Economy Influences Chances Michael Vick Will Play in NFL This Year

In the past several months, we've read just about every angle of how the current economic state in this country is affecting professional sports.

Every angle except one - the most blatant sign.

Talent has historically been invaluable for a professional sports franchise. It's the most important aspect of a championship pedigree. The New York Yankees have only won one (1943) of their 26 World Series titles without Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson or Derek Jeter. Phil Jackson has never won any of his 10 NBA Championships without Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

Talent wins. The absent of talent brings failure. It's the longest lasting rule in athletics.

Until now.

With the economy nailing professional teams in every sport, talent has a definite price tag. And teams are - perhaps for the first time - refusing to exceed their financial limit.

The Michael Vick saga is the best example of how professional sports franchises are handcuffed to the point of breaking their own unwritten rule. Vick isn't merely a football story. His situation signifies the new trend in all of professional sports.

Seemingly every NFL franchise has turned its back on Vick. The real reason isn't because of talent, rust or an inability to keep playing football at a high level. The real reason has been dodged like Vick used to evade defensive ends. The real reason speaks far more about economics in professional sports than whatever problems each athlete has experienced in their careers.

If you think Vick won't have the game to play in the NFL after 23-months in the slammer on dog fighting charges, you fail to evaluate what he brings to the field. Even when Vick was in perfect rhythm, he was never an above average pocket passer. His career quarterback rating is 75.7. He's never thrown for 3,000 in any of his six seasons. Most of the plays the Atlanta Falcons ran were bootlegs designed to get Vick out of the pocket.

And once out into open space, Michael Vick has always been the most dangerous weapon in the NFL. Devin Hester and Dante Hall damned.

Vick operated the closest thing the NFL has ever seen to an option offense. The Falcons were the Nebraska Cornhuskers of professional football. In 2006 - the last season before his conviction - Vick became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards. We've gaped at the highlights for six seasons.

Vick isn't a pure passer. He's an athletic freak. And that's to the former three-time Pro Bowler's benefit. The mix of touch, power and timing that goes into passing can accumulate rust. Athleticism never goes away.

Joe Gibbs, the former coach of the Washington Redskins and current pro football Hall of Fame member, gave Vick a full vote of confidence on ESPN's Mike and Mike.

"Can he play? I think he can play," Gibbs said with a confidant chuckle.

Right now, there are at least 10 teams that could start Vick at quarterback in 2010 without losing a step. Forget Favre. Are you telling me the Minnesota Vikings wouldn't be better with Vick starting under center than they were in 2009 with Tavaris Jackson? Of course they would be. A Vick/Adrian Peterson combination would have the potential of becoming a one-two punch like Kobe and Shaq in the NBA. Why haven't they jumped at the chance to sign Vick, even before he sits down with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell?

"I think everybody is looking at this in terms of whether they can survive a PR hit," Gibbs answered.

For the record, PR = $$. The better a team's public relations, the happier their fans. The happier their fans, the more fan dollars a team rakes in.

There will undoubtedly be a PR jolt for whoever rolls the dice on Vick. The question is how long the PR headache will linger. Two months? One season? Forever? What is the answer?

However long it takes for Vick to start rolling off highlight-reel plays.

You think the hometown fans will be disgruntled once Vick starts winning games? No. His jersey will start flying off the shelf as soon as he continues breaking linebacker ankles like he's Allen Iverson. The benjamins will start pouring in. Everybody's a winner.

With no economic recession, it would make no sense for a struggling NFL franchise to refuse to bring Vick on board. But, with the biggest struggles involving money, teams aren't enthralled with the idea of taking a gamble on Vick.