Vick and Tomlinson: Forever Linked

Does anyone remember the 2001 NFL Draft?

The Atlanta Falcons front office sure does. 

An organization three years removed from the first and only Conference Championship in team history, the Falcons were desperate to regain that sense of success that had quickly eluded them after two consecutive losing seasons.

Fans and the city of Atlanta began to sense a return to mediocrity for the habitual cellar-dwelling NFL franchise.

On the eve of the 2001 Draft, the previous owner of the Falcons, the Smith family, attempted to resurrect the team's recent relevance. In the Smith family's final significant decision as Falcons owner before selling the team to Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, they agreed to move up in the draft in order to attain perhaps the most exciting athlete to come out of the college ranks in recent memory, Michael Vick.  

The Virginia Tech quarterback was the most sought-after player on every team's draft board, but the Atlanta Falcons were the ultimate possessor of this draft day diamond.

In order for the Falcons to gain the first overall selection, they had to trade away their first round pick (5th overall), their third round pick (67th overall), a 2002 second round pick (39th overall), and a kick return specialist in Tim Dwight to the lowly San Diego Chargers; a team that flirted with a winless 2000 season (1-15).

At the time, the trade seemed like a slam-dunk. The Falcons had an aging quarterback in Chris Chandler and needed a burst of fresh air in order to refill the Georgia Dome's vacant seats. Who better to sell season tickets than a flashy, gun-slinging quarterback?

Seemingly no one.

Just like the apparent "sure things" of Falcons past such as the premature trade of future NFL Hall of Fame Brett Favre, the selection seemed like a no-brainer.

Fast forward six years and the Falcons have yet to post back-to-back winning seasons (still an unaccomplished feat in team history), gone through three different head coaches, and reached the NFC Title game just once. And that's not even the worst of it.

After yet another disappointing season in 2006, in which the Falcons finished 7-9, the off-season was replete with organizational disruption. The firing of head coach Jim Mora Jr., the hiring of new head coach Bobby Petrino, and the loss of "Falcon-lifers" Patrick Kerney and Matt Schaub would certainly have a significant impact on the 2007 campaign.

Of course, all of these changes were overshadowed by Mr. Vick's off-field involvement in an alleged dog-fighting ring. Vick's funding of such activities caused him to be indefinitely suspended by NFL dictator--I mean Commissioner--Roger Goodell.

Vick's "back-paging" of other infamous NFL-ers such as Bengals wideout Chris Henry and Titans corner Adam "Pacman/Mr. Make It Rain" Jones resulted in the polarization of not only Michael Vick, but the Atlanta Falcons organization, owner Arthur Blank, and the image of the Southeastern United States in general.

Since Vick's recent guilty plea, the Falcons have had to scramble to find enough quarterbacks just to satisfy an NFL roster and have subsequently begun the 2007 season by losing their first two games; scoring a total of 10 points.

Until now, I have failed to mention the other side of the 2001 trade between the Chargers and Falcons. Cover your ears, Atlanta.

The Chargers were granted the 5th overall pick in that 2001 Draft and they uneventfully (compared to the drafting of Vick) selected an underappreciated, underrated running back out of Texas Christian University, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Three Pro Bowls and one record-breaking season later, Tomlinson is considered the best player in the league and a first ballot Hall of Famer while Vick is picking out prison stripes and shopping for soap on a rope at his local Virginia Wal-Mart.

In summary, the Falcons basically traded one of the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL for a federal convict who's career may be over. This mistake shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, especially Falcons fans who have grown accustomed to these organizational mishaps. 

The Smith family took a huge gamble by moving up in the Draft and selecting Michael Vick. Arthur Blank took just as big of a gamble by signing Vick to a 10-year contract; making him the highest paid player in the NFL history.

Talk about not getting a return on your investment.

I hope that the six seasons in which Vick led the Falcons to a 40-31 cumulative record as a starter were worth the risk because the progression of the Atlanta Falcons franchise has taken one step forward and ten steps back since 2001.

The same cannot be said for Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers.

Since Tomlinson's rookie season, the Chargers have won two Division Titles and posted a record of 36-14 since the start of the 2004 season. Needless to say, the Chargers are showing no signs of drafting in the top 10 of any draft for quite a while.

Not to mention that Tomlinson has established himself as one the NFL's "good guys" by staying out of trouble and remained a humble ambassador for the league. Much to the contrary of the bird-flippin', water bottle craftsman Ron Mexico (a.k.a. Michael Vick).

The impact of the Vick-Tomlinson trade will be felt for many years to come, or at least until Tomlinson hangs up his Nikes (still endorsed). With Vick behind bars, Falcon fans will be subject to more losses than wins this season and can only ponder what could have been, had the Falcons stayed put and drafted the man simply known as "LT".