The Vick Flap: Much Ado About Nothing

There has been much speculation lately regarding Green Bay Packer General Manager Ted Thompson’s refusal to rule out signing former Atlanta Falcon quarterback and dog fighting afficionado Michael Vick.  Don’t expect anything to come of it.

First of all, unlike many others, I have no objection to Vick resuming his career in the NFL.  Vick has served his time and, even if he hasn’t truly had a change of heart, given the microscope he’s under it would be incredibly foolish for him to return to his former lifestyle.  As a multiple dog owner myself I find Vick’s involvement in dog fighting abhorrent, but there have been NFL players who have done far worse.  I can think of at least two instances in which other players have killed people while driving drunk and yet were allowed to continue their careers.  Ironically, Vick’s situation may have done some good by focusing attention on an ugly practice that has been grossly underreported.

As for Ted Thompson’s “interest” in adding Vick to the fold, I have to believe it is virtually non-existent.  While Vick may be a gifted athlete, there are logically only 3 areas in which he could help a team, none of which apply to the Packers.  Green Bay is already overloaded at wide receiver and Vick wouldn’t figure to contribute much as a running back.  Even as a quarterback, Vick would be behind two young players who have been in their system for a year.  His greatest value might be as a change-up QB in the ’wildcat’ formation, but I’ve seen no evidence to suggest the Packers have any intention of adding that to their offensive arsenal.  In my estimation, the ‘wildcat’ was just a passing fad (no pun intended) that teams were already adjusting to toward the end of last season and figures to be even more of a non-factor this year.

If TT wants to be circumspect about his curiosity with Vick, I have no problem with that either.  There are a couple of other teams in the NFC North that could have a very real interest in Vick.  While there may be a limited PR benefit to publicly discounting Vick as a potential player, it certainly doesn’t hurt to keep them guessing.

Tags: Green Bay Packers, Ted Thompson