Potential Team For Michael Vick

On Tuesday at about 4 AM, former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was released from prison at Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, KS and taken back home to Hampton, VA by his fiancee. Most are expecting him to be re-instated by commissioner Roger Goodell, but it is an entirely different question if he will ever be a starter in the NFL again, much less effective as he once was. Thus far he has been linked to three teams, the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, and San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders and Rams have both denied that they have any interest in him. Thus, if any team is most likely to sign him, it will be the 49ers. At this point it is just totally speculation though, they have not even publicly stated anything about the situation. But still, when one considers their situation, it would seem like an ideal place to end up.

San Francisco has arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league. Alex Smith has been an immense disappointment and has one more year to shed his bust label. Shaun Hill won some games last year, but is by no means even close to being a premier quarterback in the league. He seems to be just a "game-manager" at best, a poor man's Jeff Garcia. At his age he won't ever become a premier passer. This team has been disappointing for quite some time now and have not had a franchise quarterback really since Steve Young retired. They have the opportunity to bring in another left-handed, mobile quarterback now to bring them back to the promised land. In that weak NFC East, a quick turn around is possible.

After drafting WR Michael Crabtree this year, he will need someone to regularly get him the ball and I just don't see Smith or Hall being that guy. They could sign him to a 1 year contract, see how everything goes, and then go from there. With Mike Singletary as the new coach there, he will keep Vick in line to ensure that he focuses solely on rebuilding his football career. Also, San Francisco has a great running back in Frank Gore and drafted another running back in Glen Coffee to complement him. They should improve upon their already strong running game and will support Vick greatly. This will take lots of pressure off Vick when it comes to getting him accustomed to the game again.

There are multiple issues when it comes to signing Vick though. The first topic which has to be discussed is his actual effectiveness as a quarterback. Many teams in the league would never want him regardless of the legal issue because he is not a true pocket passer. We can go on and on debating as to whether his style of play can be just as effective as dropping back in the pocket, but what we do know is that he did win games and took the Falcons to the playoff multiple times and even won in the playoffs too with his style. He even once led his team to a victory at Lambeau Field to send his team to the NFC championship game.

Some other issues are his lack of accuracy and ball security. Even with his lack of pass attempts due to his constant rushing, he has never completed 60% of his passes in a given year. This is terrible for a player who was considered a "franchise quarterback" for a team for multiple years. Some of this may come from his gun-slinger's mentality and cannon of an arm, but other gun-slingers in the league, who actually attempt almost twice as many passes as him, can achieve at least 60%. Jay Cutler and Brett Favre are perfect examples of "franchise quarterbacks" who can stake that claim.

He averages four fumbles a season, which is a concern. He does not protect the ball when he rushes and puts himself at risk. Turning the ball over is unacceptable to head coaches in the NFL, so he will first have to work on this if he wants to snag a starting gig.

Most importantly, he has been out of the game for two years and will have to take huge mental strides to become a starter again. His instincts were not quite the best to begin with, so this will serve as the most challenging aspect to overcome.

You can say what you want about Michael Vick, but he was the most dynamic quarterback in the NFL when he played and knows how to win in the playoffs. The 49ers now have a receiver who has all the potential in the world to help Vick, a coach who will ensure that Vick gets his life straight and focuses on football, and a strong running game to support him. San Francisco has yet to comment on him, so this leads me to believe that they are at least somewhat interested. Only time will tell as the off-season progresses.