The Fate of Michael Vick

June 24, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NFL Football Betting 

Michael Vick was released about two weeks ago by the Atlanta Falcons. They don’t want him, enough that they were willing to take a $7.11 million salary cap hit to be rid of him. Although many people are expecting that Vick will be reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, that is far from a foregone conclusion, especially as Goodell is in a "get tough" mode lately.

BetUS Sportsbook established a number of propositions surrounding Vick and what will be unfolding over the next month or two. Here they are:

What team will sign Michael Vick?

* New England Patriots 3/1
* St. Louis Rams 5/1
* New Orleans Saints 6/1
* Oakland Raiders 7/1
* Buffalo Bills 9/2
* San Francisco 49ers 7/1
* Seattle Seahawks 10/1
* Any CFL Team 6/1
* No Team 7/1
* Any Other 3/1

I have the feeling that Michael Vick’s re-entry into the league will be bumpy. With the exception of the CFL, and maybe the San Francisco 49ers, I’m not sure Vick could start, now or eventually, for any of the teams on this list. It’s not a matter of Vick being unemployable with most NFL teams; indeed, on the basis of ability, he could find a job. All of these teams could use a backup quarterback. The problem is that they can’t use a backup quarterback making the kind of money Vick would most likely want. If it means anything, I would imagine the Falcons must have gauged potential trade interest for Vick before deciding to release him. No takers?

When I say "what Vick would most likely want," I mean if he were to sign with the NFL. My feeling is that teams have a wait-and-see attitude toward Vick, and would like to see what he’s got left before taking a chance on him. He will be under house arrest until July 20, and that is ostensibly the reason why he was passed over in the recent draft of the United Football League, a four-team outfit that will play this year in New York, San Francisco, Orlando and Las Vegas, though as far as I know, no team has a nickname. I’m not sure this league will last very long, but it should last long enough to give Vick an opportunity to show off his skills, and the league would be more than willing to use him.

"To the extent that Michael Vick becomes available," says Michael Huyghue, who used to run the Jacksonville Jaguars and is the commissioner of the league. "We will look very closely into bringing him into our league — not only because our fan-survey poll was abundantly in favor of allowing him to come back but because we think it might be the right kind of buffer for a player like that to go back to the NFL."

This is where I think Vick will land. So it’s ANY OTHER (3/1).

How many NFL games will Vick play in 2009?

* 0 7/1
* 1 5/1
* 2 6/1
* 3 3/1
* 4 5/1
* 5 5/1
* 6 11/2
* 7 6/1
* 8+ 5/1

Well, I suppose if Michael Vick is going to sign a contract with the UFL, that doesn’t leave much room for him in the NFL, unless after this league’s season is over (November I think) an NFL team were to pick him up as a cheap free agent and take a look at him down the stretch (most probably a team that is long out of the playoff race). My best guess is that he’ll be invited to mini-camps in the spring of 2010, and at that point the decision will be made as to what Vick’s future looks like. Let’s also remember something else that is germane to all these props – Roger Goodell has yet to make a decision on whether Vick can play at all in 2009, and the decisions regarding Plaxico Burress and Donte Stallworth are likely to impact this decision as well. ZERO (7/1)

Will Vick’s team make the playoffs?

* Yes 5/6
* No 5/6

I’m not sure how to respond to this one. NO, he won’t make the NFL playoffs because he won’t be in the NFL. YES, he’ll probably make the UFL playoffs because in a league with four teams, EVERYBODY will make the playoffs.

Will PETA protest his first NFL game?

* Yes 5/1

Are you kidding? The second Vick signs a contract, whether it’s with the NFL, UFL, CFL or AFL-CIO, they are going to be outside that office building protesting. You have not heard the last of them yet. YES (5/1)

Odds he returns to the NFL:

* Yes 1/3
* No 2/1

Well, I think NO (2/1), but you get better NFL odds with the "Any Other" prop, so I would go that way.

What position he plays:

* QB 5/2
* WR 2/1
* RB 3/1
* TE 5/1
* ConerBack 5/1
* Safety 5/1

This is a gag, right? Whatever Michael Vick may be as a person (and we’ll get into that in a minute), there is no denying that he is a quarterback with unique skills. He can run like just about no quarterback ever has, and he has a rocket arm, although sometimes that arm doesn’t let the ball go where it should. He has made the Pro Bowl as a quarterback. He is also pretty ideal for the "Wildcat" package, if an when a team wants to give him a shot. That you’re actually getting a positive price on this is a gift, in my opinion. Then again, I haven’t always been correct. QB (5/2)

Odds to win a Super Bowl:

* Yes 10/1
* No 1/30

Let me be clear in my opinion. Pure ability aside, I think that someone who gets pleasure out of torturing and/or killing dogs, or acts in a capacity to supervise such a thing, has something sociopathic in his personality. Sociopaths care about very little besides themselves. People like that will not sacrifice for others, nor do they make great leaders because they will all too often throw others under the bus or act with too much self-interest. I don’t think any team with Michael Vick in a significant role is ever going to win a Super Bowl. NO (1/30)

Will Michael Vick win the MVP Award?

* Yes 10/1
* No 1/30

NO, not in the NFL. But maybe YES in the talent-strapped UFL. That is, unless J.P. Losman beats him out.

Yeah, baby!

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