Vick: Give Him A Chance, But Not Here
By author
Earlier in the week, head coach Jim Mora was asked if he would welcome Michael Vick to the Seahawks. It was a logical question for the new coach, since Vick played quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons during his tenure there. The two also experienced some success together, as Vick led the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game in 2004.
Mora’s response was a little too politically correct, and what you would expect to hear from the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. But I suppose that isn’t surprising, since Mora essentially talked himself out of favor as the head coach in Atlanta.
When asked if Mora would welcome Vick back to Seattle, his response was:
"“You know what? It’s a sticky situation, one I’m not comfortable talking about. The fact of the matter is, Michael Vick is a member of the Atlanta Falcons’ organization right now. For me to be speaking on him would be speaking out of turn. I’ll just say this for the record: We are very happy with the quarterbacks we have on our roster. We have no intentions of adding another player to our roster at this time.”"
And Mora, who understands how even a few quoted words can become misinterpreted, corrected himself, ensuring everyone that the Seahawks aren’t interested in adding another quarterback:
"“Just cut out the ‘at this time,’ because then people will speculate for the next three months. We have no intentions of adding a quarterback to our roster.”"
The Seahawks are yet another team who believes that Michael Vick deserves to be reinstated, but with another franchise. The “he deserves to play, but not here” policy seems to be contagious around the league.
The Seahawks don’t need another quarterback, and they’re confident in the players they have now. Even though Michael Vick’s dynamic abilities would be a great addition to any franchise, the mess he would bring with him off the field isn’t worth it. A team would have to be pretty desperate to add a playmaker to the position, and even thinking about bringing Vick in would be a gamble.
If Michael Vick is reinstated, don’t expect him to find a roster spot in Seattle. The speculation should stop, especially now that Jim Mora has addressed the scenario with the media. He deserves a shot; he has paid his debt to society, and served his sentence. Nevertheless, the circus of protests, media, and unnecessary attention won’t come anywhere near the city of Seattle.