Fleur-De-Lis Fever | What If...Mike Vick In a New Orleans Saints Uniform

Peter King of SI.com is one of the most respected NFL writers on the planet, and his column is always a must read.  In an article he wrote last week http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/05/20/vick/index.html, he listed the New Orleans Saints as the top possible destination for Vick to land.

Run that by me again?

I had to scroll back to the top to make sure the article wasn't about the least likely destinations for Mike Vick. 

I had thought all along that Vick just wouldn't fit in New Orleans.  The Saints already have one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the league.  They have a bonafide top three quarterback in 2008 Offensive Player of the Year Drew Brees.  Brees has an arsenal of weapons with Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey and more.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I warmed up to the idea of Vick donning the black and gold.  The Saints have so much talent offensively and have rebuilt their defense that this year is playoffs or bust.  Some may say playoff wins or bust.  He would increase the Saints' chances of making a deep playoff run.

If the Saints indeed sign Mike Vick, there are several factors they have to consider:

1) Will the city of New Orleans welcome Mike Vick?

In a word: Yes.

More specifically, the city of New Orleans is starving for a champion.  The Saints have been in existence since 1967 and have yet to make it to the Super Bowl.  None of the city's former or current basketball franchises have won titles either. 

The only professional championship belonging to New Orleans was won in 1998 by the New Orleans Zephyrs (then the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros).

New Orleans is ready for a major league winner.

There will be legions of hometown skeptics, but those naysayers will jump on the bandwagon the first time he turns a nothing play into a 40-yard, ankle-breaking touchdown scamper.

2) Can Vick handle all of the scrutiny and boos he will receive on the road?

The intensity of the local and national media Monday through Saturday will be nothing compared to the negativity that welcomes him on the road on Sundays.

If Vick does join the Saints, every football fan will have December 13 circled on their calendar.  That's when Saints visit the city that idolized Vick and play his former team, the Atlanta Falcons. 

I'm not sure how Vick will be received in Atlanta, but I do know that atmosphere will be electric.

3) Can the Saints' locker room handle all of the baggage that comes with Mike Vick?

While the Saints have a lot of young players on the team, they also have a lot of strong, veteran leaders.  Brees, Billy Miller, Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita, and Darren Sharper all bring well-grounded leadership to a cohesive locker room.  They will allow Vick to find his niche with the Saints.

4) How would head coach Sean Payton use him and what position would he play?

Mike Vick was a quarterback at Virginia Tech and for the Falcons.  The problem with making him a quarterback if/when he returns is that he would have to be the number two quarterback for the Saints. 

NFL rules stipulate that if a team uses its number three quarterback before the fourth quarter, they cannot re-insert the first- or second-string quarterback. 

I don't think Vick's style of quarterback play suits the Saints.  The Saints passing attack is predicated on pinpoint accuracy.  Vick's career completion percentage of 53.8 is unacceptable by NFL standards and is ten percentage points lower than Brees' career mark.  If you add in the fact that he has missed two full NFL seasons, and he would have had virtually no reps with the receivers, then he is not a viable option as a backup quarterback if Brees goes down for significant time,

The Saints should use Vick the same way they use Bush.  They would have to get the man in space to create one on one match-ups. 

Saints fans, just imagine a formation with Brees under center, Colston and Moore and the speedy Henderson split out wide, Bush at tailback and Vick in motion out of the backfield.  This would present match-up nightmares for any defense. 

If Payton decides to use the Wildcat, Vick would be in an offense tailor-made for his unique skill set.  Despite some problems with accuracy, his threat as a passer would make him the most dangerous player in the NFL.

NFL and Saints fans must get this straight first: Before fans can even think about Mike Vick joining their team, he must complete a long and strenuous road. 

He must finish out the remaining two months of his house arrest, be reinstated into the NFL by commissioner Roger Goodell, and agree upon a release settlement with the Atlanta Falcons.  Upon reinstatement to NFL, Vick will owe the Falcons between $6.5 million and $7.5 million before he can sign with another team.

Mike Vick would give the Saints the undisputed most explosive offense in the NFL and make them the most talked about team this side of Dallas. 

Is Mike Vick worth them gamble and headache?  We may all find out this summer.