St. Louis Globe: Rams should avoid Vick

[Mr. Scot]

Hopefully, Michael Vick’s 76-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin in Saturday night’s wild card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys will be the quarterback’s only connection to St. Louis in 2010.

The Eagles must now decide whether to trade Vick or keep him around for the second year of his contract. I think it is fair and right that Vick was allowed to return to the NFL after serving two years for lying to federal prosecutors about his dastardly role in a dog-fighting ring.

Without dredging up a debate that was played out months and years ago, the St. Louis Rams’ Leonard Little returned to football after killing a woman in a car accident he caused while drunk.

Receiver Donte Stallworth struck a pedestrian and killed him in Miami before the 2009 season began. If he chooses, he will play again in the NFL.

I’m not saying Vick should not be allowed to play football.

But I am saying I want no part of him in St. Louis.

The top two decision-makers have not ruled out Vick playing for the Rams. That means there must be something going on. It doesn’t mean they have decided to bring him in. It does mean that it is under consideration.

Ugh!

I’d let Marc Bulger give it one more shot at quarterback before Vick wore a Rams’ jersey.

I’d tell the kid Keith Null to strap it on and get ready to take a run at starting quarterback with Chad Pennington or David Carr waiting in the wings as backup before going the Vick route.

Heck, I’d bring back troubled guard Richie Incognito before I brought in Vick.

Ouch :sosp:

Before detailing what a public relations disaster a Vick signing would be, let’s look at why the Rams should really pass on him.

In 12 games after returning from suspension, Vick attempted just 13 passes and completed six for 86 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles dabbled a bit with the “Wildcat” offensive formation, and Vick rushed the ball 24 times for 95 yards and a touchdown.

That’s hardly enough information to convince a team to make any type of trade for Vick. He has barely played in three years. The game is constantly evolving and Vick has not been on the field long enough to get a true grip of what has transpired.

I don’t like the argument “Vick was never any good,” though. He did have his day.

The Green Bay Packers had never lost a playoff game at Lambeau Field before Jan. 4, 2003. Brett Favre had also never lost a playoff game there.

Vick almost single-handedly snapped that streak on that snowy, cold night. He was 13-25 for 117 yards and rushed for 64 yards on 10 attempts. The final score was 27-7.

Two years later, the Rams were thrown and ran over by Vick and the Atlanta Falcons 47-17. He proved he could play at a high level in the biggest games.

But that was then, and this is definitely now.

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After Vick connected with Maclin, I suddenly was restless. First, because I am a devout Dallas Cowboys fan. Second, because a few more strikes like that in that game and Vick would look all the more enticing to the Rams.

Vick flubbed a handoff and the Cowboys recovered late in the second quarter. Dallas turned it into a touchdown and the 34-13 rout was on.

If Eagles coach Andy Reid was ever going to showcase Vick for the rest of the NFL, it was during the fourth quarter of that game.

McNabb was battered and shaky. He wasn’t going to lead the Eagles anywhere during the final minutes of the game. Yet Vick did not get a chance to play quarterback as the clock ticked and Philly’s season came to a disastrous close.

Maybe Reid has plans for Vick in 2010 that don’t involve a trade. That’s fine with me.

The Rams’ 2010 on-field plans should not include him, either.

As for off-the-field; if the Rams trade for Vick it would be a public relations nightmare. All the big-screen TV giveaways in the world wouldn’t help.

The overwhelming majority of fans would lose their respective minds. The arguments would rage.

I’m not naïve enough to think that the discussion of race would pre-empt the sensible talk of whether Vick could help the team.

The “Four Pillars” would tumble into rubble before Spagnuolo’s second season even began.

Regardless of what you think of Vick’s dog fighting conviction, and his actions permanently stain him as a man in my eyes, that isn’t the main reason the Rams should shy away.

He can still play football in the NFL, but not at the level the Rams need to be consistent winners. The Rams do not need a side-show or the subject of ridiculous arguments.

The Rams can overcome the 1-15 record in Spagnuolo’s first year.

But that chore would be infinitely more difficult if Vick were a member of this team.

The Rams are one of the teams (about a half dozen or so) that have unsettled QB situations going into next season. As such, they'll be a source of heavy speculation, but this writer believes they should just say no, and for football reasons just as much as PR issues.