| DKSB17: If the Cowboys, Falcons or 49ers win this Sunday, or the Seahawks lose, Seattle is mathematically eliminated. about 5 hours ago |
| landonscott8: 7-6 giants AND the 6-7 falcons or 49ers will make the playoffs. Idiot about 10 hours ago |
![]() | MatthewJohnson2: @lwj10jr I forgot, have the Falcons or Braves done that lately? about 11 hours ago |
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| By Steve Czaban Special to OnMilwaukee.com E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Steve Czaban |
| Published Jan. 24, 2007 at 5:30 a.m. |
|
Cut Mike Vick.
Now.
I'm not kidding.
If you are the Atlanta Falcons, do you really think the whole "Experience" is going to end with something special? With a trip to the Super Bowl? With Vick having matured into a true team leader?
I'm willing to bet a very, very, very large sum of money that this will NEVER happen.
How can I be so sure? Because, like a lot of sports fans over the age of 20 or so, I've seen lots of athletes of all different stripes over the years. We observe. We compare. We remember.
I don't ever remember a low-character athlete, who totally remade himself into a winner in his career. Either you get it, or you don't.
Mike Vick doesn't "get it." Period. That much is obvious.
Even though Vick got an "all clear" from the lab regarding his mystery bottle of hidden ashes, he's not clear of using horrible judgment. We know this much. He was smuggling SOMETHING through security. And you have to wonder: "Why even take the risk?"
So how many good coaches do you want to burn through, trying to find one of them who can "utilize Vick's talents" and "reach" a guy who seems programmed to do stupid things.
Earlier this year, Jim Mora Sr. agreed with my Fox Sports Radio colleague Craig Shemon that Vick was a "coach killer". He quickly resigned from our network (in a snit, to be honest) because the quote made big waves in the sports-o-sphere.
In a nutshell, the comment was TOO TRUTHFUL to be ignored, dismissed, or downplayed. The truth always hurts, and the truth always gets people in the most trouble.
Cutting Vick would be a bold, dramatic move. It would be RIPPED by many, no doubt. It would cause some internal locker-room turmoil. And there's a chance -- a small chance -- that one day you would regret it.
It would cost the team a massive, massive, salary cap hit.
It would still be the best move the team could make. It would end the constant coddling of a guy who has a teenager's sense of responsibility. It would cause the remaining 52 guys on the roster to "straighten up and fly right," as my dad would say.
And as a bonus, you might actually begin starting the better quarterback on your roster.
None of Vick's little "incidents" alone are enough to say: "get rid of him." But taken together, it is a very damning resume of stupidity:
Giving a chick herpes, and calling himself "Ron Mexico."
Throwing teammates and coaches under the bus at every chance.
Flipping off the crowd at home.
Getting into a months-long dispute about a stolen watch at the airport (again.)
Now, the urge to carry dirty bongwater on an airplane.
The possibility he smokes weed is nothing. That he would think "I can get away with this because I'm Mike Vick," is far more troubling. That he can't properly evaluate the pros / cons of bringing weed hiding paraphernalia anywhere NEAR an airport, is most astounding.
And some are still amazed he can't handle NFL adversity, while being seemingly impervious to coaching.
I know what you are probably saying: "You CAN'T just CUT Michael Vick!"
Oh really, why not? Is it illegal? Would the players association file a grievance?
Part of me would LOVE to see exactly how many teams would rush in to sign the guy. I mean, I am sure somebody would. But I would bet it's a team that's pretty desperate. Like the Raiders.
Most teams, with a chance to acquire a "free" Mike Vick, would still say: "Forget how cheap we can get him, what will he 'cost' our team once we get him?" How much of what we do now, needs to be ripped up to accommodate his style of play?
Is it overreacting to cut a player just because he got caught with a Maxwell Smart water bottle full of something fishy at the airport security line? I don't think so. I think keeping him after this would be under-reacting.
Think about it. Your quarterback needs to lead, both on the field and off. He needs to show good judgment, on the field and off. He needs to be accountable, on the field and off.
Vick is failing, in every category. No more "heart-to-heart talks" or "double-secret probation" will work. So cut him, and move on. How bad can it be?
When the Falcons dealt multiple picks and a player to San Diego to move up one slot to draft him, they took a huge risk. How come no teams ever want to take the "risk" of cutting sharply in a new direction on guys who are clearly not making it happen?
I know this much: Cutting him now, is much more of a "sure thing" to being a good move, than was surrendering all those picks and all that money hoping he would "re-invent the quarterback position."
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4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Posted by Hokiepilot on Feb. 2, 2007 at 10:39 p.m. (report)
I guess Vick is lucky that you're just a journalist entitled to print your opinion. If you had the ability to coach or be a general manager, your opinion would count. But since you don't, it's just an opinion. I hope you're wrong and the new coach is able to install a system that can take advantage of Vick's skills.
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Posted by cajun77 on Jan. 28, 2007 at 1:26 p.m. (report)
I agree that the Falcons should cut Mike Vick and play Matt Schaub, or, if they can't take the sal-cap hit, they should convert him to WR or H-back in the likes of Reggie Bush. I have to admit that I hope they choose to leave him at QB, because I'm a die-hard Saints fan, and it would bode well for the Saints chances in the NFC South to have him at the helm for the hated "dirty birds" every year. As long as it's the "Michael Vick and supporting cast" show in Atlanta, the odds for the other teams in the division get better.....
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Posted by EightiesIcon on Jan. 25, 2007 at 1:38 p.m. (report)
I will quote Charles Robinson's column today on Yahoo Sports to disprove your theory: " In reality, it's practically impossible for Atlanta to deal Vick and take a cap hit of over $22.25 million which would actually adjust down to just over $16.25 million when you subtract Vick's $6 million base salary in 2007. But even the $16 million is a stretch." Sorry, but it's all about the benjamins. Granted, I will give you that he is not a leader persay, but that is one of Bobby Petrino's first and foremost goals as the new coach - GET MORE OUT OF VICK. Now what the means could be different by anyone's standards, but I would hope it is making him into a team leader for one thing. Let's also remember that Vick had his best passing year of his career last year. He HAS the talent. Look at his receivers - they are horrendous. It's amazing to me that that team continues to take the field every year with those lamos. But that's another story.
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Posted by HGibson on Jan. 24, 2007 at 7:33 a.m. (report)
Could not agree more with your thoughts on Vick. To me it seems so obvious that not only isn't he the leader of the team, the team (especially the receivers) actually was trying to sabotage him. The last 5 games were hard to watch. Still, here in Atlanta, most everyone just sees all of the potential he had out of college. Time to move on.
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