Michael Vick: NFC North Bound?
By djlombardi
With the release of Michael Vick and his possible reinstatement, where I believe he will be reinstated, it begs the question, where will he end up. Are any of the NFC North teams a possibility?
Chicago Bears
The Bears brought in a franchise quarterback during the offseason in Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in a massive trade. The Bears now have a face to the franchise on offense to go with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on defense. Although I said that Bears receivers are bad a few posts ago (a statement I still stand behind), Cutler makes them a bit better, while the presence of Cutler takes the pressure of Matt Forte and the running game. So would you throw Vick in this mix?
The Bears already have one gimmick player on offense in Devin Hester. Hester is the main decoy on many plays and the Bears love to use his vertical speed to stretch the defense and give the coordinators headaches. Adding Vick would give the Bears two potentially explosive players on offense at the same time. Putting Vick into the offense without a full offseason and training camp to get everything to work between him and Hester would be a burden for Cutler, who’s learning a new system, and the offense in general.
Also, owner Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith are classy guys. While I think Vick should be allowed back in the league as soon as commissioner Roger Goodell can approve of him and I don’t think he’s a threat to society, Angelo and Smith would want to avoid any backlash. Vick could really work in Chicago, but I feel that Angelo and Smith wouldn’t run the risk of the backlash and something going wrong.
Detroit Lions
It doesn’t seem like things can get any worse for the Detroit Lions. With last year’s debacle, there is really nowhere for the Lions to go but up. With Matthew Stafford and revamped linebacking corps, there is hope in Detroit for a few wins here or there. But would Vick be a fit in Detroit?
The first thing you have to look at his playmakers. Who are the Lions playmakers? Stafford isn’t even the starter yet, as he’s behind Daunte Culpepper. Kevin Smith guaranteed the playoffs this year for Detroit and he does give them a steady option at running back, but he’s nothing too special yet. Calvin Johnson is the closest thing the Lions have to a star player. After Johnson, there’s a mess with Keary Colbert, Ronald Curry, Bryant Johnson, Dennis Northcutt, and rookie Derrick Williams. Those guys are all going for the spots behind Calvin Johnson. Is there room for Vick in here? I’d say yes.
The Lions could definitely use Vick’s playmaking ability. However, Stafford is the quarterback of the future and coach Jim Schwartz wants to use Culpepper as the stop gap. Vick would be relegated to a Wildcat role and basically be a gimmick player.
Image-wise, the Lions can’t really get that much lower after the 0-16 season. Getting Vick would show that they are serious about making an attempt to get better. But then again, they might look as a risk for getting their reputation dumbed down even more. They could use his talent, but will stay hands off, as there is enough work to do on that team already.
Green Bay Packers
First off, I don’t see Vick in a Green Bay Packer uniform. Sure, if he was more of a traditional quarterback, I could definitely see Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy run the risk and sign him to back up Aaron Rodgers if Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn can’t improve. But the fact that Vick is all over the place with his play, I don’t see it happening. Vick could also serve the purpose of a Wildcat in the Packers offense, but the team has been prolific enough the last few years that they should (and will) stay with what works.
Also, I can’t see Vick meshing too well in Green Bay. He’s done his time and deserves to be back in, but Green Bay doesn’t seem to be the town to take him. This is a big year for the Packers, so anything to upset the balance could gain the ire of the stockholders, which the team does not want.
Minnesota Vikings
Finally, the Minnesota Vikings. There are three reasons why I think the Vikings are the least likely to land Vick in the division: 1) Brett Favre; 2) Percy Harvin; 3) Tarvaris Jackson.
Favre. Right now, the Vikings are waiting for Favre to notify Brad Childress and the team whether or not he will be returning to football and joining the Vikings on July 30 (or sooner). If the Vikings get Favre, it can give them a quarterback that can hand off to Adrian Peterson and get the ball down the field and make plays if necessary. No need for Vick there.
Harvin. Harvin fills the role of Minnesota’s Wildcat. He can run with the ball, he can catch the ball, and the Vikings have had him throwing in practice. If he can do all that, why do they need Vick? Plus, they’re waiting on Favre; why wait on Vick too?
Jackson. The Vikings have been dealing with the mobile quarterback with shoddy decision making over the past few years with T-Jack. Vick is an exponentially better version of Tarvaris, but do the Vikings and their fans really want to go through this ordeal all over again? I don’t think so. Small chance of Vick in Viking purple.
Lions, Bears, Packers, Vikings. That’s the order (from most likely to least likely) of teams in the NFC North going after one Michael Vick.
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