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Posted Aug. 12, 2009
Why Vick Hasn’t Signed
More than two months ago, I blogged how Michael Vick was a non-factor in the NFL.
Today, he still hasn’t signed with an NFL team. Sadly, NFL fans are getting absolutely horrendous analysis on ESPN, radio, and other Web sites as usual. They have been led to believe Vick is a capable quarterback in the NFL and there would be teams lined up to sign him. Clearly, nobody wants him. If they did, they would have signed him by now. Even if somebody does want him, they clearly aren’t high enough to sign him because we are four weeks away from the start of the NFL season.
Here are the reasons Vick probably hasn’t signed with a team.
1. He is an overrated talent. I blogged about this previously, but Vick lacks the precision passing skills to fit into a West Coast style offense.
2. He has too much rust and teams know it. It is simply ridiculously hard to learn an entire playbook and have the same mechanics Vick had two years ago. Vick’s mechanics or knowledge of a West Coast offense weren’t even average to begin with, therefore, teams are backing off because they don’t see the upside.
3. PETA Power. PETA will go after the hypothetical team that signs Vick no matter how small. If Vick signed with a YMCA flag football league, they would protest. This will create a distraction and give any team negative publicity. NFL owners and coaches aren’t attracted to this idea.
4. The potential loss of sponsorships. In a bad economy, owners can’t afford to lose vital sponsorships. Dog lovers and PETA will unite to pressure the sponsors into dropping their support of Vick’s team. Losing multiple sponsors scares most of the league away from Vick.
5. NFL owner’s intangibles. Did any analyst on ESPN ever consider, “Maybe the guy who writes Vick’s checks is a dog lover.” After all, owners are wealthy, and wealthy people might have a dog or two (shocker). They might love dogs and not be a fan of Vick. Refer to Nos. 1 and 2 on this list. If a coaching staff tells the owner Vick lacks upside, they probably weren’t crazy enough about Vick to begin with to sign him.
6. Owners have wives. I can’t take credit for this because I heard it on Fox Sports radio last week. Wives have a definite say in the household and they might speak their mind to their owner husband telling them they hate Vick. Women are highly influential, and it wouldn’t shock me if they reinforced the Vick hate in the household, as they should. “Honey, he isn’t very accurate and can’t read coverages. Plus, he electrocuted dogs!” Smart woman.
7. Loss of fan morale and subsequent revenue. Not everybody likes Vick. Lots of people in this country have dogs and they can’t even imagine killing their own dog and enjoying it. If a team signs Vick, maybe they don’t sell as much merchandise. Maybe fans don’t buy single game tickets or get a refund on their season tickets (if this is possible). Owners have the potential to lose some money because their fans aren’t crazy of the idea about a dog killer playing third-string quarterback.
8. The damage has already been done. So if Tony Dungy went to a general manager and said, “He is safe to sign. I am watching over him as a father figure blah blah blah.” What Dungy doesn’t know is teams aren’t concerned about Vick’s future at all. They don’t care about that because they know he won’t kill or fight dogs again. That isn’t what concerns them. Trying to sell teams on Vick’s future is highly irrelevant. It’s Vick’s past that scares teams into signing Vick; not the fear of him failing in the future.
9. (Consistent theme, I know) Owners have to sign off on Vick. This isn’t pee wee football. Just because a coach and a front office man wants Vick isn’t good enough. In the end, the owner of the team has to write Vick’s check and he might lose a lot of money by signing him. Even if every coach wants Vick on their team, it all comes down to what the owner thinks. Most coaches probably don’t even want Vick on their team because of Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on this list. If the coaches don’t want him, neither will the owner.
If Al Davis doesn’t even want Michael Vick, the guy is screwed. I am sick of ESPN continuing to discuss Vick. Instead of them telling you why he hasn’t signed with a team, all they talk about is whom he might sign with and what he can do for that team. Hey morons, nobody wants Michael Vick for a reason. How about you think intelligently and start realizing that he has been on the market for two weeks and nobody has come close to signing him.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Vick doesn’t sign with any team this year. Signing him can bring nothing but negative results. Vick needs to take the money and sign with the UFL. Doing anything other than this just shows how much of an idiot he still is.
Matt McGuire's Recent NFL Draft Blog Entries:
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