What is all the fuss over the Steelers signing Michael Vick? It was a great move. Now the Steelers have a quality backup to Ben Roethlisberger for their Super Bowl run.
Vick was convicted of financing a dog-fighting ring in 2007 when he was a superstar quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. He served 21 months in prison and 2 months after that under house arrest or home confinement.
After he served his time the NFL forgave him and the Philadelphia Eagles signed him in 2009. He became their starting quarterback in 2010. After having one of his best seasons he was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. After several injuries he was shipped off to the New York Jets last season as a backup. So the NFL could forgive, Philadelphia and New York can forgive, but Pittsburgh can’t?
There were over 20,000 people on a petition to the Steelers stating that they would not support the Steelers if they kept Vick. Many stating that they would give up their season tickets if he wasn’t dumped. The Steelers just added nearly 3000 seats to move Heinz Field to over 68,000. Some people have been waiting since the 1990s for season tickets, so the few season ticket holders among the group of protesters will not hurt the Steelers. There are plenty of people hoping they do give up their season tickets or seats.
Art Rooney II, who is in charge of Steelers organization, stated that they discussed the signing and had a heart-to-heart conversation with Vick before signing him. And what led them to signing him, other than the fact that he was the best backup quarterback available, was his answers to their questions and what he has done with his life since coming out of prison.
Rumors have it that Vick was signed for $970,000 with no signing bonus, which is what second string quarterbacks with experience generally receive, around a million dollars.
I believe that no man or woman is perfect. We all make mistakes. And the reason we have prisons is to punish people. But after they’ve been punished by serving their time they have the God given right to resume their lives, even though some people believe we should put people in jail and throw away the key. What he did was wrong. But he paid for it with nearly two years of prison. What is he suppose to do, hang himself or do what so many others do when not given a chance at an honest life, go back to crime?
I guess none of these people are Christians? You know the religion that says we all most forgive, because we all have sinned and fallen short of God. And that God will do the judging.
With the hand injury to second string quarterback Bruce Gradkowski and the poor play by third string quarterback Landry Jones in his two pre-season games the Steelers desperately needed a quality backup, and Vick is by far the answer to their need.
The Steelers should have the best or one of the best offenses in football this season, because they are loaded with weapons but as they found out last season, all this means nothing if one of your key starters goes down with an injury and you have nothing to replace him. Last season it was Le’Veon Bell who went down and it cost the Steelers a trip to the Super Bowl.
Before the signing of Vick, if Roethlisberger went down for any length of time, even a game, the Steelers had no one of NFL quality to fill in. In the fight for a Super Bowl birth every game matters, every win counts because the team with the best record gets Home Field, which generally gives them the advantage—especially the Steelers.
So if Vick has to play a quarter or a game and can help the Steelers win, I’m all for him coming to Pittsburgh. And to all those people who are crying and petitioning for the Steelers to drop him, I hope you have fun watching Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, or maybe New England, because Vick paid his dues and deserves the right to a second chance. Get over it.
(Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
