Mike Vick Released From Prison Today

Mike Vick is one step closer to freedom today as he goes from life inside of jail to a life of home confinement. 

I was once a fan of Mike Vick, the football player. I am no longer as he did unspeakable acts to dogs and also lied about it. 

From a practical sense, this guy is not worth what he is owed by the Atlanta Falcons. That is obvious, and is the reason why he will have no comeback whatsoever with the Falcons.

He received that lucrative contract based on his potential and one deep run in the playoffs. He never lived up to the contract, rather he nearly destroyed the Falcons with his behavior.

His future in the NFL cannot be as a franchise QB. He simply cannot be the face of your franchise as the wounds he created will take far too long to heal. What he did cannot be rectified by winning some football games. 

There is also not enough time left in his football career to get out from under this cloud hanging over him. 

He might still have NFL value, assuming he took care of himself in the can. What an odd thing to write about an athlete. He could be a third down back and with his skill set also be an invaluable trick play athlete from an H-back/tailback position. 

Vick is tailor made for the new Wildcat fad that is sweeping over the NFL.

The Falcons have already moved on so they will happily release him and take the cap hit. As a free agent, there might be a market for a 29 year old athlete.

Mike Vick does have assets that will make him interesting to other NFL franchises:

1) He will be a model citizen as he attempts to re-build all that he has lost through his previous actions.

2) He will be cheap when the Falcons release him. No draft picks to give up for him and a small one-year contract full of incentives.

3) He should accept a position change for that one year contract. Vick could be a dynamic running back and if he has any hands then he could be a receiver. A defensive coordinator could even throw him back at safety and see what he can do there.

4) He could be a back-up QB, but I really don't think he will play quarterback in the NFL ever again. Not only did he not show the skills needed to have sustained success in the NFL, no team could ever trust him with the keys to their franchise again. He will not play enough years to outrun the stigma he brought upon himself.

The bad news:

1) PR nightmare for any owner that decides to give him that one year contract.

2) He needs to be re-instated by the NFL. This might be tough considering he lied to Roger Goodell, the man that holds Vick's NFL fate in his hands.

3) He might not be a model citizen as the list of things he did to get bad attention before his incarceration was rather lengthy.

4) Is he still the talent he was three years ago?

Now that he is in home confinement and his punishment for his actions on the federal level is coming to an end, the talk is about what will happen with Mike Vick, the athlete.  On ESPN's First Take, Herman Edwards gave a list of three teams that could use a talent like Mike Vick.

There was talk on the Mike and Mike Radio Show that if what Mike Vick did doesn't get you banned from the NFL, is there anything that will?

I don't want Mike Vick back in the NFL. I will not be able to put aside what he did for a few hours every Sunday.

I do hope he gets his life back and can find happiness in his post NFL days. I also hope that the Mike Vick saga continues with him living and working in the private sector.

Mike Vick had the world in his hands and he let it slip through his grasp. Remember that he lied so that he could keep doing what he was doing. That tells me that he approved of his actions to the point that when confronted about it, he chose to lie. 

Was he lying so he wouldn't get in trouble or was he lying because he wanted to keep the dogs fighting?

Those are the kinds of questions that never have an adequate answer.

The question of whether Mike Vick should play in the NFL again, on the other hand, has an easy answer.

No.