Michael Vick

Image via Wikipedia

I am not a Michael Vick fan. I am a dog fan, but Vick's conviction and two years in prison for operating a dog fighting ring is not the reason I am not a Vick fan. Arguably, when Vick was playing in the NFL, he was the most exciting player on the field. However, I just don't think he is a very good quarterback.

If you take a look at his career statistics, especially at the complicated quarterback rating, his career rating is 75.7. That is also the rating he had in his last season in 2006. That would have placed him 28th in the NFL last season. His career best single season rating in 2002 was 81.6 which would still have made him only the 21st ranked quarterback last season. So if you put any stock in the quarterback rating, Vick would be a below average quarterback.

The part of Vick's game that made him the most exciting player in the league was his running ability. Vick was faster than a lot of running backs in the league. He was always a threat to break off a long gain running with the ball. In fact, in 2006, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1000 yards in a single season. He has a cannon for an arm, but he was never very accurate. His best season of completion percentage would have made him the 29th most accurate quarterback last season.

Yesterday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally reinstated Vick to the NFL. If any team were to sign Vick, he would immediately be allowed to practice with the team. In the preseason, he would only be allowed to participate in the last two preseason games. As far as full reinstatement and regular season game play, Goodell said he would consider full reinstatement by week 6 of the regular season.

Any team that decides to take the plunge and sign Vick will immediately draw the protests of PETA and other animal rights groups. Vick will face taunting in every stadium in which he plays. I can hear the fans barking every time he steps on the field. One has to wonder if Vick would have the temperment to face that consistent barrage of taunting. In one home game, the fans booed Vick's performance and he countered by giving them a double flip off.

In my opinion, Vick probably deserves another chance to play. Personally, I would not want him on my favorite team. It has been two full season since he last played a down in the NFL. No doubt, he will have a lot of rust to shake off. Since he was never very accurate to begin with, I would expect him to be more so when he plays again. I would not expect him to have much of an impact this season, but maybe next year.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Michael Vick Reinstated to NFL (laist.com)
• Job Opportunities for Michael Vick to Explore (amog.com)
• Tony Dungy believes Michael Vick focused on putting life back together (sports.espn.go.com)