Michael Vick: Why the Atlanta Falcons Are Better off Without Vick

The Atlanta Falcons don’t need Michael Vick. Think about that for a minute, let it wash over you and marinate in that thought.

He’s like the football version of that ex-girlfriend who broke your heart and never called you back. You got over it and moved on with your life like any self-respecting individual would do.

In fact, you actually moved on and found someone better! Someone that you believe in your heart is “the one.”

You still can’t stop the what ifs, though…

What if things were different? What if we were never separated?

Am I better off now?

I believe the Atlanta Falcons will naturally go through this phase

The Atlanta Falcons don’t need Vick, and they are actually better off without him. Yes, the Falcons are better off without the player that many considered to be the MVP of the 2010 season.

This is the very same guy that can blow past a defense for a 60 plus yard rush on any given play, and the very next snap throw a bullet to the end zone with pinpoint accuracy and precision.

Many believe that Vick is the best quarterback in the NFL.

The Falcons don’t need him though, and they are better off without him.

He was an electric playmaker during his time with the Falcons, but I think there will always be that cold bitter truth that surrounds him. He could have been the best, but he squandered both his talents and the hopes of an organization away. Mike Revell of Mirror.co.uk writes more about the disappointment Vick left us with in Atlanta:

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"Vick captured Atlanta fans' hearts in his six seasons with the Falcons, and they were content to overlook his reported laziness and his often inaccurate passes, because every time he played, he gave them the impossible.

He ducked and wriggled, darted and squirmed out of situations that would have left anyone else in the league flattened on the turf, sprawling underneath the weight of a defender or two. He zipped between tacklers, leaving them as dazzled as the fans, and soared through the air as gracefully as the teams' namesake.

It was spectacular to watch. And the fans have not forgotten it. There will be many in the crowd tonight wearing the colours of Atlanta but cheering for their opponent, just because of those moments.

But those moments, brilliant though they were, were always marred by the fact that Vick never went the extra mile off the field to ensure he was the best player that he could be on it. He was content to let his athleticism take care of things, always hinting at the possibility for something truly revolutionary, but never fulfilling his immense potential."

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Unfulfilled potential was the definition of Michael Vicks time with the Falcons, but now things are different.

He’s got a new team, a new attitude and has refined his game. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the game.

The Falcons are still better off without him.

Even though Vick is undoubtedly a great quarterback he still comes with his flaws.

He has vastly improved as a passer, but I don’t think anybody will ever really call him a “pocket passer.” If there is one thing that he struggles with it is picking up and reading the blitz, and we have seen how teams have exploited that weakness to beat the Eagles in the past.

Not only that, but his style of play often leads him open to injuries, and the Eagles have had to play more than one important series without him.

Finally, the Falcons are better off without Michael Vick because they have found their “the one.”

Matt Ryan is obviously the right guy for the job in Atlanta. Not only is he becoming one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, but he’s an exceptional leader.

It’s always easier to forget about the one that got away, when you realize they never really were the right fit in the first place.

As exciting as the Michael Vick era was in Atlanta, it was too good to be true. Not only was he an inconsistent quarterback, but he obviously didn’t have his personal life together, either.

In the end, he disappointed his teammates, the fans and the organization that trusted and invested in him.

Vick could have been great in Atlanta, but he settled for mediocre, and then fell into failure.

It’s all water under the bridge, now and I’m sure the Falcons organization wishes Vick nothing but good fortune.

Tonight, when he steps foot on the field, the Falcons could look back and wonder what if, but I think they will actually look around them and be extremely happy with what they have.