# The Michael Vick Return Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 22, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819 "2009-07-22T03:08:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/21 "2009-07-22T19:17:36Z")
Ya know, I don’t know what I’d do if the Saints signed Vick. Frankly, I think I have a better chance at wearing the Black & Gold than he does…but if they somehow signed him, I dunno. I’ve been a fan forever…been through the bag head years…been through the mediocre years…been through a couple of heart breaking oh so close years. Just walking away from my team would be hard…but Vick might be the guy that could make me do it. Edit: Oops, forgot to post a prediction. Put me down for not gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/22 "2009-07-22T19:22:17Z")
Put me down as another one who says “Never”. And not only will he never play again, I believe no team would be stupid enough to even sign him. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/23 "2009-07-22T21:56:07Z")
Week 10, Redskins. ---
**Author:** ![dgrdfd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@dgrdfd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgrdfd)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/24 "2009-07-22T22:28:36Z")
Like others have said, who would want him? He was an athlete playing QB. And now after being gone for two years that athleticism has had to have been diminished. And he comes with a shitload of baggage. And to those who call out the Raiders as a possible destination, why would we want him or where could we use him (beside Al Davis is teh crazy)? McFadden/Bush are better wildcat/duel threat options than he would be at this point and Jamarcus played very well over the last 7 games last year in what was essentially his rookie season. You know, very comparable season numbers to that stallion stud, bronco of a man Joe Flacco despite the BS ESPN puts out. I don’t think he’ll see the field this season. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/25 "2009-07-22T22:56:25Z")
Sunday, December 13th with the Miami Dolphins. He’ll see limited action in the Wildcat formation against the Jaguars. This is after he signs with the UFL and looks good running around, through, and away from its painfully slow defensive players. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/26 "2009-07-23T03:17:06Z")
> [@Starbreaker](#): > > He’ll be lucky if he gets to play in the UFL. Dang It! Now would have been the perfect time for the XFL to make a go of it! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/27 "2009-07-23T03:38:12Z")
I don’t see him playing again in the NFL. What team would want that kind of distraction? I still wonder if ESPN hyped Michael Vick because they didn’t want to spend as much time covering NBA ref scandals? ESPN and ABC depend on the NBA for programming and they didn’t want the bribe scandals to be the news during the lull period in August. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/28 "2009-07-23T13:51:53Z")
The first week of the UFL. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/29 "2009-07-23T14:02:20Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Okay… well, then I can see either Jerry Jones or Al Davis signing him, against the advice of the real football men (Jones signed Ryan Leaf, after all). > > IF the Raiders sign him… well, the Raiders are going to stink, so he’d get to play some for the Raiders by week 6. > > IF the Cowboys sign him… well, the Cowboys should be very good, so they shouldn’t need to play Vick at all at quarterback. But Jerry Jones fancies himself a master strategist, so he’d tell Wade Phillips to start using Vick as a Kordell Stewart/Slash type player. > > And if the Cowboys stumble early and fall out of playoff contention, Jerry Jones would tell Wade Phillips (or whoever’s coaching by Week 12) to put in Vick at QB, just to keep the media interested. I _truly_ hope not. The Cowboys are well covered (for now) at the QB position, with two new back-ups added to the roster. At the same time, I fear that it’s always a possibility. As I once said, Jerry seems to feel that Dallas is the NFL halfway house and that he can rehabilitate anyone. As for continuing to watch if they did sign him–well, yes, I would. I kept on even after they signed TO, in spite of my scalding fury when they did so. But I would be massively unhappy about it, and I’d hope that he never saw any REAL playing time. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/30 "2009-07-23T15:40:56Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > The first week of the UFL. This. One year in the UFL, then he’ll start in Week 1 of the 2010 NFL season. It would make perfect sense for him to play in the UFL. He gets to rehab his image (or at least remind people that he could do some pretty impressive things with a football as well as kill dogs) and the UFL gets a publicity/attendance boost that only a half-dozen current NFL players could provide (say, Brady, LT, Manning, Ray Lewis, T.O. or Randy Moss). Jim Haslett is coaching the Orlando UFL franchise. Jim Haslett once coached Vick’s cousin Aaron Brooks to a couple of Pro Bowls in New Orleans. The stars are aligned. I think he’ll go to San Francisco in 2010. They’ve got no long-term quarterback, and will be too good this year to land a top-5 pick. So, they’ll be taking their quarterback of the future in the middle rounds, and relying on a journeyman to keep them in the hunt while he develops. Of course, if Shaun Hill sets the world on fire, they won’t need Vick. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/31 "2009-07-23T16:13:35Z")
As I said earlier, I wouldn’t sign Michael Vick, and I don’t think any sane, smart football man would. I don’t say that on moral grounds, I say it on purely football grounds- Vick just wasn’t that good a quarterback! He couldn’t or wouldn’t learn to read defenses, preferring to take off running whenever he couldn’t spot a wide open receiver. He was always a better runner than a passer, but I doubt he’s gotten faster after 2 years in a cell. Hence, I can’t see any logical reason to sign him. That said, I dismiss the idea that he could possibly be bad for ANY team’s attendance. New England fans, who once would have told you that Randy Moss represented everything that’s wrong with modern sports, will now tell you Randy is a great guy. I have NO doubt that many fans who profess to hate Vick would embrace him quickly if he came to their town and made a few big plays. I just don’t think he’s got many big plays left in him. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/32 "2009-07-23T16:22:48Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > As I said earlier, I wouldn’t sign Michael Vick, and I don’t think any sane, smart football man would. I don’t say that on moral grounds, I say it on purely football grounds- Vick just wasn’t that good a quarterback! He couldn’t or wouldn’t learn to read defenses, preferring to take off running whenever he couldn’t spot a wide open receiver. If you average 9 yards a carry when you take off running, who cares if you didn’t make your third read? On fresh legs, he’s going to be lethal as a ballcarrier for a couple more years. In any case, Vick always had a bunch of crappy receivers in Atlanta. ETA: Vick only averaged 9+ yards per carry in his last season in Atlanta, but even his career average of 7.3 is higher than his career average yards per pass attempt of 6.7. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/33 "2009-07-23T16:35:44Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > If you average 9 yards a carry when you take off running, who cares if you didn’t make your third read? On fresh legs, he’s going to be lethal as a ballcarrier for a couple more years. > > In any case, Vick always had a bunch of crappy receivers in Atlanta. > > ETA: Vick only averaged 9+ yards per carry in his last season in Atlanta, but even his career average of 7.3 is higher than his career average yards per pass attempt of 6.7. Funny how one of those “crappy” receivers became a Pro Bowler once Matt Ryan became quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/34 "2009-07-23T16:52:41Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Funny how one of those “crappy” receivers became a Pro Bowler once Matt Ryan became quarterback. Possibly could have more to do with the fact that he was a rookie in 2005, and only started five games in 2006. He broke 1,000 yards in 2007 with \*Joey Harrington and Chris Redman \*as his quarterbacks. Try again. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/35 "2009-07-23T19:18:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think he’ll go to San Francisco in 2010. They’ve got no long-term quarterback, and will be too good this year to land a top-5 pick. So, they’ll be taking their quarterback of the future in the middle rounds, and relying on a journeyman to keep them in the hunt while he develops. If you’re only looking for a guy to hold down the fort for a season until your young guy develops, why go with a polarizing, lightning-rod guy like Vick? Is the difference between 7-9 and 5-11 worth all that crap? And _San Francisco_? Berkley-hosting, PETA-loving, vegetarian no-fur San Francisco? > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > If you average [7.3] yards a carry when you take off running, who cares if you didn’t make your third read? On fresh legs, he’s going to be lethal as a ballcarrier for a couple more years. It matters a hell of a lot when you run for 7.3 yards on 3rd and 8. If you break down Vick’s performaces on a play-by-play basis, what you see is that he does get a lot of exciting 20+ yard runs – the ones that make Sportscenter. What he doesn’t do, in comparison to other successful QBs, is move the chains _consistiently_ (by whatever means). In some games he has four or five spectacular plays, and it makes you think he’s unstoppable. But then a good team will contain him, and limit him to one or two long runs … and he can’t beat them with his arm and head. Which isn’t to say he’s useless, just limited; he’s never progressed from just being the phenomenal raw athlete he was out of college. He would be an excellent backup/stopgap/QB for the Vikings … if he wasn’t carrying all the baggage. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/36 "2009-07-23T19:25:17Z")
The UFL Las Vegas team, Week 4 if it hasn’t folded by then. Maybe. The NFL? Never. Not even Canada. He isn’t nearly good enough to be worth the PR blowback. Or even the \*clubhouse \*blowback. Besides, he’ll have been out of the game for what, 4 years? ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/37 "2009-07-23T19:28:48Z")
Week 5, Redskins. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/38 "2009-07-23T19:51:14Z")
Come to think of it, will Canada even let him play for a CFL team? I know when there was a rumor that he might sign with the Bills that his criminal record might preclude him from playing in the Bills’ Toronto game. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/39 "2009-07-23T19:56:09Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Come to think of it, will Canada even let him play for a CFL team? I know when there was a rumor that he might sign with the Bills that his criminal record might preclude him from playing in the Bills’ Toronto game. Only if he’s already been reinstated by the NFL. The CFL changed its rules after the Ricky Williams circus to bar any player already serving a suspension or ban from another professional league. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819/40 "2009-07-27T19:53:12Z")
And the game begins in earnest: [Vick conditionally reinstated by NFL](http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32175602/ns/sports-nfl/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-michael-vick-return-pool/503819.md?page=3)