Let's just get this settled before we go into the meat of the topic: Michael Vick is not signing with the Indianapolis Colts. It has about as much chance of happening as ESPN signing me as their new AFC South "blogger." But, because former-Colts coach Tony Dungy is mentoring Vick as he reintegrates into non-prison life, the eventual question of "What about the Colts?" had to come up. Dungy answered that question on Dan Patrick's Radio Show (via Indy Star):
"I think Indianapolis would be a great spot in a lot of ways -- with (coach) Jim Caldwell being there, (owner) Jim Irsay, the type of city it is, the type of locker room it is," he said. "From a lot of standpoints it would be great, but they don't need a quarterback. The whole situation has to fit, and I just don't know where that's going to be."
Michael Vick has two problems: One, he is a crappy quarterback; always has been. For over two years, he hasn't thrown a football in a live game. This means that Vick is now a crappy, rusty quarterback. His second problem is he likes to watch dogs kill each other. Yes, I know he has paid his debt to society. That doesn't mean that the stigma of his heinous actions will wash away just by doing some prison time. The other part of his "debt to society" is he must live with his actions the rest of his life.
If Bill Polian totally lost his mind and signed #7, the only possible use Vick could provide to the Colts is as a "Wild Cat" option. If Vick can still run as he used to, he is an interesting player to utilize out of that set. However, the Colts do not use this set in their normal offensive package, and Vick offers little as a back-up QB. And can you imagine the utter disaster Vick would be in the Colts' no-huddle, check-with-me system?
However, if one were to play devil's advocate, if Vick were looking to sign with a team for just one year (he is essentially suspended for the first 6 games of the 2009 season) where he can learn a system, work with respected coaches, and get re-adjusted to NFL life without an pressure to perform, what better place to go than the Colts? I mean, if you can't learn from Peyton Manning, Tom Moore, Jim Caldwell, and Frank Reich, you suck! And you shouldn't be playing football in the first place.
So, maybe Indy is a good fit. Is it happening? Of course not. But, it's fun to speculate while we countdown to August 3rd.