DownSwinging.com

The whole Vick-after-prison saga interests me quite a bit, mostly because I’m not exactly sure how it will end up, and I don’t think anyone else is. Since he was convicted and sent to prison, everyone has wondered whether or not Michael Vick is finished with the NFL, or will he return to all his previous glory, rushing for touchdowns as a QB left and right.

To start off, let me tell you what I would do if I was a team that is considering going after Vick for next season: find another option. I just don’t see how it can be in a team’s interest to get a guy like Vick. Let’s face the facts, Vick was always an average quarterback at best who was glorified for his playing style. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching the man play, it’s incredibly exciting, but he lacked the actual quarterbacking skills to make him effective. So to me, Vick is a high-risk low-reward play. I can’t possibly see him being any better after coming out of prison, and it would definitely be possible that he has gotten worse and will need some adjustment time, so it’s probably not a good move. And sure, he might motivate the fan base somewhat, but he’s also going to cause major controversy, any big-time NFL fans that also happen to be serious animal rights activists (can’t imagine there a ton of these people, but still) would be quite put off.

Even if a team wants to have Vick play for them, the real obstacle lies in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell/Harvey Dent. You know Goodell is going to want to punish Vick beyond his time spent in the penitentiary, so on or somewhere soon after July 20, when Vick’s sentence is up, we may find out that all of this is moot because he is being suspended further.

Now beyond all that, let’s take a look at who might be interested. The leading candidate right now is the Miami Dolphins after former NFL coach Dennis Green said that Bill Parcells wants to go after him, and being the wily fox that Parcells is, Green thinks he can convince Goodell to let Vick play. With all of the wildcat-type things that the Dolphins did last season, Vick actually seems like a pretty good fit there, so if he’s going to play in the NFL. Another option might be the Vikings, assuming that the Favre stuff falls through. Since they’re looking for a temporary quarterback, if Vick can’t find a big offer, taking a one-year contract and then “proving” he’s still got it would be smart. Other teams could try this too, particularly ones that are going to be “training” young quarterbacks, like the Jets, though to be honest I don’t really see that happening at all. Destination: Miami Dolphins.