Vick to be Reinstated and Suspended first Four Games of 2009 Season

[Dirty]

Report: Goodell to allow Vick to sign with team


By MASHAUN D. SIMON

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Michael Vick could be on his way back to the NFL if a team signs him before, during or following a four-game suspension levied by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Enlarge photo

Former Atlanta Falcon quarterback, Michael Vick, left, arrives at federal court with his attorney Larry Woodward in Norfolk, Va., Monday, July 20, 2009. Vick ended his federal dogfighting sentence Monday, freeing him to lobby for a return to the field. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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ESPN.com reported Thursday that Goodell issued a conditional reinstatement for the suspended former Falcons quarterback that will allow Vick to attend training camp if he signs with a team, but will still suspend Vick for the first four games of the 2009 season.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, however, told The Associated Press on Thursday no decisions on Vick’s future have been made.
“This is a serious matter,” Aiello said in an e-mail. “We are engaging in a careful and thoughtful process.”
Vick, fresh from serving 23-months in federal prison for dogfighting, met with Goodell Wednesday, hoping to restart his NFL career, according to published reports.
The two met Wednesday afternoon in Allendale, N.J., ESPN.com reported, citing a unnamed league source.
Sport Illustrated reported on its Web site that Vick and Goodell were seen departing from Buckley Petersen Global Inc. around 4 p.m.
Vick left in a Cadillac Escalade; Goodell in a BMW 10 minutes later, according to SI.com. Eyewitnesses described the two as having “somber” looks on their faces.
Aiello declined to confirm the meeting when contacted by The AP.
On Tuesday, Vick met one-on-one with NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.
That same day Goodell, who suspended Vick indefinitely, said he’ll make a decision “in the near future” on reinstating him.
In order for Goodell to reinstate Vick, he must show remorse and convince him and the public that he is reformed.
The animal rights group PETA issued a statement Thursday reiterating its resistance to Vick rejoining the NFL unless he first undergoes a psychological evaluation.
“Until a determination is made about his ability to feel empathy and contrition, the NFL would be acting irresponsibly if it offered Vick the opportunity to serve as a role model for millions of young children who look up to football players,” read part of the PETA statement. “PETA will not rule out targeting any team or league that may choose to associate itself with Vick.”
The players union has not taken a formal position on Vick’s reinstatement but has pledged to support him on a personal level. Vick must serve three years’ probation for his dogfighting conviction.
The Atlanta Falcons released Vick in June. It is unclear who would sign Vick if he were reinstated. Several teams have indicated they have no interest in signing him.
NFL training camps open for veterans next week.
Several NFL stars have shown support for Vick. Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin told the AP Vick should be reinstated. Michael Strahan, Chad Ochocinco and Jamal Anderson have all posted statements supporting Vick’s reinstatement on Twitter.
--Alyse Knorr, ESPN.com, SI.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Report: Goodell to allow Vick to sign with team*| ajc.com

[cassiusclay]

i wonder how effective he will be if he plays. i never was that impressed with him, i guess we will see.

[Finance]

An amazing runner - put him on the outside and run flanker screens for him all day. Almost guaranteed to break 1-2 big plays a game.

Could be useful as a "Slash" position at the goal line.

Watch the playoff game that they won at Green Bay a couple of years ago - Green Bay put 3 guys on him and he still got past them.

As a FT starting QB - forget it...

[doc mercer]

about as "effective" as usual

qb rating right there with Alex Smith

[cassiusclay]

wildcat offense is his only chance imo.

[cassiusclay]

Vick could shine in Wildcat offense

by Michael Rosenberg







Updated: July 15, 2009, 1:56 AM EDT


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.

Who would you want running the wildcat offense? (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

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
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.

[doc mercer]

Hopefully his 1st game Jack Tatum comes out of retirement and ends his career

what he did to those dogs defined this POS


Vick is a lowlife thug who should have been sent away for 20 yrs in a prison where
"men like men"

[Dirty]

Vick would make 1/2 the teams in the NFL Instantly better by playing QB.... The QB Position is awful in the NFL and a lot of teams are in need... Did I like him as the Falcons QB? No... but one thing you can't argue with is him winning... won Well over 60% of his starts in Atlanta and has 71 TD's in 74 Career Games..... When he touches the ball something great can happen every play