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Inside Enemy Territory: Buffalo Bills Signing Michael Vick Would Be a Smart Move

Published: May 30, 2009

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Michael Vick has not played a down in the NFL since 2006. Up until May 20th, Vick had been in a federal prison, and is now currently serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest. For work? Vick is a construction worker.

There is no doubt that Vick will attempt to make a comeback in the NFL. There is only man standing in his way, and at this point, he is more frightening to Vick than any linebacker he’s ever faced.

Roger Goodell.

Vick is still indefinitely suspended by the NFL, and the only way he is allowed back in is if Goodell lifts that suspension. Goodell has stated that the only way he will let Vick back into the NFL would be if Vick should genuine remorse.

While none of us will never know if Vick is genuinely remorseful for his actions, there is a good chance that he makes it back into the NFL for this upcoming season.

With that, there will be a lot of teams looking to sign Vick. There are plenty of teams out there that do not have a solid backup quarterback, or even a solid starting quarterback.

If it was not for the breakout of the Wild Cat offense, most teams would not even give Vick a look. However, Vick is an incredibly agile passer and could pose an even greater threat than Ronnie Brown did for the Dolphins last year.

It’s not a surprise that the Bills are looking to win sooner than later. They have increased their spending drastically over the last few seasons, and finally brought in a high profile player with Terrell Owens.

If the team wants to sell more tickets, than it would make sense for them to go after Michael Vick. Sure, there may be some fans upset with the decision, but there will be plenty more to scoop up their tickets.

There is no argument that Vick would be an impact player. He would obviously need training camp to get his throwing arm back, but he would not be the starting quarterback anyway. Vick’s greatest weapon for the Bills would be his speed.

The Bills could incorporate a Wild Cat-type formation using Vick and their two successful running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. Both Lynch and Jackson have different running styles. Lynch is more of a power back, while Jackson is quick on his feet.

Those styles, combined with Vick’s speed and throwing ability, could easily set up one of the toughest offensive spreads to stop.

Not to mention that Vick as a back up would encourage Trent Edwards to play better. Any quarterback with that has a former franchise quarterback as an understudy knows that his job is not safe if he messes up.

There are downsides to this as well. There is no guarantee that Vick would be able to come back and play even close to the talent level he was at pre-suspension.

Bringing in Vick could also make Edwards believe that the coaches and management do not believe that he has the talent to bring the Bills into the playoffs.

This is a tough situation for everyone involved. I honestly think that the pros outweigh the cons in this situation. All the players involved need to understand their role prior to the start of the season.

If the Bills do make an effort to sign Vick, they need to tell him he will be taking a backup role. Edwards needs to know that he’s still the number one guy, and aside from a select few plays, he is the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills.

The Wild Cat formation would have to be used sparingly as well. When the Dolphins tried using it too much, teams learned how to stop it.

If there is any team that Vick could make a comeback with, the Bills would be the right choice for him. He would be one of the most popular players on the team, and he’d also be able to keep a semi-low profile. Buffalo is not known for it’s nightlife, so it would give Vick the opportunity to stay out of trouble.

As Bills fans, we should all agree that any player that could help out the team is worth getting, even if this one is a reformed convict.

(Inside Enemy Territory is a Buffalo sports related column written by Alec Szczerbinski. If you have any questions/comments, you can email me at InsideEnemyTerritory@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/InEnTerritory)