Dave the Falconer, our Atlanta Falcons blogger over at The Falcoholic, is not a happy man today. He'd like the media to actually talk about his team rather than his just his QB. The Falcons have a new coach, a new offensive philosophy, and new players on defense. If you are a Falcons fan, there's something to get excited about.
However, when the face of your franchise, the person that is most directly attached to your team and your city, is either involved in or abeits in illegal activities (like dog fighting), it's news. I know there are some interesting things going on in Atlanta, but nothing is more interesting than Michael Vick involved in a illegal activity (yes, dog fighting is a felony folks). Vick's actions fall directly in line with the NFL's new conduct policy, and regardless of whether Vick is "guilty" or not, this is bad and will likely have reprocussions.
Adding to the humor are morons like Clinton Portis, who condone illegal activities like dog fighting because (in Clinton's mind) they shouldn't be illegal. I'm sure Ricky Williams feels weed shouldn't be illegal. Look where he is now.
Bottom line here is Michael Vick is a grade A idiot, but we all knew this years ago. The sad part is the Atlanta faithful are stuck with this schmuck. Did you know Michael Vick is the highest paid NFL athelete? That's right. Vick makes more money than Manning, Brady, or Tomlinson (who Vick was traded for in 2002). Yet, despite making all this money, Vick still does not know how to throw a pass, read a defense, or conduct himself off-the-field in a manner that reflects well on his city.
In the end, the Vick mess lands squarely on the shoulders of THE stupiest owner in sports: Arthur Blank. Blank was the guy that engineered the Vick deal. He wanted Mike locked up, even though his own general manager (Rich McKay) proved Vick was garbage by drafting Matt Schaub in 2004. Schaub has since been traded because, it seemed, he posed a threat to Mikey.
The other night, on the SBNSR, Will Lietch told me that he started Deadspin because he felt that news outlets like ESPN weren't covering one of the biggest sports stories to hit the net: The Michael Vick "Ron Mexico" fiasco. The Ron Mexico thing was what got all this started, and it hasn't stoppped for Mike. He's flipped off fans, gotten busted at airports, and worked long and hard to get his own coach fired.
In the end, Atlanta will cut Vick, and it will likely happen this season. He won't be able to run Petrino's offense, and Petrino has more pull in the orgnaization than Vick. And if Joey Harrington comes in and plays well, than Atlanta fans might be flipping Mike the bird more often than he gives it to them. This will not end well in Atlanta, and that's sad because the Falcons have some good players.
More on Vick saga: