This is the thread about Michael Vick.

The way Vick plays letting people hit him and trying to make too much of every run, one day his body will go one way and his knee the other in a hit and the game will be over. I'm not looking forward to it, but the guy has been somewhat fragile and I think by odds it will eventually happen.

-- Earl Nash (stereo99_9...), November 3rd, 2005.

Just moving my main gripe about Vick to this thread.

I think part of the problem is that the Falcons should have picked up a vet possession reciever with good hands that knows how to work back to the QB and get open on scrambles. If they had a Kenon McCardell or Rod Smith kind of guy to go with Crumpler, I think that would really help.

This is where Blount come & corrects me.

That the Falcons are so good @ running the ball despite their kinda lame passing attack amazes me (tho I'm of a mind that Dunn's 5.4 YPC is the result of way too many "50 yard run followed by 19 rushes for 50 yards total" games.

I am starting to wonder if blount's point was less about Vick being some kind of super genius and more about how the problems he has aren't entirely due to his physical capabilities or decision making processes--ie the rest of the team is, err, not Vick.

But I explained this on the "please give us a board" thread!

1. Their YPG rushing stats include Vick's scrambles, so there's a bit of an inverse relationship between OMG Falcons rushing stats and cover-you-eyes Falcons passing stats.

2. Warrick Dunn is the perfect complement to Vick. Opposing defenses have to respect the threat of Vick's feet, often in the form of committing an LB as a "spy" but at the very least in requiring LBs and safeties to stay home even when the play's going the other way. That stretches the defense sideline-to-sideline (rather than vertically) and makes the holes just a little wider, and keeps them open just a little longer. Nothing a battering ram like Duckett can use, but just the sort of thing a speedy little fella like Dunn can squirt through for a quick ten.

But yes, The threat of the forward pass is pretty nice too though, in theory.
-- rogermexico (tenthreaso...), November 3rd, 2005 2:38 PM.

Duante, I think, can come back...even if he doesn't ever gain back the mobility, I think he's got enough tools as a QB to make a transistion into more of a standup passer....

Vick's water bottle raises suspicion at Miami airport
By GEORGE HENRY, Associated Press Writer
January 18, 2007

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- For the third time in nine months, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Vick reluctantly surrendered a water bottle to security at Miami International Airport that smelled like marijuana and contained a substance in a hidden compartment. He was not arrested and was allowed to board an AirTran flight that landed in Atlanta before noon Wednesday.

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Miami police said Thursday it could be weeks before a decision is made on whether to file charges against the three-time Pro Bowler, who this season became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards.

Under Florida law, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. First offenders rarely do any jail time.

"We'll do an analysis and see what it is. There's no sense of urgency to it," Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Thursday.

The NFL's substance abuse policy states any team can decide that a player's "behavior, including but not limited to an arrest," can warrant a physical exam from its appointed medical director. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said no decision had been made in Vick's case.

"We have a process that provides guidelines for every situation," Aiello said. "Our doctors conduct a lengthy evaluation, if necessary, and then decide if enrollment in a treatment program is necessary."

Vick did not return a phone call Thursday. The Falcons said they would have no further comment until they discussed the matter with Vick, who finds himself mired in another embarrassing situation.

Last April, Vick settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed the player knowingly gave her herpes. In November, Vick made an obscene gesture toward Atlanta fans who heckled the team as it came off the field after a 31-13 loss to New Orleans. Vick apologized profusely, paid a $10,000 team fine and donated another $10,000 to charity.

On Wednesday, two Transportation Security Administration screeners recognized the 6-foot, 215-pound Vick when he was reluctant to turn over his 20-ounce bottle.

The bottle was found to have a compartment that contained "a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana," a Miami police report said. The compartment was hidden by the bottle's label so that it appeared to be a full bottle of water when held upright, police said.

also, this is awesome.

if you choose to go ahead, pick page 63

if you fuck tara reid, pick page 47

-chris landry (best futbol analyst in the world btw) let it out that ray buchanan told him point blank that vick was heavily into the dog fightin' thang
-anonymous guy on "Outside the Lines" snitches about vick's involvement in dogfighting world
-A former South Carolina prosecutor told the AJC on Friday that he saw evidence that Vick kept dogs in that state while he was prosecuting a major dogfighting case in 2004.

"I had actually heard, as part of our investigation, that Vick had some dogs here in South Carolina," said William Frick, the lead prosecutor in the David Ray Tant dogfighting case.

Frick said he did not know what kind of dogs Vick had in South Carolina but that he assumed they were "fighting dogs." Asked for specifics, Frick said Vick had a "dog yard" and it was not something that would bring charges.
-one of the local sports talk radio hacks casually mentioned a month ago that actual players on the falcons had told her str8 up that vick was into this, and i kinda believed her cuz she's not a regular host or anything and just does the entertainment news, this has seen zero mention anywhere else tho
-nfl security is doing its own investigation, so even if he can't be indicted or is found innocent, if they turn up enough dirt the nfl will prob have zero compunction about suspending him or worse
-see http://profootballtalk.com/VickInvestigation.htm for more bulletins of dubious journalistic merit

on the plus side, he finally got a haircut! i luv cornrows most of the time but they made him look so slimy and creepy imo. otoh he promised he wouldn't cut his hair until the falcons won a superbowl, so i guess this is an admission that they suck (whoa stop the presses)

INDICTED! LOL!

Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the dogfighting probe of his house in Virginia.

The Falcons quarterback was indicted for conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting venture in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District in Richmond, Va. Three others -- Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor -- also were indicted by the grand jury on the same charges.

LOL!

As a dog lover, this pleases me to no end (even if it means Crumpler might catch fewer passes this year).

http://www.cnnsi.com/football/news/2001/12/16/jaguars_browns_ap/lg_dawgpound_ap-01.jpg

That Tomlinson/Vick trade just looks better and better every year!

lolol :'(

:'(((((((

Holy god:

In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILIPS, and VICK executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in "testing" sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road, by various methods including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground.

∑(O_O；)

This is awful.

ok if the executions thing is true i feel v v sick indeed

i got a little nonviolent pit on the floor right now that would've been killed for being a sweetheart.
If they conclusively prove any connection, I hope this guy does serious jail time and goes out for good as the all-time "coulda-been" qb.

what if ryan leaf and max cady were put together: the michael vick story

yeah this is probably gonna be what catapaults him from "mild bust" to "greatest bust in history of organized sports". then again kobe got away with raping so i guess anything is possible

THIS FUCKIN GUY!

-- the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Thursday, May 10, 2007 3:44 PM (2 months ago) Bookmark Link

otm~

from atlantafalcons.com:

The Atlanta Falcons issued the following statement regarding the U.S. District Court indictment of Falcons QB Michael Vick Tuesday evening:

"This situation has been troubling to many people, including our fans, during the last few months. With today’s news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael works through the legal process toward a conclusion.

We are disappointed that one of our players – and therefore the Falcons – is being presented to the public in a negative way, and we apologize to our fans and the community for that.

Obviously, we are disturbed by today’s news from Virginia. However, we are prepared to deal with it, and we will do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out. We have a season to prepare for and training camp opens next week. Our plan is to continue to do everything we can to support our players and coaches."

---------------------------------------------------

Way to take absolutely no position at all, really.

also, lol :[

my brother wore his ancient (10+ years old) bledsoe jersey to the bar during the afc championship this year, but he refuses to say DB's name, insisting that "IT'S A *PATRIOTS* JERSEY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT"

sorry dude. We don't get many falcons games up here but when I saw the Browns play them last year I was pretty amazed. Vick was going to win that game single handedly until he fumbled. story of his life I suppose

It's not lke Vick is trying to make ends meet with this dog fighting shit, I can only guess that he actually enjoys it which is just sick.

aw Ade. I'm sorry, man.

(am I always drunk when I post here? I have no recollection of the "keepin' it real" post.)

I think a lot of athletes dig it in a Gladiator sort of way, thinking that the fight is in the animal's nature, and somehow that there is some sort of contact high from this warrior mentality. How does one unleash the beast? Some guys seem to be able to just flip a switch from nice guy to warrior elite (D Brooks?), but plenty of guys can't seem to separate it. I guess Michael Vick is one of those guys, a pansy quarterback who channels his inner warrior by drowning dogs in a bathtub.

lol@falcons

#7 was literally the reason i started watchin football

This is true for me too fwiw! I guess I am a foreigner though.

Ade that was well said, abt the out of nowhereness of it.

"either way, fuck him" pretty much covers it for me with two exceptions:

1) all the bullshit about how vick is "a troubled young man" and "perhaps he'll come out better having learned something" can fuck right off: at the absolute least he paid considerable money and spent considerable time to arrange for dogs to kill each other for his own kicks so fuck him in the eye. Fuck any apologists.

2) Until sentencing, I really don't want to hear anything else about this; no more ESPN coverage please. Stop churning bloody water you parasites.

otm!

yeah dont get me wrong, he's a turd of a human being (he's not as bad as bobby cox tho) and i am not sheddin any tears for him. i am dead sick of everything related to the dude tbh.

they is gonna kill all his dogs

also not sure why i posted about that on a thread that is advocating the prison rape of vick on a board where ppl have openly stated they think pit bulls are vicious and should be outlawed!! christ.

Vick wants to play, but what team would risk it?

By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist

Michael Vick lives in a prison in Kansas, making 12 cents an hour while plotting his return to the NFL. His houses and farms will soon be gone, the two yachts are history, and he’s down to his last couple of Range Rovers.

A race horse he bought for $60,000 died of colic, the Atlanta Falcons are still trying to hit him up for millions they paid him, and the IRS and the state of Georgia want nearly $1 million in back taxes.

In 2006 he made nearly $15 million. Recently he reported total income of $12.89 for an entire month.

That’s $12.89 as in 12 dollars and 89 cents. This from someone who, before things went terribly bad, categorized a $1,000 check to his mother as “chump change.”

The numbers are cold, but they have to warm the heart of any animal lover sickened by what once went on at Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. To many, seeing Vick stripped of the material things he and his fellow millionaire athletes like to enjoy is almost as good as watching him go to prison in the first place.

Best of all, the dogs who survived the terror of Vick’s dogfighting ring are having the last laugh.

They’re the stars of a recent National Geographic Channel television special. They live in comfort in a Utah ranch, thanks to $928,000 Vick agreed to contribute to finance their care.

And now they have their own wine.

Yes, there’s Meryl, looking anything but ferocious on a bottle of Syrah. And there’s Lewis, peeking out from the front of another Vicktory Dog bottle.

Maybe Vick can pick up a $40 bottle when he gets out of prison next July, assuming things go as planned. If he’s careful about not spending his prison earnings in the commissary, he could be paroled with enough to buy a couple of them.

He shouldn’t drink too much, though. Because he’s still got some football to play.

Buried in the hundreds of pages of paper detailing Vick’s financial woes the other day in federal bankruptcy court was the declaration that not only does Vick expect to be reinstated in the NFL upon his release but also believes he will “be able to earn a substantial living” playing quarterback once again.

Good luck with that.

Just what team he believes will employ him to do so wasn’t mentioned, but the Falcons are surely out. They severed their ties with the quarterback they once were sure would lead them to a Super Bowl and are now being led by a quarterback who has been so good in his rookie season that he just might.

Vick is supposed to be released July 20, so he could be out just in time for the opening of preseason camps. But how many teams are so desperate for a quarterback that they would risk the ire of PETA-types and other animal activists to sign an ex-con who admitted to doing some heinous things?

The other question is how much would they risk for a quarterback who has a career passing rating of 75.7, fumbles the ball once every 10 times he carries it, and hasn’t played a down in two years. Quarterbacks who could run were once the rage in the NFL, but most teams today look for the traditional pocket passer.

If a team did take a chance on Vick, it would likely be for little or no guaranteed money with incentives kicking in only if he produces—something that can never be certain in the NFL, where injuries and age can quickly take their toll. Even then, Vick won’t keep all his salary because under his bankruptcy plan he must pay part of any future earnings to creditors.

Indeed, Vick’s financial mess is as much a cautionary tale to his fellow athletes as his criminal woes are.

He has assets of $16 million but owes creditors $20.3 million. His attorneys had to hire forensic accountants to find out where the money went, $18 million of it over the last two years alone as Vick bounced from one business deal to another and seemed to hire financial advisers he met standing in line at the supermarket.

Flush with bonus money from the Falcons, Vick bought houses by the handful, invested in a rental car franchise in Atlanta and poured money into a liquor store and restaurant. He hired friends, gave away money and cars, and could never say no to his mother, who got $700 for an Easter Egg hunt one year and $317,000 for a new church building the next.

Now he sits in a prison in Kansas after a staggering and quick fall from the top. Once a favorite of fans who couldn’t buy enough of his No. 7 jerseys he’s now vilified and hated by millions who will never forgive the despicable things he and his buddies did to their dogs.

A comeback is still possible, but my guess is that this story will not end well. Upon his release from prison, the odds are Vick will spend more time dodging creditors than defensive linemen.

The dogs are a different story. Those that survived will live in comfort the rest of their lives.

And for that, we should all raise a glass of Lewis red in celebration.

ray lewis red?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/02/vick.bankruptcy/index.html

http://assets.mog.com/amg/pop/cov200/drc300/c304/c30486b7qhp.jpg

THAT'S THE SOUND OF THE MEN, WORKING ON THE CHAIN...GAAAANG.
THAT'S THE SOUND OF THE MEN, WORKING ON THE CHAIN. GANG.
ALL DAY LONG YOU HEAR 'EM SAY

http://3.music.bigpond-images.com/images/AlbumCoverArt/31/XXL/What-Goes-Around-Comes-Around.jpg

i think that would apply if another human bit vick's face off actually

one can dream

man i used to stan hard (with a vengeance) for this dude

and then matty came along

i think that would apply if someone put vick in an enclosed arena to face off in violent combat with another human. oh wait

It bums me out so much that I can't use him in Madden anymore. :/

you can just use an old version of madden you know, it's not the law that you have to upgrade

haha

you can just use an old version of madden you know, it's not the law that you have to upgrade

I got rid of my ps2 though. :(

Thought he had a job...................and, then he didn't.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/101171

The Arena thing was a stunt? Okay then, how about a job with PETA?

http://adage.com/article?article_id=136403

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/sports/football/28vick.html?hp
So do we want to talk about this or maybe just let it play out for awhile?

dan the snyder is on the phone now oh ya you betcha.

I'm mostly on board for giving the guy a second chance, but do not feel entirely good about it.

Think all the talk about him not being able to contribute anymore is complete b.s. Dude is still fast, still has a gun for an arm, and now might actually bother to listen to coaches who try to teach him to play QB.

yeah he served his time, i don't like him as a player or a guy but there are lots of shitty dudes in the nfl, we just don't know the extent to which they are shitty.

comment @ ta-nehisi coates blog:

Is is too much to ask that Cleveland sign Vick so that he can play in the Dog Pound?

this is the most lolsome part:

The league also announced that former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy has agreed to work as an advisor and mentor to Vick.

*vick-killing-himself-joke*

also here's a video of nick barnett's pitbull, Simba, on a treadmill

http://tweetreel.com/?j11h4

honestly, I wish I had a treadmill for my pup... that's a happy looking pit!

i know!! that video made me XD

Goodell ruling fails Vick, players

fuck roger goodell and fuck the nfl player's union.

Here's a counterargument:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/george_dohrmann/07/20/vick/index.html

totally disagree, in the sense that i disagree with anything that would deny an ex-con the right to work. the nfl is just a job.

plus if DNA means anything it won't take Vick long to screw up again

xpost And part of that job is your public image and how that reflects upon the league. Image control for a company that makes as much money and has as many problematic faces as the NFL has is understandably a sore point. Vick was the opening story on the evening news and on the front page of every paper and magazine in the country, portrayed as a monster for months. If he gets reinstated and makes some errant comment off the record on-camera that he doesn't give a fuck about dogs, the league is (I think reasonably) reserving the right to kick him to the curb rather than take another hit that would reverberate among the only audience group that they have left to expand to: women. Quite frankly, I wish the league would flex the same muscle when it came to farve.

that said, i hope he plays again if he has the talent and muscle still left. Fucked if I'll ever be in his corner, but I'd be happy to root ag'in him.

NYT/Vick Dept:

1 - Speaking to the same point I'm making above: "Seven in 10 male fans are in favor of Vick’s return to professional football after serving 19 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring, but only 4 in 10 female fans agree, according to a recent Marist Poll."
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/poll-shows-vick-has-less-support-among-women/

2 - WTF Tank McNamara: "Goodell, as rendered by Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds, is seen receiving advice by telephone. In Monday’s strip, former Vice President Dick Cheney suggests: “Kill him.”
During Wednesday’s strip, the cartoon Goodell is told by a caller that the owners “have to prove they aren’t racists by hiring Mike.” But he says that they have “made it clear” to him that his job is to be a racist for them. In Thursday’s strip, “Goodell” says, “If all I punish are black guys, then yeah, people might think I’m a racist. But I’m not a racist. That hurts my heart. Look, I’m an autocrat, that’s all. I’ll punish anyone and like it.” And on Saturday, “Goodell” thinks: “These decisions could be so much easier if I could suspend a marquee white player too,” like Tom Brady and Eli or Peyton Manning. To a picture of Peyton Manning, “Goodell” asks, “Why can’t you walk into a club with a concealed weapon and shoot yourself under your Dockers?”"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/sports/football/11sandomir.html

okay, seeing the footage of him practicing with the eagles is fucking WEIRD. i wasn't completely prepared to see him and mcnabb standing side by side, just chillin & chattin in their red jerseys.

Apparently they're bro's.

Vick Rant

Squeaky Fromme was released from prison just hours after the Eagles signed Michael Vick last week.

It was a tough week to be Roman Polanski's dog.

The Eagles toyed with the idea of signing Fromme. She could join LeSean McCoy and Vick in a Squeaky, Shady, and Sleazy backfield.

Look, this is going to take time, OK? I know America is the Land of Second Chances -- that's going to replace E. Pluribus Unum on our money someday. I know Vick paid his debt to society, that Pope Dungy spoke ex cathedra about the sincerity of his contrition. It's time to forgive and forget, at least according to the ever-forgiving Eagles fans I've spoken to (the ones who still hold a grudge against Joe Kuharich). I'm just not ready for this.

The Eagles have always been like a deadbeat brother to me: a troublesome-but-beloved family member I'm tied to forever. This is just another bail bond in that relationship. Frankly, I'm more worried about the pot-smuggling, middle-finger-waggling, playbook-ignoring Vick than I am about the guy who killed dogs. He's not going to open any more kennels, but he could still check into a Samson Street massage parlor under an assumed name carrying a Wawa coffee mug with a secret compartment full of ganja. That's the guy I didn't want playing for my team long before I heard the bad news about the kennels.

I'm also worried about the Eagles new tight end, Donovan McNabb. That's right, McNabb is about to follow on the heels of L.J. Smith, meaning he will have to learn to drop his own passes. "I'll be a receiver. I might be a tight end," McNabb said of his role in Vick's Grateful Dog packages. "You never know where I'll be." Picture it now: Eagles versus Giants, November 1. The Eagles go Wildcat, with Vick at quarterback, Brian Westbrook at running back, McNabb at tight end with Osi Umenyiora over him. Umenyiora throws McNabb to the ground. Westbrook bravely tries to block him but pulls a variety of muscles. Vick runs in circles to escape, then gets driven headfirst into the turf. Three injured Eagles on one play, the franchise kaput, Jason Peters scratching his butt the whole time. Paranoid fantasy? Vision of the future?

And then, there's the dogfighting. You know a guy carries a lot of baggage when he's the subject of sentences like "and then, there's the dogfighting." Rosie, my own pit bull, has been acting nervous lately; we've had to cone her, and it's a pathetic sight. The Frisbee pooch on Wii Sports Resort doesn't whistle as happily as she did when I bought the game. My oldest son knows who Vick is; he saw him on the news two years ago, and I had to explain about the bad man who hurts dogs, the one daddy gets paid to write about. Now, I have to explain that he's on the Eagles. I want my children to watch football. But I don't want them exposed to anything that will give them the impression that they can force unwitting animals into violent confrontation, train them to become stronger and more aggressive, confine them to tight spaces...

(Wait a second, let me turn on a Pokemon cartoon to entertain them while I work. OK, where was I?)

Eagles owner Jeff Lurie promises that Vick will be "proactive" about animal abuse. "Proactive" means many things to many people and absolutely nothing to most. It probably involves writing checks, recording PSAs, and making some highly controlled public appearances. I think it means he must take his message of redemption to the people. There's an Animal Adoption Center Dog Walk in Camden County on October 4. It's the Eagles' bye week, and Vick will still be suspended, so he would have no trouble attending an event located about four miles from Lincoln Financial Field.

If Vick wants to help the healing process, if he wants to win over Eagles fans who are struggling to accept him, he should come to the dog walk. Pet some dogs. Pet my dog. Look a few hundred dog lovers in the eyes. Then, Eagles fans like me will be more ready to embrace him.

Either that, or score a bunch of touchdowns. That works too.

Posted by: Mike Tanier on 20 Aug 2009

Mike Tanier: OTM