Something that I have been thinking about in the last few weeks and days, especially as football season is fast approaching. It is a topic that I'm sure has been covered and then covered a bit more, but it is something that I spent some time thinking about in the last few days in particular. That subject is Michael Vick.
Now I will assume that pretty much everyone who might happen upon this here post will know at least generally what the deal is with Vick. In case you don't....Michael Vick was the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons a couple of seasons ago. He was convicted of bankrolling a dog fighting ring and sentenced to 23 months. He served 20 of those months in prison and the last three under house arrest. He has, in the last month or so, gained his full release. This of course brought about questions concerning what he would do once he was again a free man. Would he be able to return to football? Would there be a team out there that would be wiling to take a chance on young man who was such a phenomenal athlete before missing out on two full seasons in the NFL? One thing was sure, the Falcons would not be welcoming him back.
There was and is still great debate about all of this. Most of the debate seems to center on two things: 1) What team would be willing take a flier on him knowing that it could upset their fan base, and 2) does he even deserve to have another chance in the NFL after what he did?
The first question was answered on Thursday when the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick to a one year deal worth $1.6 million, with a team option for a second year worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million. Vick was introduced as an Eagle on Friday. So that answers that question in the debate. The other question is a touch more, well, touchy. Here are my thoughts about if Vick deserves a second chance.
1) As a man- As a person, I would say that yes he deserves a second chance. Let's face it, we have all made mistakes in the past...and will continue to do so in the future. What if every single time we made a mistake, it was held against us from that point on. There would not be a one of us who would be able to say that they deserved anything. With that in mind, how is it that we can look at Vick and say that he does not deserve a second opportunity as a person? What he did, what he was involved in was wrong. He lied about it in the beginning, but he has come to realize where he went wrong. That is the important thing here. Without repentance there is no hint of change. Many people will look at this situation and say to themselves "He has been sufficiently humbled, I suppose he can have another shot." I thought about this last night and what an arrogant statement it seems to be actually. We think that we can decide how much humbleness is a sufficient amount for someone? That if they are not as humble as we think they should be that they don't deserve that second chance. What I notice with Vick is that he went into jail seemingly an arrogant kid, and he has come out as a humble man. I serve a God and a Savior who has given me plenty of second chances. I believe that we are called to do the same in these kinds of situations.
2) As a player- I think that he also deserves to have an opportunity to do what he seems to do best and that is to play football. In all of our lives, we would like to have the chance to do that thing that we are best at and to get payed for it. That is the situation with Vick. What he does best it appears at this point is to play the game of football. Why should he be denied that chance to once again do what he is best at? He has served his time, paid his allotted debt to society, and now it is time for him, and us, to move on.
3) As a quarterback- Ok, so this is where my grace runs out. This is an opinion that I hold that has nothing to do with Vick's crime or the time that he has been away from the game. I have just always thought that he was an awful quarterback. He has a strong arm, and can launch the ball like nobodies business, but that really doesn't mean anything if you can't actually hit your receivers. Granted, he showed some flashes of what it is (old school) to be a QB. But those flashes were few and far between. Vick would be better off, in my opinion, as either a running back or a receiver. With his speed, who would be able to keep up with him if he were to break away? It has always been my feeling that Vick decides to run too soon from the pocket. As soon as he seems to think that he feels pressure, he bolts. With this in mind, I feel like he would be better served at a different position, maybe even as a return man what with his speed.
All in all, I do feel that Vick is more than deserving of his second chances in life, as a person as well as as a football player. I don't think that taking a chance on him as a quarterback at this point (or any other point really) is the greatest idea that a team could have. Peace and Love y'all.
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