Diner Morning News: Vick & Burress

FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:

18 MAY 2009

QUOTE:   “And in this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey”.  -- President Barack Obama, commencement address at Notre Dame

FROM LARRY HARTSTEIN OF THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION... It’s get-out-of-jail week for Michael Vick. And from all indications, he plans to hit the ground running in his quest to return to the NFL. NFL.com, citing a source close to the situation, reported that Vick will work with a trainer and start football-related workouts shortly after his scheduled release Wednesday from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. Vick must complete the final two months of his 23-month dogfighting sentence in home confinement in Hampton, Va. Whether the embattled Falcons quarterback will be allowed back in the NFL is up to Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended him indefinitely.  Goodell has said Vick must show genuine remorse.

With Michael Vick getting out of prison this week and rumors of teams’ interest in former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, Commissioner Goodell will have some interesting decisions in the coming weeks. 

First, as it relates to Burress, due process will take its course, allowing Burress to plead his case regarding his quilt or innocence. Once it’s been resolved, whether by trial or a plea bargain, then the commissioner will have to decide. However, it’s impossible to know what the commissioner will do before the case has run its course, so anyone who feels that Burress will be back on the field this year is being a tad presumptuous. There are still too many hurdles for Mr. Burress to overcome before a team can show an interest in his services or count on him. 

Would teams be interested in Burress? Of course, the list of teams that would want a big-play wide receiver who can draw double teams would be long -- more than the two that are currently being reported. However, teams being interested are much different than Burress being able to play. Facing the challenges of dealing with the “Mayor’s Law,” which offers very little wiggle room in plea bargaining or avoiding jail time,  along with a commissioner who has tried to crack down on violations, the idea of Burress playing in 2009 seems remote.

As for Vick, the commissioner has made it very clear he’s going to spend time with him to determine his remorse for his crimes. Vick must wear his “humble hat” when talking with the commissioner, offering a new strategy than the one he offered the bankruptcy judge a  few weeks ago. A humble reality must become part of Vick’s life now. 

Can Vick handle the rigors of the NFL after missing time? Without one single doubt, Vick’s skill level will return. Will a team be interested in bringing him in to play?  That’s difficult to determine right now on two levels: public relations and football. 

Vick and PR...

Signing Vick to an NFL contract will require the commissioner to allow him to come back and a team owner willing to welcome him. This decision can’t be made by a head coach or a general manager, but by the owner himself. Without owner approval, there cannot be the infrastructure in place to deal with all the media that come along with his signing. There must be unity in the decision -- complete unity -- starting from the owner down. Without this kind of unity, there will be cracks in the armor, allowing doubt to creep in when something happens negatively on or off the field. 

Vick and Football...

As we’ve seen during Vick’s career in the NFL, his style of game is not for every offense or offensive coordinator. His way of playing quarterback is non-traditional, requiring a system of offense that features his strengths as an athlete. From his time in Atlanta, we can assume that teams using a west coast-based style would pass on trying to signing him from a “pure football decision.”  

All this recent talk about the wildcat offense will surely benefit Vick and his style of play. His speed, his arm and his ability to make plays on the move fit the wildcat perfectly. But the wildcat is a part-time offense, and Vick doesn’t see himself as a part-time player. Yes, he would be very effective coming off the bench and forcing teams to defend elements of his game, but is Vick ready to assume this role? 

Much like his willingness to express genuine remorse for his crimes, Vick must express the willingness to resume his career as a player from ground zero. He must be willing to do whatever it takes to help a team win as he rebuilds his life and career. No one is going to turn over their team or their offense to him. He will have to earn that right, and that trust, with a humble attitude and a willingness to make the appropriate changes. 

Vick is going to have to place his trust in someone in the league right now. Former Colts head Coach Tony Dungy spending time with him recently was a great first step. Hearing words of wisdom from someone like Dungy is just what Vick needs. He must understand that, as Dungy preaches, it’s significance, not success, that matters most in his life now. All the trappings that fame afforded him in the past are gone. All that’s left his God-given talent. 

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