OT Tarvaris Jackson out... Will Vikes go for Vick?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/news/story?id=4371142
Tarvaris Jackson sprained his MCL and Favre told them earlier this week that he wasnt coming back. Will the Vikings try to sign Mike Vick now? Things could be interesting in the NFC North if they do.
regardless of T-Jack's situation.
This is too bad, by the way. I was at the first day of Vikings' camp in Mankato, MN yesterday, and T-Jack was better than Sage Rosenfels and (Musberger) JOHN DAVID BOOTY. I realize this is comparing your favorite brand of wheat germ, but he did look better than last year.
A backfield with Vick and Adrian Peterson, with Harvin in the slot and Bernard Berrian at WR would be very imposing on any defense.
"A backfield with Vick and Adrian Peterson, with Harvin in the slot and Bernard Berrian at WR would be very imposing on any defense."
Sounds like the potential to be the NFL's first modern day "full" spread option attack.
I can't imagine they will be the team to deal with the possibility of bad press that will come with signing him. They have to be still cautious after the "Boat Trip" incident.
I don't think there will be that much backlash. He served his time. He's lost everything. I'm certainly not rooting against him and I doubt must are.
but unfortunately many people probably are. With money being the name of the game, teams can't afford to alienate their adverisers. Either way, as a Lions fan, it wouldn't cause me to lose sleep.
I'm usually the last person to make judgements or care about crime & punishment. But for whatever reason, I can't handle people hurting K-9's.
It's not just that they put down some of the weaker dogs, but also the way they went about it. Bodyslamming into the cement, hanging, electrocution, etc. Not to mention manipulating them into tearing each other apart.
Whether his prison term was fair or not, I'd never pull for a guy that treats man's best friend like that. Fuck him.
I find society's compulsion to hope for people's destruction because of mistake's they've made kind of sick. He's been destroyed, he served his time (and he served a fair sentence unlike Donte Stallworth) he's been ruined financially. And now we should cheer for him to never recover from this? We should hope he fails for the rest of his life because of what he did?
I never said people should be cheering for him. But to actively root for his downfall is just unspeakably callous. IME, of course.
August 2nd, 2009 at 12:12 AM ^
"I never said people should be cheering for him. But to actively root for his downfall is just unspeakably callous. IME, of course."
I would agree. I find forgiveness and redemption to be much more compelling. Though discernment and wisdom should be used within each particular context and situation as well.
It's hard to even keep focusing on Vick's crime, which he served due time for, when Stallworth:
A) Killed someone
B) Was drunk
C) Was also high
He got 30 days in jail and paid a settlement amount. So our justice system continues to show money can buy your way out of anything because you or I would have been looking at 10-15 years. Incidents like these, and Leonard Little, bother me far more than Michael Vick and I am a dog owner.
August 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 PM ^
Something is out of whack here.
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:57 AM ^
What I don't like is people issuing sanctimonous statements about society and individuals. Judge not lest thee be judged.
If a person wants to hold this against Vick, so be it. It is understandable. What is also understandable is those who are willing to forgive.
I see no evil in either approach. Those who do are the ones with the problem.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 AM ^
The public's reception of Michael Vick is a matter of opinion, not fact; therefore neither I nor anyone else can assume to tell you that you're wrong or unfair to root against him. But for those among us who want to see him fail, I would hope that group bears a stronger aversion to Leonard Little. Vick did unnatural, cruel, horrifying things to dogs, but he has never killed or hurt any person in the same way.
I'll never condone what Vick did, but I will always hold the value of human life incalculably above that of an animal. Leonard Little, for those who don't know, killed a woman in 1998 while driving drunk; six years later, not only was he still in the league, he was arrested again for drunk driving. As a result, I consider him to be a far more villainous individual than Michael Vick. Little killed a wife and mother, got an 8-game suspension, and has shown no remorse or even behavioral changes in the 11 years since.
I try my very best not to sincerely hate anyone; I'm certainly not going to start with Vick. I've never owned a dog, so I'm sure the emotional connection to an animal is stronger amongst pet owners, but for my part, I look forward to seeing him back in the league and rehabilitating his image.
Makes sense to me. Why shouldn't they? No one else seems ready Or willing to take the chance. I'm sure Vick would sign a one year deal for the same or likely less money they would have offered Favre. Beyond it all, the dudes paid his debt to society; give the guy a chance. Ex offenders struggle with recidivism, and I'd argue a big reason why is because people don't give them a second chance.
I hate what they guy did...as an animal lover...but he did pay his debt in prison and should not be denied the chance to work again. That offense could be very imposing with Vick under center and all of that speed and skill around him.
Am i the only one who thinks being away from the game for so long is to much .. I just dont expect Vick to be worth a crap this year .. maybe after a year of training and getting the feel for making decisions but not this year.
I think if your counting on Vick to take your team anywhere this year then your team is in trouble
That's a very valid point and I would share the same concerns. However, if you're Minnesota and you are in trouble at the QB position, then what harm is there in taking the chance? Tremendous potential upside with Vick, and you have the upper hand in negotiations for a smaller one year deal, load it with incentives.
If he's not NFL ready, then you're back where you started. I know I'm over simplifying, but hey I think the point still stands. My guess though is that he won't be ready, although I'm not sure what kind of shape he's in.
I also dont think he will be ready .. and if he is not in tip top shape i wouldnt bother ... he is a 53% completion guy .. he is not a pocket passer ... im just not buying the Mike Vick package this season.
August 1st, 2009 at 10:54 PM ^
is probably in great shape.
I'm guessing he had a lot of time to lift these past 2 years.
Either way I bet he is in good enough shape to play 5 or so plays a game this season.
My money is on him going to the Raiders, signing last chance players has always been Al Davis's M.O.
Maybe it doesn't apply here, but the combo of Favre and Vick sounds kind of like a mentoring throw back to Carter and Moss in '99.
Vick has done his time and should be allowed to work again, but PETA wants him to spend his life unable to make a living. I have a feeling, though, that any state that once elected Jesse Ventura as their governor is conservative enough that PETA won't have as much leverage as they would in other states. I'm not saying that conservatives love animals any less, but most conservatives I have known see PETA as "a bunch of whackos."
Also, Minnesota is pretty far removed from major media centers, and it does get pretty cold up there, so there probably wouldn't be as much of a circus as there would be in NY, Chicago, LA, SF, etc. I think it would be a good fit.
I have mixed emotions. As a responsible human being, I believe he should be allowed to ply his trade and hope he gets a chance to play again. As a dog owner, though, I wish my dog would be allowed to bite him on the ass.
Where to begin...
First, Ventura was far from conservative. He was effectively elected by the districts in and adjacent to the Twin Cities, which are about as rock-solid liberal as anywhere in the nation. We still don't give a fuck about PETA, but that's completely irrelevant. Childress has proven over and over that he's willing to do unpopular things with our beloved Vikings.
Second, yes, we are a large geographical distance from New York, Chicago and LA. However, we still get cable, have telephones, and speak English (mostly) like the rest of the nation. Nothing goes unnoticed in the NFL regardless of the size of the market, so if as circus occurs (see: Favre, Brett) I promise you will hear about it.
I never thought Vick was an NFL quarterback even before he spent a year in jail, so I hope Sage works out. Ideally if they signed him it should be as a backup in case the starter goes down. You can't win an NFL championship without a QB who can throw the ball.
We are friendly up here, I promise, but the stereotypes get old. And yes, it is cold.
August 1st, 2009 at 10:12 PM ^
you would have to be searching really hard for a reason to be indignant.
I'm sorry that you percieve my post as a "slight" to your market, so I will address your concerns:
First, thanks for verifying my guess that Minnesota doesn't give PETA as much power as many states do. It may not be relevant to you, but it is to me.
As for Ventura, he may have been elected from a liberal part of the state, but it was also the home of the AWA, where he made his initial steps to stardom before bolting for the then-WWF. A lot of people voted for Ventura, directly or indirectly, because he was a professional wrestler. That has nothing to do with "liberal." And if you've ever read his book (they can be found for between fifty cents and a dollar in used bookstores), you wouldn't call him a liberal by any means. Opinionated, yes, but not "liberal."
As for the size of your market and its distance from bigger outlets, all I can really say is that the Twins have long been seen as the epitome of a "small market team," and used as an example in more MLB stories than I can count. Also, while your internet connection and cable TV give you just as much info as those of someone in a major market give him, that has nothing to do with the fact that the media and PETA can create more of a circus in larger markets.
The reason I mentioned the cold is that, if everything else is equal, demonstrations are always better-attended in better weather. Also, out-of-towners are more likely to fly into a good weather situation than a bad weather situation. Besides, Minnesota's weather is documented as being colder, though Buffalo and Green Bay can come close, than any other NFL market; ergo, mentioning it does not constitute a stereotype.
Back to the market thing, I live in Florida. And you can bet your ass that I have heard a lot more down here about Favre and the Jets than I have about Favre and the Vikings.
Vick to New York and the resultant PETA fecal storm would be a huge national story for the entire season. Vick to Minnesota would be a huge national story for a couple of days.
See the difference?
Not so much a slight as a demonstration of ignorance.
Jesse Ventura made compelling arguments in ads and debates as a refreshing independent candidate unaffiliated with the two standard parties that had both put forth lackluster candidates. His appeal had absolutely nothing to do with his past as a wrestler and everything to do with his image of an independent thinker. Suggesting otherwise is a huge insult to the intelligence of Minnesota voters. His appeal happened to be most effective with liberals tired of the DFL machinery. I agree that if pressed he would not identify himself as a liberal, but those are the people who voted for him and his policies reflected as much.
If the threads bitching about the Favre debacle are any indication, Michigan and it's nationwide fans got just as much inane ESPN coverage as anyone here in Minneapolis. The coasts don't dominate news coverage like they once did, especially in the NFL. Maybe there are just more New York retirees there than Minnesota ones, which on a statistical level makes a lot of sense.
Minnesota is the West Virginia of the Midwest, bunch of inbred mouth breathing, moose humping, move to Canada already.
And now that we've hypothesized signing a felon and tangled with would-be Floridian-Minnesotan politicians, it appears T-Jack will be fine.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/news/story?id=4371142