Few points:
1) I'd support the Pats if Vick came, and would welcome him
2) He'll just be a second stringer and insurance policy - hell would freeze over before he played significant minutes over Brady. Pats trade him next year if he shines in pre-season and does some nice things.
3) There is some SERIOUS revisionist history here with respect to Vick and his ability at QB. Some of you act like he's Tarvaris Jackson. Let's see:
- 3 pro-bowls (yes, it is a popularity contest, but you gotta have SOME ability to get in - its not like Sage Rosenfal is getting elected in)
- In 2006 he had 3500 total yards (rushing and passing), 22 TDs and 13 picks. Total offense wise that's better than half of the starters in the league.
- He has a quick release and rocket arm. Oh yea, he's probably the fastest QB ever.
So if you can get someone like that for league minimum or $1.5/year, why not? Everyone said, "don't get Dillon!! don't get Moss!!" this is deja vu. Coach will do it to prove a point, i.e., he doesn't care what anyone thinks - if it makes the team better - he'll do it period. That's the type of coach we want.
In his ENTIRE NFL career prior to his conviction Vick accounted for more turnovers than scoring plays. That is not the kind of careless player "coach", whom you obviously know little about, is drawn to. Those in the media who claim Vick is a fit here are talking about that fit from Vick's perspective - a team who could handle him and give him the best chance of rehabilitating himself because he'd be in a position where he could do the least harm. "Coach" doesn't give a rat's ass about rehabilitating thugs. "Coach" is all about value to this team, and Vick has none. As "coach" stated he's been out of football for 2 years. He has never played any position in the NFL other than QB poorly. He's never run the ball as a back, never caught the ball as a receiver, never returned a kick.
Not to mention taking on a guy like Vick is an ownership call, period.
Here it's Kraft's call, and if you don't believe BB defers in any remotely questionable cases to the guy who hired him based on the promise that he could win here without resorting to thugs and hoodlums then you don't really know as much about this organization as you think you do. Moss was not in Vick's league as far either as criminality or functional ability are concerned. And yet he had to basically convince Kraft that he could and would be a model citizen and teamate here, he had to agree to take a substantial pay cut (less than half), and he had to pass muster with Brady. And he hadn't been convicted of anything beyond a misdemeanor traffic violation since HS... Dillon did a pretty good job of providing context to most of his transgressions, the worst of which was giving his wife a split lip. They remain together without further incident since.
Bob and Bill both know that football players aren't generally saints. However, either comparing Moss's or Dillon's existing baggage or potential value here to Vick's is ludicrous. Though some posters persist in doing so. Vick remains on probation for 3 years on his Federal conviction. His 3 year State sentence which covered seperate charges was suspended provided he completes his federal sentence. His bankruptcy proceeding which uncovered financial improprieties for which he may yet face investigation is ongoing. As are a couple of seperate civil suits. And Vick is years removed, as a result of his time served, from his best NFL season which was as a starting QB. He has never been anything else on the field (RB, KR, WR) nor has he expressed any interest in being anything else. And to fill any of those positions on this team you have to earn them by proving you can perform them.
If he makes little more than a mistake going forward, he will not only be suspended indefinitely - he will be finishing out one or more sentances in prison. He doesn't represent sufficient reward to even contemplate taking the risk here. Which is about what Bill stated in Belichick-speak yesterday. "Coach" ain't doing this. He's busy getting his team ready for the season.
