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Vick could shine in Wildcat offense

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Michael Rosenberg


Updated Jul 15, 2009 1:56 AM ET
     
 
Yes, yes, I know: If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, Michael Vick would have his own section at Whole Foods. The man's football career is a bundle of hypotheticals right now: If he is released from home confinement and federal custody July 20 ... if he convinces NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to reinstate him ... if he is still a freakish athlete after two years away from the game ...
If, if, if. I get it. But this is about another if: What if Michael Vick still has it? What if he is the difference between making the playoffs and missing them — or even making the Super Bowl and missing it? Maybe that sounds crazy. But ... well, here are some more ifs: if you saw what the wildcat formation did for Miami last year, and if you've seen Vick at his breathtaking best... Michael Vick should play in the NFL this fall, and he could help some team win. Vick's reinstatement is no guarantee. He will have to show he is contrite, but he has had a long time to practice contrition. He has served his time for his dogfighting operation. What he did was heinous, and maybe you think he should have gone to jail for even longer, but the fact is he'll be a free man, and should be free to play in the NFL. Two years away from the game is punishment enough. And if Vick is reinstated ... well, I'm not suggesting anybody hand him a starting quarterback job. That would be foolish. But the NFL is a fine-line league — the difference between 6-10 and 10-6 is often just a few plays, a little luck or an injury or two. It is possible to make the playoffs with basically half a team — a great defense and below-average offense. And for a team like that, Vick could be a difference-maker. For the first time since he was a freshman at Virginia Tech, Michael Vick might be underrated. He is only 29 years old. In his last NFL season, in 2006, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and averaged 8.4 yards per carry. Vick has the most remarkable combination of arm strength and foot speed in NFL history. This never made him a great quarterback, certainly not in the conventional sense — his career completion percentage is just 53.8, which is closer to football exile than the Hall of Fame. If you painted a picture of a complete quarterback, it would not look like Michael Vick. But what he does well, he does as well as anybody ever has. And maybe the only lucky break he has gotten in the last three years is this: while he was gone, a few NFL teams incorporated an offensive package that is perfect for him. Whom would you rather have running the wildcat: Vick or Ronnie Brown? Would you rather give him a run-pass option, or ask a receiver to do it? Let's flip the questions around: If you are a Bills or Colts or Steelers fan, and the Patriots sign Michael Vick, wouldn't that make you nervous? Wouldn't you remember how well Corey Dillon and Randy Moss played for Bill Belichick? Wouldn't you get a little nauseous thinking about Tom Brady taking 92 percent of the snaps and Vick taking the other 8 percent? Of course you would. And that, right there, should tell you so much. If Vick is his old self, I don't think it's even debatable. And that makes him worth the risk. Oh, right: the risk. The signing of Vick would be a huge media story. People would protest. PETA would marshal all of its forces against the offending team. Vick would be under immense pressure to say and do the right thing. But since he apparently needs the money, he has every reason to behave. And the more that PETA protests, the more sympathetic Vick becomes. Pretty soon, he would just be a guy trying to get a second chance, and America is still the land of second chances. And if Vick signs with a winning, popular team, then fans in that area would already be inclined to support the signing. The initial PR hit would be big. But the potential payoff would be bigger. And if it doesn't work out ... well, so what? We're probably not talking about a huge financial investment, and we're not talking about giving Vick the keys to a franchise. We're taking about a uniquely talented player who can fill an important role. I'm a billion or so dollars short of buying an NFL team, but if I owned one, I'd look long and hard at Michael Vick.
Tagged: Corey Dillon, Colts, Steelers, Michael Vick, Dolphins, Patriots, Randy Moss, Ronnie Brown, Bills, Tom Brady

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