30 for 30: Michael Vick (1 Viewer)

[sfidc3]

Well, if this post was about the book and not the 30 for 30 show, you'd have a point.

you're correct....but if the purpose of the thread is a more in depth discussion of Vick illicited by the 30 for 30 show I think its all good....

 

[DadsDream]

CNN writer James A. Gagliano is calling for a presidential pardon for Michael Vick.

ESPN's two-part 30 for 30 documentary entitled "Vick" aired recently. And to tell the complete story of the film's 39-year-old protagonist, every second of its three-hour run time was required. Vick's tale is one of against-long-odds achievement, meteoric ascension to the pinnacle of his profession and losing it all, while falling prey to hubris and his own cripplingly poor decision-making.

This is one pardon Trump should consider | CNN

Since pardons are something of a topic du jour, Mr. President, I have a simple request. I'm fairly certain you've heard of former NFL star quarterback Michael Vick, writes James A. Gagliano.

www.cnn.com

 

[falconfan2]

Michael Vick is such a fixture in Atlanta because he put the Falcons on the map.

He and Arthur Blank entered the picture frame in 2002 and absolutely changed the game for the Falcons as a franchise. We finally started to regularly sell-out games. Our city's biggest stars came out to the Dome on Sundays, every Sunday. This was a time when TI, Ludacris, Usher, Outkast, and many more were at the top of popularity.

For years, like the Saints, we were mired in bad management and ownership. Then all of a sudden, Blank comes in, invests real money and resources in the franchise, and turns loose the most electric football player ever seen. It was like overnight, the Falcons were a must-see franchise in the NFL. We die-hard fans will never forget that. It was almost magic.

I was resentful of Vick at first, but he has done such a remarkable job doing the right thing since his incarceration, he's again become an inspiration to people in the city. Yes, what he did was horribly wrong. But from a cultural standpoint (as the 30 for 30 points out), I don't think they realized what they were doing was that wrong. It's no excuse - but for context, murdering a cow, yes, your Sunday filet, is punishable by jail time in much of India.

I wish he was able to fulfill his full potential. So many stories I heard from former players I know were always along the lines of what Brian Finneran told me: "We'd show up Saturday for walk-through and Mike would tell us what he knew from the playbook. Most of the time, it was 40-50 plays. That's what we ran with. 20% of our playbook."

He's a great example of earning a second chance and making the most of it. Atlanta is still a heavy African-American town, and many of these citizens have criminal records - some for ticky-tack stuff like possession of marijuana. He's become a model for a bunch of guys grown-up who were teens when he was playing, who may have made poor choices early on. His involvement with a lot of these guys in the city has been overwhelmingly positive.

From a football standpoint, Matt Ryan is far and away the best the franchise has ever seen. He'll likely end his career top-5 in yards and touchdowns in league history. Most likely a HOFer. Mike isn't any of those things. But what he is, is someone who really brought the Falcons out of the shadows not just nationally, but in the city of Atlanta.

Atlanta is a Falcons town. They dominate the news, money spent, and TV ratings in this town. It wasn't always that way - the Braves were king kong through the '90s. But when Vick got to town, it was game over. For that, we'll always be grateful.

 

[BigSlick]

Yes, what he did was horribly wrong. But from a cultural standpoint (as the 30 for 30 points out), I don't think they realized what they were doing was that wrong.

I know that a lot of this has to do with the director and editor of the documentary series, and yet, I still feel like "Q" and Big Tony were more about the dog fighting life than Mike himself. I was kind of reading between the lines when watching the documentary, and I sort of got the impression that 1) those two were more into dogs than Mike, and 2) they sold him out a little bit to save themselves, when it all came down.

I wish he was able to fulfill his full potential. So many stories I heard from former players I know were always along the lines of what Brian Finneran told me: "We'd show up Saturday for walk-through and Mike would tell us what he knew from the playbook. Most of the time, it was 40-50 plays. That's what we ran with. 20% of our playbook."

The documentary did a good job of telling about how Mike eventually wound up doing like Michael Irvin did, back in the day: go straight from the clubs to practice, then after practice take it right back to the clubs. It's crazy that people are able to perform at such a high level even when they're burning the candle at both ends and/or not really putting in all the homework that could make things easier on gameday.

 

[TriPolarTroy]

Awwww poor Vick didn't know that hanging, electrocuting, drowning, shooting and "slamming to death" the dogs that dogs that didn't perform well was wrong. Because ya know he was just a misunderstood dude who was caught up in a cultural thing.

Go ahead and read for yourselves
Bad Newz Kennels report provided by the Office of Inspector General

 

[BigSlick]

Awwww poor Vick didn't know that hanging, electrocuting, drowning, shooting and "slamming to death" the dogs that dogs that didn't perform well was wrong. Because ya know he was just a misunderstood dude who was caught up in a cultural thing.

Go ahead and read for yourselves
Bad Newz Kennels report provided by the Office of Inspector General

Yeesh. I had never seen this before. This is horror show stuff to read, man. Even if the dogs weren't up to the fighting standards of Bad Newz Kennels, it's fiendish to HANG or DROWN the things. Taking the animals out back and putting a bullet in them -- while awful -- would at least have been merciful. Thanks for linking that, Troy.

 

[sfidc3]

Yeesh. I had never seen this before. This is horror show stuff to read, man. Even if the dogs weren't up to the fighting standards of Bad Newz Kennels, it's fiendish to HANG or DROWN the things. Taking the animals out back and putting a bullet in them -- while awful -- would at least have been merciful. Thanks for linking that, Troy.

This is alot of the same info that is in the book I referenced. Like I said I would be willing to bet those that read the book may - possibly - look at Vick a bit differently ....maybe....

 

[Optimus Prime]

Good article on Vick
================

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Michael Vick appears in the lobby dressed in all-black sweats, a look that helps one of the NFL’s most famous — and at one point, most infamous — retirees find a seat in the middle of the hotel’s restaurant without notice.

He’s lean and fit; the gray hairs on his chin are all that keep you from assuming Vick could still make a pair of defenders comically take out each other in an attempt to tackle him.


Vick was once the future — not the first dual-threat quarterback in NFL history but the reimagined version, the one whose game looked as though it had been created with the assistance of computer-generated imaging. But the future is now the present, and the quarterback position has finally gone where Vick was supposed to take it.


Vick, settling in for lunch on a fall Saturday, says he “changed the game” but admits that so much was left on the table. He retired without winning an MVP award or a Super Bowl ring, and he knows his trophy mantel would’ve been more crowded, his reputation less tattered, if not for his own hubris and an inability to reject the lures of the Newport News, Va., neighborhood that made him.


“I was a kid from the ghetto,” Vick says. “I never wanted to leave.”
His involvement in a deadly dogfighting ring halted a breathtaking career in its prime.

He served his time, but no matter what he has done since — becoming a spokesman for animal rights, regaining all-pro status after his time in prison, finding a second career in broadcasting — he can’t scramble from the stain. Still, he’s here, trying, with stories to share and a legacy linked to his darkest moment…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/28/michael-vick-fox-sunday-pregame/

 

[Semper]

Good article on Vick
================

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Michael Vick appears in the lobby dressed in all-black sweats, a look that helps one of the NFL’s most famous — and at one point, most infamous — retirees find a seat in the middle of the hotel’s restaurant without notice.

He’s lean and fit; the gray hairs on his chin are all that keep you from assuming Vick could still make a pair of defenders comically take out each other in an attempt to tackle him.


Vick was once the future — not the first dual-threat quarterback in NFL history but the reimagined version, the one whose game looked as though it had been created with the assistance of computer-generated imaging. But the future is now the present, and the quarterback position has finally gone where Vick was supposed to take it.


Vick, settling in for lunch on a fall Saturday, says he “changed the game” but admits that so much was left on the table. He retired without winning an MVP award or a Super Bowl ring, and he knows his trophy mantel would’ve been more crowded, his reputation less tattered, if not for his own hubris and an inability to reject the lures of the Newport News, Va., neighborhood that made him.


“I was a kid from the ghetto,” Vick says. “I never wanted to leave.”
His involvement in a deadly dogfighting ring halted a breathtaking career in its prime.

He served his time, but no matter what he has done since — becoming a spokesman for animal rights, regaining all-pro status after his time in prison, finding a second career in broadcasting — he can’t scramble from the stain. Still, he’s here, trying, with stories to share and a legacy linked to his darkest moment…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/28/michael-vick-fox-sunday-pregame/

I am glad he turned his life around. Good for him. Doesn't make me feel any different about him. If he hadn't gotten caught he would still be torturing dogs by drowning or electrocution. He didn't just fight them, which to me is horrible already, he tortured them. I am a shallow man, it isn't my job to forgive him. That's between him and his maker.

 

[saint_drago]

Good article on Vick
================

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Michael Vick appears in the lobby dressed in all-black sweats, a look that helps one of the NFL’s most famous — and at one point, most infamous — retirees find a seat in the middle of the hotel’s restaurant without notice.

He’s lean and fit; the gray hairs on his chin are all that keep you from assuming Vick could still make a pair of defenders comically take out each other in an attempt to tackle him.


Vick was once the future — not the first dual-threat quarterback in NFL history but the reimagined version, the one whose game looked as though it had been created with the assistance of computer-generated imaging. But the future is now the present, and the quarterback position has finally gone where Vick was supposed to take it.


Vick, settling in for lunch on a fall Saturday, says he “changed the game” but admits that so much was left on the table. He retired without winning an MVP award or a Super Bowl ring, and he knows his trophy mantel would’ve been more crowded, his reputation less tattered, if not for his own hubris and an inability to reject the lures of the Newport News, Va., neighborhood that made him.


“I was a kid from the ghetto,” Vick says. “I never wanted to leave.”
His involvement in a deadly dogfighting ring halted a breathtaking career in its prime.

He served his time, but no matter what he has done since — becoming a spokesman for animal rights, regaining all-pro status after his time in prison, finding a second career in broadcasting — he can’t scramble from the stain. Still, he’s here, trying, with stories to share and a legacy linked to his darkest moment…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/28/michael-vick-fox-sunday-pregame/

Great read Optimus. Thanks for sharing. Like a lot of people I was a huge Vick fan while he was at VT. I'd never seen anything like it. Dude was a video game character come to life. I hated to see him go to the falcons but I still marveled at his ability. He was really something to see.

With Vick it will always be about what could've been. His fall from grace was one of the most dramatic in sports history. Maybe the most dramatic. He was the face of the NFL. I can't think of any good comparisons off the top of my head.

 

[UFCSaint]

Without looking at the numbers I felt like the Saints did pretty decent against Vick. He was a far less accurate passer than Newton, and that's saying a lot. Yes he was scary when he took off running but there is more to just running when it comes to playing quarterback. I do remember being concerned when Matt Schaub came in because their offense became more balanced at that point.

 

[SaintStephen1]

As I’ve written on here many times, Michael Vick is one of my most admired men in my long life and I’m an old white guy. As a young man he grew up in a tough environment and then had incredible adulation and money showered on him. He had trouble handling that as I believe most of us would at that age, and made a serious mistake. Instead of fighting the charges, he admitted his mistake, and used his time in prison to reflect upon his life and has turned into as nice a man/husband/father as you’ll find. I love the guy and wish him nothing but the best. He’s earned it.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Great read Optimus. Thanks for sharing. Like a lot of people I was a huge Vick fan while he was at VT. I'd never seen anything like it. Dude was a video game character come to life. I hated to see him go to the falcons but I still marveled at his ability. He was really something to see.

With Vick it will always be about what could've been. His fall from grace was one of the most dramatic in sports history. Maybe the most dramatic. He was the face of the NFL. I can't think of any good comparisons off the top of my head.

Interesting to speculate what his career would have been if he had never been a part of the dog fighting