My take on Michael Vick

After having heard countless opinions on whether or not Michael Vick should or should not be allowed to play in the NFL over the last week, I figured it was time for me to put my two cents in.

If you have been under a rock and haven't heard the news, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week paved the way for former Falcon QB and convicted felon Vick to return to the league as a player. Vick now needs only a team to roll the dice and he could be on a football field near you again this fall.

When I think about Vick, I think about the day I was driving home from Atlanta and heard the news on the radio. It was April 28, 2001, and the Falcons had just traded their first round pick (#5 overall) along with a second and third round pick, and WR Tim Dwight, to the Chargers for the first overall pick and the right to draft the young electrifying, left handed quarterback from Virginia Tech. I remember how excited I was that Vick would be an Atlanta Falcon.

Now, eight years later, after following closely the roller coaster that was Vick's tenure in a Falcon uniform, I remember more ups than downs. I remember in 2002 how Vick carved up the Viking defense in Minnesota for 173 yards rushing, an NFL record for a QB. I can vividly recall that same year a fearless Vick going into Green Bay in a playoff game, where no visitor walks away with a win, and leading Atlanta to a win.

I look back at the disappointment that was a helpless Vick, being carted off the field with a broken leg in a 2003 preseason game against the Ravens.

I remember the following year, Vick led the Falcons to an NFC championship contest against the Eagles. The Falcons would lose that game, but I remember that they should have won that game.

Along the way, Vick set several NFL records, some of which still stand today.

I also remember the 75.7 career passer rating, and how Vick often couldn't make the big throw when the game was on the line. I remember when it all started to fall apart during the Jim Mora regime, and actually wishing the Falcons would go in another direction.

And most of all, I remember the shame of being brought down by the justice system, and being convicted of running a dog fighting ring. I remember Vick being sentenced to a jail term.

Let me say here that I am a big-time animal lover. I get angry at myself when I run over a defenseless squirrel. I was and still am appalled over what Mike Vick was found guilty of doing to dogs.

Having said that, I believe that Vick should be allowed to play football again in the NFL. He has served his sentence and I for one believe he has learned a valuable lesson. I believe that there will not be a day that he doesn't think about what he has done and wish that he had conducted himself differently. I believe he should be allowed to move on and make a living doing the thing he does best, running around dodging 231 pound linebackers.