Well, I haven’t updated this thing in a bit, but not because I don’t love you all (double negatives are not unfun). I’ve either been (1) so depressed about the end of football season that I am incapacitated and will not wake up until the draft, or (2) busy and lazy, yes, at the same time.
But the answer is irrelevant.
I’ve noticed a trend of sorts in C-land. Lately, perhaps because our current starting quarterback throws balls like this (at 1:45), Browns fans have dissected every possible free agent Quarterback and discussed whether they should come to Cleveland. The discussion generally centers around three things: (1) west-coast style, (2) Philadelphia Eagles, and (3) the draft.
Proponents of taking a QB in the draft just don’t understand the ramifications of the move (high cap hit, non-guaranteed results, anger from me). Plus, who would you have? Bradford? McCoy? Clausen? To be honest, I’m not exactly jumping for joy on those prospects.
Another argument is that we simply just take a QB from the Eagles. Surely the Eagles will give Kolb or McNabb to the Browns because Heckert worked there, right?
But, wait, there’s another QB in Philly these days, right? Michael Vick.
No thanks.
Supporters of Vick in Cleveland exclaim that he would work well in a West Coast Offense, and used to be exciting to watch. Plus, he’s not Derek Anderson, right? Well, there are a few flaws with Vick as the Browns QB:
Accuracy
Apparently some people have no idea how to run a West-Coast Offense. Short throws to replace the running game and control the clock is the key. Short throws need accuracy, no?
Just something I learned from watching DA.
But Vick is not known for his accuracy. In fact, for his career, Vick has a 53% completion percentage, and lost accuracy in his last two years with the Falcons. Guess who else has a 53% completion percentage? DA.
In the west-coast style Eagles, Vick (while the Wildcat QB) only has a 46% completion percentage. Not good numbers for an accuracy driven offense. By contrast, McNabb has a 60% completion percentage both in 2009 and for his career.
Plus, people forget that the Browns may not run the West Coast Offense. Daboll is still the OC as of today…
Excitement
From 2001-2006, when Vick played for a full season, he averaged more than 2,400 yards passing with 15 TDs, 8 INT’s, and 600+ yards rushing with 5 rushing TDs . Certainly, he was an exciting QB to watch, but that was four years ago.
He will also be 30 this year.
Can he bring the same level of excitement to the Browns that he did to the Falcons? Probably not. Did he bring it to the Eagles? No.
The Other Stuff
Do you really think he fits the “Mangini” system that Holmgren and Heckert backed? He wants players that are “smart, tough, hardworking, competitive, selfless and [have] a passion for the game.” Mangini is a high-character guy. Getting rid of Winslow, Edwards, and signing high character, hard working football players was his hallmark this past season. No “me-first” players, nothing to throw away the “team concept.”
But what is Vick most known for?
One can readily make the connection that Vick’s involvement in dogfighting was a selfish act. Taking his bonus money and spending it on an illegal enterprise not only put his freedom at stake, but shook the Falcons organization. Would someone with a passion for the game put his career in the hands of the individuals in the dog-fighting circuit?
And that wasn’t Vick’s first incident.
In 2004, two men were arrested for selling drugs in a truck registered to Vick.
In 2004, a member of Vick’s “posse” stole a watch belonging to an airport security guard.
In 2005, the whole “Ron Mexico” saga.
In 2006, Vick held up two middle fingers to Falcons fans after a home loss to the Saints.
And I do not want to come across as an unforgiving person. I understand people make mistakes and the above incidents certainly are not horrible. But when a coach and an organization invests a lot of money and resources in an athlete, one does not expect the athlete to put everything in jeopardy.
And now we get to the part that people will skim.
People do not want to think about it. People do not want to talk about it. People do not want to read this.
But it happened.
And anyone who supports Vick needs to understand that this is serious. Ignore the screaming of PETA, and the automatic rejection of their position by PETA-haters.
Really read this:
Hanging, drowning, and electrocution.
When you support Vick, or cheer for him on Sundays, or buy his jersey, or argue for the Browns to sign him, you must understand the above statement. You can forgive him, or rationalize it through the southern culture, but you can not ignore his involvement in the killing of dogs that did not perform well at dog-fighting. And not just killing, but:
Hanging, drowning, and electrocution.
If you can forgive him and get past it, then that’s fine. I understand that. But as logical and forgiving as I am, I simply cannot root for a man that was involved in such heinous acts. And I know I seem hypocritical based on my post on Stallworth, but there is a difference between intentionally ending a being’s life and making a mistake that cost someone their life.
* * * * *
I just cannot see Holmgren, Heckert, and Mangini giving Vick the keys to the offense, not only because of the statistical analysis above, but because I don’t think Holmgren wants to upstage “the Browns” for one player. The Cowboys and Redskins do things like that.
I hope the Browns never do.
~Nichiren