Thousands of Atlanta fans (as quiet as it’s kept) want to see Michael get a fair shot at playing in the NFL again and move on with his life. But let’s not get it twisted Atlanta will never get over Michael Vick.

I believe Vick can adjust to adverse weather conditions. For example, Vick and the Falcons went to Green Bay during the playoffs and beat the ‘great’, unstoppable Brett Favre in his own backyard. No, it wasn’t 65 and sunny, but 30 degrees and snowing (at night)!

Vick needs a power running game and WRs who can make plays for him… In the Green Bay game Duckett had carried the ball 17 times and scored a TD dragging a defeated Green Bay defense in the endzone if I am not mistaken…

That Chicago game, Coach Mora thought it was a good idea to virtually sit the power back Duckett and use the 180 pound Dunn…(bad move) especially in a cold weather game like that.. Duckett needed to run the ball 25 times in that game (from beginning to end) and not after the game is totally out of hand…

..and the Philly NCCG game…people forget it was just 10-7 at halftime. The Falcons never adjusted and Dunn got the bulk of the carries and had a very predictable lousy game. The power back Duckett got four carries. The Falcons faded in the second half and Philly won…

Duckett was never allowed to be the main guy because he was drafted by DAN REEVES, and Arthur Blank’s first acquisition was the free agent Warrick Dunn in 2002. And on top of that if Duckett was seen as getting too much shine, Dunn went to press and complain about he isn’t getting his “touches”… and Vick ended up being shortchanged because not having a powerback in the backfield hurt Vick against the more stingy, sturdier defenses such as Philly, Chicago and Tampa…

Temple,

I agree. Minny is not a very stable place right now with the way ownership/coach are handling the QB situation, and if you have a meddling owner it makes things even more difficult.

To me San Francisco would probably be Vick’s best option along with St. Louis. In San Fran and St. Louis he would be able to start sooner.

Now I have one more candidate that many haven’t mentioned and that’s Buffalo… Now Trent Edwards was the first round draft choice in 2007, and he may turn out to be better than average. However, Buffalo by the signing of Terrell Owens gives signals that Ralph Wilson, the 90-year old owner, wants to WIN NOW. Buffalo hasn’t been to the playoffs since the Music City Miracle TEN YEARS AGO when Tennessee stole that playoff game on a last second play to Derrick Mason.

If San Fran or St. Louis doesn’t pan out, Buffalo may be a place where Vick can be a back-up, but there would be a strong likelihood that he would start by mid-season or maybe sooner. Edwards was given the starter’s job in his rookie year, but got HURT and lost it and then regained it. And in 2008, he played well and teased, then got hurt again…

Can Trent Edwards stay healthy and handle an ego like Terrell Owens all season… T.O.’s clock is ticking at 35 and so is Vick’s, so if they managed to get on the field together, it would bring a level of excitement and raised expectations. Buffalo already has a great special teams, and defensively they are a very capable unit.

Plus, it would be the first time that New England would have to face Vick potentially twice a year and Bill Belicheck fashions himself as staying ‘ahead of the curve’ (whether its signing perceived All-Pro troublemakers Corey Dillion or Randy Moss or using the Spygate situation to ‘his’ advantage)… The Vick dynamic could curtail Brady’s dominance of the AFC East and put Buffalo in their best position to make the playoffs in a decade.

The NFL is a win-now league. Whether its McNabb, Brees, Vick, Brady, Warner, Eli, Duante or Big Ben… these guys were able to get their teams to the playoffs within the first two years in the NFL… Trent has not for whatever reason done that (unfair or not). Usually, its a red flag if a first round QB cant…

Trent Edwards will start the 2009, but I don’t know if he will finish it either… given his early history of not being to stay on the field and performing at a more consistent, higher level… so this might give Vick an opening in Buffalo..(maybe)..

What is point in drafting either of those players that high if you’re not actually going to let them play? It would be foolish of the ‘Skins or Vikes to go in different directions. To my mind, both have demonstrated they can play and win big games on the road. Campbell’s win at Dallas was on the most impressive of the season. Jackson’s win at Arizona, in hindsight, was also one of the more impressive wins of the season.

Moreover, when Atlanta beat Minnesota on the road late in the season, Jackson went 22-36 for 233 and 2 touchdowns. He added another 82 yards on the ground. No pics. Atlanta won the game but Matt Ryan was only 13 of 24 for 134 yards. The problem in that game was that TJ fumbled twice — and when Ryan fumbled at the goal line, it was recovered for an ATL TD. It’s a game of inches and idiots.

Just because the Vikings are on drugs and can’t see the QB right in front of their face doesn’t mean Vick should go there and add to the confusion. I think Patrick is right about the ownership and their involvement in the franchise. I don’t think it’s a healthy situation right now, particularly given the Super Bowl expectations attached to the team. Vick, to my mind, needs a bit lower profile situation where he can ease himself back into being successful. I’d rather see him do very well and elevate a team like St. Louis to 9-7, than play in Minny go 11-5, get tossed in the first round of the playoffs and be out of work a year later.

I agree Tariq..

Minnesota would be a great place, but the Vikings owner Ziggy Weif (moreso) than Childress is really pushing this Favre thing… I think it will backfire big-time if Favre signs with the Vikings…Ziggy pushed Duante Culpepper out of Minny…

The last previous two seasons, Favre has left damage in his wake:

2007- After Favre ‘retires’, Green Bay gets a new coach…

2008-Jets experiment with Favre blows up late in the season, and guess what happens…Mangini FIRED…

2009- If Favre signs, Brad Childress is very likely to be the THIRD COACH to get fired..

Favre is the REAL T.O. (team obiliterator)

Now with Vick being released, we will see the true tenor of the San Francisco management group with Mike Singletary having an influence.

San Fran’s QB situation is not a very good one. A lot of local and national media have been pumping up former first pick Alex Smith, but to me he is just a reincarnation of Joey Harrington (2009 version)… He looks great in a controlled, no-pads situation, but when the real game begins he folds like a cheap folding chair. Alex Smith has had chances to succeed in his four years and has 11 wins in four seasons and in 2005, 2007 and 2008 he had either shoulder or back injuries that sidelined him.

Singletary may have received initial praise for his no-nonsense style, but the media will turn on him just like it will likely turn on Lovie Smith in Chicago… Herm Edwards, Art Shell and most recently Romeo Crennel are now out of football and things turned on them quickly…

So with the release of Vick, I see a renewed interest in Vick…Singletary has to WIN NOW…Singletary won’t have four years to FAIL like former coach Mike Nolan had…

PETA will protest, but so what? Most PETA folks aren’t football fans just professional protesters who needs the media to give them credibility. Plus, Vick may bring fans from Oakland and other predominately black Bay Area communities so some fans who say they will cancel their 49ers season tickets will not likely have a negative affect. And PETA will fade away as well. Initially it will be on the news, but PETA will fade away especially when Vick starts to play and WIN GAMES and once the commercial collaboration project with the Humane Society to educate urban youth about dogfighting, I feel PETA’s influence will be significantly muted after a few weeks..Now don’t get me wrong, they are fanatical and Vick has to be careful and a security plan needs to be enacted to prevent singular acts of craziness from happening…ever since 9-11 all stadiums have enhanced security plans..

Shaun Hill has shown some flashes, but he is 30 and a perennial back-up. Vick is better–period… Hill will tease, but will likely fade when the pressure is on…

On Vernon Davis’ MySpace page he gave a shout-out to Vick…

I thought this was kind of interesting. Vernon Davis can be a faster version (4.4 speed) of Alge Crumpler..

He was asked a question by an interviewer..

>>>>>”" SS: If you could play a game on a team with any quarterback in the NFL right now, who would it be and why?

VD: I would play with Mike Vick because he is a true playmaker
unlike any other QB. He can run fast and make plays with his feet….>>>”

(Vernon Davis didn’t say Shaun Hill or Alex Smith… and he has been with these guys for a few years…)

The St. Louis Rams franchise is in transition and the state of their franchise is in a similar state that the Falcons had endured earlier this decade ‘pre-Vick’… Vick was drafted by Dan Reeves whose owner Rankin Smith was in the process of selling the team. Reeves was in trouble, Chandler was getting older and the franchise needed a spark, and Vick was drafted in 2001 when no one believed it would be possible…and financially it was a boom… The Falcons sold out the Georgia Dome for five consecutive years (2001-2006) and then Arthur Blank swooped in to take the profits with his eventual acquisition of the franchise in 2003.

Now there are rumors that the Rams may sell their franchise…

http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stories/kmov-st-louis-news-090601-rams-leaving.3a401c40.html

Marc Bulger has been injury prone and inconsistent and his career parallels former Falcon QB Chris Chandler, who had fleeting success, but faded very badly behind a weak O-Line. Vick may be in a position to help rejuvenate a franchise with an existing power running game led by Pro Bowl RB Stephen Jackson…

And the GM is a former Falcon executive Bill Devaney…

The Rams could have drafted a ‘franchise’ QB in 2009 but chose to draft an offensive lineman…

The city of St. Louis has a very sizable African-American population and fanbase just like Atlanta, so don’t rule of St. Louis…

Plus, Leonard Little whose name has been bantered about was given a second chance, third chance and had received a contract extension. So there are legitimate reason that St. Louis may be a very possible destination for the 29 year old, three-time Pro Bowl QB who has something to prove…