The Steelers Signing Vick Is Far More Than a Rumor

(Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)

There have been more rumors buzzing around about Michael Vick coming to Pittsburgh in recent weeks than anyone would have given thought to a month ago.

It’s simple math in the minds of most Steeler fans. The franchise has never been one for signing free agents. They have especially never brought in big name free agents. Let alone a big name free agent that is carrying an albatross of controversy and public scrutiny around his neck. 

Yet Vick to Pittsburgh is still hanging around the national rumor mill. Even though it has been nothing more than speculation up to this point there’s no chance any of this could happen right?  It’s just not the Steeler way.

Or is it?

Lets take a closer look at the situation for just a minute, cue the NFL Films music for me if you would.

There are few teams in the NFL more respected from a front office and ownership standpoint than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s been a family run organization from its inception over seventy 75 years ago. Since then the Rooneys have become the elite family in the NFL. They speak softly, but their words have always carried weight because of the character-bred credibility they have accumulated.

They are tough on the rules and they forge new ones when the old ones aren’t working for the benefit of everyone concerned. Dan Rooney is a front-runner in making sure the game is being run beyond the barriers of economic, social and racial lines. He has been instrumental in the salary cap, tougher penalties for those who violate league policies and the implementation of the Rooney Rule, which demands racial equality in the hiring of Head Coaches and front office positions.

The Steelers have always stood by their players and coaches. The second chance and in special cases the third chance has been given to players that show true remorse for their actions or words. There have also been times when those same players have been shown the door when they failed to change their ways. Make no mistake about it the Rooneys are no man’s doormat. They are fair, but rarely questioned when it comes to swift judgment.

Many of the great qualities synonymous with the Steelers organization come from the fact that they are loyal to those that have grown within their organization. It is not an overstatement when the term “Steelers family” is used with regards to those who have been a part of the organization. From players to coaches and scouts, wayward sons always come home to Pittsburgh and are typically if not atypically received with open arms and a smile. Something the Patriots have never been accused of. Just ask Eric Mangini.

Now that I have painted a background portrait for you lets cut the chitchat and get down to the business at hand.

There are several things at play when looking at the Michael Vick situation. All of them are more favorable for Pittsburgh than any other team in the NFL.

It all starts with the franchise. Teams like the Patriots have been accused of doing anything including cheating to win. The public outcry and negative attention that a Boston based team would get would be exacerbated by the questionable integrity of a franchise recently under fire.

The Steelers franchise on the other hand, has done enough and shown enough in the character department to sign Vick with little to no social backlash in the media at all. Because of their impeccable track record, the Steelers are one of the few franchises in the NFL that could actually get a positive spin from being involved with a young man two years removed from funding a dog-fighting ring.  

The truth is the Steelers do not need Michael Vick in order to win football games. Ben Roethlisberger is a lock as the starting Quarterback. There are able and ready replacements behind him in Charlie Batch and the “Vick-like” Dennis Dixon. Bringing Vick to the Burgh can be seen as the Rooneys allowing a young man that made a mistake to get on with his life and make something of himself. Call it a rehabilitation project of sorts for the patriarchs of the league. Just the Rooneys living up to the standards they have set for others. It’s great press.

So why is this more relevant today than it was last week?

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