Will we ever see Mike Vick in the NFL again?

This is a thought that probably would have seemed a bit inconceivable not that long ago, but after doing some thinking and reading (especially at Pro Football Talk), I wonder just how far fetched this question might be. Will we ever see Mike Vick play another down in the NFL? I'm not so sure.

First off, with the news that Goodell is ordering him not to come to training camp, I have to think there's a very good chance that Vick won't be playing this year. This is a drastic step to take for Goodell and shows he's quite serious about this. Furthermore, Arthur Blank also said he would have suspended Vick the maximum 4 games if Goodell hadn't stepped in. Doesn't sound like either guy really wants Vick on the field.

Secondly, if he's not playing for the Falcons (I have a hard time seeing them keeping him past this year), is anyone else going to pick him up. The character issues are very real, and any team that picks him up would take a lot of bad press, even from their own fans. Vick is probably the most high-profile guy to get into such big trouble, and the things he's alleged to have done are pretty disgusting. That is going to steer a lot of teams away from trying to pick him up.

Last, how good is he really? He relies so much on his legs, and as they go and some of his athletic ability goes as he has more wear and tear on his body, he's simply not going to be that good. He has never shown the skill level (in my opinion) to be a good pocket passer, so if he is not as effective as a runner he simply becomes an average player.

So what do you think? Will we ever see Mike Vick on the field again? I kind of doubt it. I'll quote Pro Football Talk, because I basically agree with their sentiment:

We still believe that his only hope is to strike a deal now, do his time, throw himself at the mercy of the fans and the league, and hope for redemption. I mean, if Marv Albert can return to the top of the broadcasting food chain, Vick should at least get a crack at playing pro ball again once he wraps up his tenure with the Mean Machine.

Even then, however, we're not sure that he'd find any takers. The allegations against Vick are probably too unusual and too heinous to allow him to ever be regarded as a guy on which an NFL franchise can justify taking a risk.

What do you think?

dan

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