale and ticket sales for the Bills. Fans were so jacked for the signing that they were casted…err.. rallied at the Buffalo Airport to greet the player. The city even gave Owens the key to Buffalo. You think Vick is going to get that type of treatment? Lets just say Vick never got in trouble with the law and he was a FA just like TO was last year. What sort of selling points would you have with the player? Vick isn’t what he was in 2002 when he burst onto the scene as a 2nd year QB wonder. His last 2 years playing in Atlanta were uneventful statistically and Atlanta didn’t even make the playoffs. Also if your going to be a marketing tool you have to have the persona. If you listen to Owens talk, he has that salesmen mentality where he can get the fan or casual football viewer to tune into a Bills game. Vick has no charisma. When the guy spoke after games he sounded as if he was high or he just woke up from his afternoon nap.
3) Get Rich quick schemes don’t work: I believe in the philosophy of drafting or trading for a young quarterback prospect. Both Mannings, Rivers, Brady, Big Ben, Palmer, and Romo are all examples of being home grown talent. The last two veteran Bills quarterbacks that have been brought in haven’t worked (Flutie and Bledsoe). The only time I would encourage bringing in a veteran guy is if your team is a QB away from being a champion, and that sometimes hasn’t worked either (See Elvis Grbac). If the Bills are to take that next step in being a playoff caliber team, it’s going to have to come from within.
4) The dog matter: This is the biggest of the top 5. How will Vick be looked upon because of his criminal history. I believe that what Vick did was deplorable, heinous, awful..no words can describe it. Vick has to jump through about 1,000 hoops in order to rebuild his image and that I don’t think is even enough. When I say rebuilding, I’m talking going to Peta, doing PSA’s, opening a shelter for dogs, donating his salary and that most likely won’t get forgiveness. Lets say that the NFL allows Vick to play. The biggest problem is going to be protesters. You DO NOT piss off animal activists. Peta and SPCA will be protesting like it’s Rodney King all over again. I’m talking games, training camps, Toronto…it will get ugly. That to me is the big deciding factor if Vick will play for the Bills, let alone any team.
5) The Bills fan’s reaction: This is going to get me some heat. But I think some Bills fans would give Vick a chance. Some of it has to do with the desperation of wanting a winner in Buffalo. But the wild card here has to do with two small letters…O.J…. Even after the football player’s fall from grace after being accused (guilty?) of killing two people, I always had the sense that some fans still welcomed Simpson. I remember when there was even a buzz when OJ was watching a Bills game in 2003 from a luxury box or when there were reports that he was considering moving back. Maybe I’m over blowing the OJ aspect, but I think it’s a more logical point than having Mike Vick come to Buffalo.
-Joe-
“Man’s best friend”
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