Vick latest Ex-Falcon to make life miserable for franchise
LAST ONE AT THE DOME – Haven’t checked all of the remaining rosters, but I think the Falcons are done with the
Former Falcons QB Michael Vick talks with Falcons owner Arthur Blank prior to the Falcons playing the Philadelphia Eagles at the Georgia Dome Sunday, December 6th, 2009. It was Vick's first time back at the Georgia Dome since his conviction on dogfighting charges. Kent D. Johnson, kdjohnson@ajc.com
2009 Reunion/Alumni Tour.
They were 3-1 in games against former Falcons this season and none of them turned out well.
It all started with the Dallas game. The Falcons lost and Keith Brooking celebrated like he’d won the lottery.
Then there was the Washington Redskins game. The Falcons won that one, but former cornerback DeAngelo Hall got into a scuffle on the Falcons’ sidelines. Coach Mike Smith and Director of Athletic Performance Jeff Fish ended up getting fined by the league. Hall was not fined.
On to the New York Gaints and Michael Boley. He’s a real quiet guy, but even he spoke up during the week leading up to the game. He didn’t like the way the coaching staff handled his
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) is stopped by Atlanta Falcons' Kroy Biermann, and Jamaal Anderson after rushing for a short gain in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 in Atlanta. The game was Vick's first in Atlanta since serving a prison sentence for dogfighting. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
demotion late last season and seemed to be miffed that the Falcons didn’t want to re-sign him.
Michael Vick’s return will be remembered for the chants of “We Want Vick, We Want Vick” in the fourth quarter.
“It felt great to hear the crowds reaction in the fourth quarter,” Vick said. “It was 50-50 reaction in the beginning of the game. It was awesome to have chance to go out and make some plays today.”
At least Vick didn’t do a Jeff George victory lap or proclaim “This is my House” like Deion Sanders did on their Reunion games with the Falcons.
“We were beat on all levels and it is an embarrassment to the organization and our team,” defensive end Jamaal Anderson said. “We never imagined that this would happen. With Michael (Vick) coming back, they came into this game with a lot of emotion, and we weren’t ready for what they brought to the field. We have to move forward because we have another big game next week.”
On to the Saints and that vaunted offense.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
327 comments Add your comment
The Boss
December 8th, 2009
8:36 pm
Sean from DA SWATS ….man your an angry person. That’s a lot of weight to carry around brother.
Just curious. What “winner” is it you are such a passionate fan of?
The Boss
December 8th, 2009
8:37 pm
“you’re”
Vick State of Mind
December 8th, 2009
8:56 pm
Mrs. Davis I have to agree with most of the posters. You make Vick fans look bad. I think what everyone is trying to say is that we loved Mike Vick, but it is because of people like you that he had to go. You, Mrs. Davis kicked Vick off this football team, because no matter what may have happened in the future, we would have to worry about people like you trying to start QB battles every week. Management knew this, and so they had to get rid of Vick for the better of the team. I love Mike Vick and I still wear his jersey proudly. I DO NOT agree with the people who say he doesn’t deserve a second chance for something he did so long ago. He paid his debt, he is back in the NFL, good for him. Danny Heatley messed up too for the Thrashers and they got rid of him too. The NFL is a business and the owners want to win, they could give a rat’s azz about black and white. This city is like no other where Mike Vick comes in and the fact is if he didn’t mess up he would still be here. I am a black man, by the way and I do very well for myself. But it is embarrassing to be grouped with ignorant blacks who want to play the race card and say things like the Falcons got what they deserved. What? Really? You can say that with a straight face? So we were supposed to wait for Vick for TWO years and not draft a QB? Matt Ryan by the way has been given a bad rap by Atlanta fans since he got here. Is it his fault Vick messed up and got cut? NO! He is trying to win just like ownership is, but Vick fans never give him a chance. Imagine how good Ryan could be if he had a little love from the fans? Even with his slump this year he has put up numbers that most QB’s could even dream of, and yes that includes Flacco. I could talk about this for days, but the only thing ignorant Falcon fans deserve is for the streak to continue on back to back winning seasons because nobody here cares about winning….
Vick State of Mind
December 8th, 2009
8:59 pm
@ Boss– I’ve seen people get their azz kicked for doing things like that in Philly. Atlanta fans do it to themselves, and that’s why we are the laughing stock of the league. We get mad when northerners talk about country people but it is true, we are kind of slow. We will catch up eventually.
MD Falcon Fan
December 8th, 2009
9:07 pm
I flew into Atlanta to watch my team the Falcons, yes, I wanted to see Vick and have him do well, but I wanted us to win. I think that the team played like it was the first time that they have ever suited up. I’ve lived in Md for 5 yrs and has still kept my season tickets because I am a life long falcon fan and I am a black man. I am flying in again this weekend to hopefully see us beat the HE!! out of the Saints. I read this blog to get info that I can’t get up here. Can we please let what happened this Sunday go and talk about what is going on and how can we kick the SH!T out of the Saints. We can lose the rest of the games, but lets just beat the Saints,
Vick State of Mind
December 8th, 2009
9:17 pm
MD Falcon Fan I agree with you 100 percent. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only Falcon fan that want’s them to win. It seems like most of the fans want the Falcons to fall on their face because of one player, and it get frustrating sometimes. The only Falcon jersey I own is a Michael Vick jersey, and that is because I have a family of six and I have to spend my money on more important stuff. I got Vick’s jersey at a discount because of what happened to him. But I love Vick and I hope he gets on with a team and does well. I also can’t stand the Saints and I would love to be the team that brings them off their high horses. They have been getting so lucky these past few weeks. They should have at least 3 to 4 losses, but the other teams choke at the wrong time. Hopefully we can bring back most of our injured players and pull off the upset.
MD Falcon Fan
December 8th, 2009
9:26 pm
Thank you Vick State of Mind, I lived in Texas for a while and met a lot of Saints fans. When we win, I don’t brag because I expect for us to beat them. When they are winning, they will not even wait for the game to end before they are blowing up my phone. When we kick their A$$ this Sunday, I am going to return the favor and blow up their phones. If we are to get beat, lets make them earn it and blitz the he!! out them. If Turner plays, I hope that we run the ball down their throat. If we had continued to run the ball in NO, we may have won that game.
crabapplejoe
December 8th, 2009
9:35 pm
@shaad: I’ll say it again so maybe it will get through to your room temperature IQ…..mike vick couldn’t hold Steve Bartkowski’s jock strap as a QB or a man. If you really don’t know who Steve Bartkowski is then you’re not a Falcons fan…..but we already knew that. Your just a racist who loves the nuts of your “supastar” Mike Vick who is a complete loser in life as I’m sure you are. As a native Atlantan I sincerely believe that the single worst moment in Atlanta sports history was the decision to draft mike vick.
falconrick
December 8th, 2009
9:49 pm
Scenario 1- Your extra-curricular (sp) activities cause your employer to ask you WTF?
Scenario 2- The leader of your corporation asks you, personally, WTF?
Question- Would you still be employed? Of course not.
Question- If your previously mentiond activities ( including easily exposed lies to cover your lies), publicly humiliated your corporation, do you honestly think the shareholders ( i.e., the fans) would NOT fire you?
Is any part of this racist to all of you complete dolts out there who think criticizing , or defending Vick shows bigotry?
By the way, contrary to what the “dogs are meaningless” crowd says, take a look around next time you are out in public and tell me how “worthless” service dogs and K-9 dogs with police, for example are.
The Boss
December 8th, 2009
10:09 pm
“Vick State Of Mind”…great post @ 8:56. Well done. You obviously speak from the heart, tell it like it is, and have no outside agenda. I respect that 100%.
Vick State of Mind
December 8th, 2009
10:35 pm
Boss, thanks for the comment. I am a Falcon fan through and through. Mike Vick was my favorite player on the team, but this has been my worst week in a long time after that Falcon loss on Sunday. It is so hard to go to work and back the Falcons against all the haters, only to go to work Monday after a loss and eat crow. Tomorrow will be Wednesday and my co workers are still letting me have it. I guess I said all that to say this, if fans left the Dome smiling and happy because of what Vick did then I don’t even know what to say to you. It almost feels like that 8 mile movie when eminem beat that dudes azz for messing with his girl. He came back later that night with his posse and whooped up on eminem. Only after he was beat up did the dude come in and kick him in the stomach. I think his name was Wink. Ok, probably a bad analogy but you get my point, lol.
Ben Hill Shawty
December 8th, 2009
11:40 pm
falconrick is it against the law to cheer for Vick. I hope the Saints beat the Falcons. I think I will not watch football after this year. I do not want to go to hell defending Vick or cheering for the Falcons.I about to leave America any way and go home. I the Most High will bless you and I will start back watching Soccer since the Falcons are boring.
Ben Hill Shawty
December 8th, 2009
11:45 pm
falconrick is it against the law to cheer for Vick? I hope the Saints beat the Falcons. I think I will not watch football after this year. I do not want to go to hell for defending Vick or cheering for the Falcons. I am about to leave America any way and go home. I hope the Most High will bless you and I will start back watching Soccer since the Falcons are boring.
get over it
December 9th, 2009
12:03 am
rick,
i want to give you something to think about: if you think it was bizarre to see atlanta fans cheering for vick and the eagles (thereby cheering against their home team), just imagine how african american solidiers felt coming back to this country fighting for america’s freedom only to be treated like second class citizens. that is BIZARRE!!! yes, i bring up the race issue because we as african americans have seen and continue to experience systematic racism (perhaps not as bad as in the 1600’s through 1960’s)but certainly not a system that is equitable even today. so when a black man such as vick has paid his dues to society and you continue to beat him down many of us feel it is our duty to stand up in support, just as this country has done with many of the so call founders of this country who enslaved and raped people of color whose only sin was being a person of color, yet there are status of honoring these founding thugs. again, that is BIZARRE!!! if you can honor persons such as this why should african americans not step in to support a man of color who has paid his dues to society. this country’s thuggery where people of color has impacted us in so many ways and yet so many of you want the oppressed to forget about it so that whites can move on with out addressing this issue.
Jimmy
December 9th, 2009
9:52 am
get over it:
You know, I need to correct a few misconceptions:
1. Vick has paid his dues and “you” keep beating him down…
The only reason anyone is talking about Vick is because “people” keep holding him up as a victim.
They keep talking about him, criticizing the current Falcons, because he was a victim of his race.
Most of us here are all for Vick making the best of his life. Just don’t suggest that he didn’t get what he deserved because he did. He had chances to stop the illegal stuff and he slapped the hands that reached out to help. He had the chance to tell the truth early in the investigation, thus earning lesser punishent…he slapped that hand of hope away. He pled for a lesser charge rather than face a jury of his peers. If the blacks who keep treating this situation as if they personally have been oppressed by the Falcons organization and the federal government…NO ONE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT IT NOW.
2. Racism does exist. Yes, systemic racism does exist. It just isn’t the answer to every bit of bad luck and unlawful behavior black people experience. Personal responsibility does play a role in life.
I was an EEO officer for an 8000 employee organization. I have proven when my company committed racist acts and have proven when racism charges were unjustified. What I learned from the 8 years I did that was racism exists, but far too often, it is used as an excuse for not taking responsibility for one’s self. Every time I hear people whine about poor Vick, I think…man, I wish had had even a quarter of the opportunities that guy had. I’ve been given nothing because I’m white. In fact, I’ve been passed over for promotions in favor of diversity.
This brings me to the point I want to make. Racism is terrible. But so is any “ism” that discriminates based on looks. Who gets the best jobs in this country? Pretty people. If you go to an interview for a job and you and the other candidates are equally matched…the attractive person will get the job 99% of the time. The race doesn’t matter. If you are fortunate to get a degree from MIT, you will get jobs over equally matched candidates from lesser schools. If you can afford stylish clothes, you get the job over someone who dresses plainly. IN OTHER WORDS: no society is fair. Someone will always be the elite and someone always be the oppressed.
In this country, blacks have the opportunity now to rise above systemic racism. The mechanisms are in place. Yet young blacks are far too often criticized by their own community for being “white” when they seek an education. Cultural pressures keep many blacks down.
What we need now is for the rank and file blacks and whites to stop tearing each other apart and to become more sensitive to what we say and do. We need to let go of resentment…both the justified and especially the unjustified…so that we can truly be one people.
Race mongering…throwing up claims of “racism” when it is not an issue in the Vick situation, breeds resentment from whites who have been passed over for promotion in favor of black candidates (when these whites have never committed an act of racism in their lives). Constantly reminding us of things that happened in history becomes its own form of race mongering…it becomes an excuse for not taking personal responsibility.
My family history is not one of priviledge. Someone bearing my last name came to America in the 1600’s as an indentured servant and died as one too. There are gaps in my history because so many of my ancestors were dirt poor and were probably not registered at birth. I can track my ancestors back to the civil war. I am of Dutch, Irish and Cherokee descent. From my father all the way back to the civil war, my family was share croppers. They received barely enough compensation from the harvest to survive. In that long history my father was the first to break from it. He didn’t finish high school…nor did my mother. They married when she became pregnant with me. One thing they taught me was the value of an education. Though they never contributed a penny and I was ineligible for grants, I finished college by working my way through with loans.
All this happened for me while my black friends got money from the NAACP and government grants tied to race. I don’t resent this at all. I accepted long ago that this is necessary so that true justice and equality can have a chance. What I DO RESENT is the disgusting use of race for profit by some civil rights leaders who perpetuate the entitlement culture rather than the responsibility culture. They do it and too many blacks buy into it. They are being cheated by their own leaders. It makes me sick. I do resent when people trivialize black sacrifice and white sacrifice for justice and equality by using race where it does not apply. The Mike Vick situation has nothing to do with race. The bitterness of his fans does.
I pray that reason will begin to surface regarding the issue of race in this country. Perhaps if a few more whites and blacks will try to meet in the middle and try to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and misused of a worthy and necessary cause, we will finally beat this thing for our children.
Ben Hill Shawty
December 9th, 2009
2:12 pm
Jimmy I must say, I agree with you. Howevever, I am still a Vick fan. Also, The reason why blacks and white will continue to fight until the New Order come to play is because of ESAU(white people) and Jacob(so called negros and native americans. This has been going on for over 2000 years. It is nothing me nor you to stop the hate. However, get or you may have Christ in your heart, you have to forgive people. This country has fallen and the Most High is about to punish the world. My kingdom is of Christ and I love everybody. However, I call a spade a spade. Black Folk term. God Bless and I hope your family is okay.
Jimmy
December 9th, 2009
2:34 pm
Shawnty:
Are you paying attention?
I don’t hate Vick or Vick fans.
As stated…I hate it when people suggest he is a victim of racism.
I also hate it when the Falcons are clearly beaten and the classless Eagles put Vick in and have him throwing down field and trying to score touchdowns.
They are aware of the divisive nature of Vick’s return. But that would have been classless even if it had been another QB.
I don’t have a problem with Vick playing or succeeding…everywhere but in Atlanta.
Jimmy
December 9th, 2009
2:37 pm
Shawnty:
On the Jacob/Esau thing…I usually think of his as a Arab/Israeli thing rather than white/black.
Still, no ancient or recent transgression need divide people today.
That is an excuse to keep fighting because fighting gives you something you want.
People can put down their arms and their grievances, if they choose.
Ben Hill Shawty
December 9th, 2009
2:39 pm
Jacob/Esau is black and white. The Arabs are Ishmealites. Also, are you still mad or ready to forgive?
Jimmy
December 9th, 2009
2:57 pm
Shawnty:
Pay attention.
Ben Hill Shawty
December 9th, 2009
4:15 pm
I am paying attention. However, I am still a Vick fan.
falconrick
December 9th, 2009
7:21 pm
get over it-
Once again, please READ my post. At no time am I suggesting racism AGAINST or FOR Vick is excused.
All I’m pointing out is that BOTH camps are using racism as their ally in their arguments.
In response to your analogy of great black Americans sacrificing all, and being treated as second class citizens on their return, it does them a great diservice to compare them to Vick’s situation. They were what we used to think of as “heroes”, and most definitely deserved much better treatment.
Vick, on the other hand, is an athlete- don’t confuse that with role model. Personally, I don’t care if you are red, black, white, whatever- you will not be held up as a role model to my children simply because you can throw a football better than most. Warrick Dunn is a role model- please tell me if I am wrong, and I’ll acknowledge it if so, but Vick couldn’t be bothered with trivial details like community service.
Now, having said that, go Falcons- pull a W out for a change!
mr las vegas
December 9th, 2009
9:01 pm
I no about the falcon history,ive live in atlanta for 35 yrs the falcon always was a southern team,with racial under tones listen just because you see a lot of slaves on the land does nt mean theyre running things it s not about football success with this team its about entertianing a certain fan base . but sports trandsends all of that so you would hope but it take time the one thing we as humans dont have enough of so with the death of racist whites and blacks and all others who have so much anger of them selves to vent on others please hurry up and DIE…ps then you will see true fans and success in this city not by winning but being entertained hold heartedly.
EricADawgFan
December 11th, 2009
5:03 pm
Well Vick has spoken, along with his fans. It was a HUGE mistake to let Vick go. You though that you had a big hope in Ryan only to see “HER” hurt on the sidelines. Great Job Vick…… You indeed has gotten the last laugh. After all that was done to you and backs turned to you during your down fall, here is your sweet revenge. You get to keep your money from the Falcons (Aurthur Blank) you came in the Dome and hammered the Falcons silencing the Vick Haters….. It was like Micheal Vick enters the Georgia Dome and took care of business….. You see, no one is laughing at you now.
EricADawgFan
December 11th, 2009
5:08 pm
It’s Great To Be A Micheal Vick Fan…….
jamir1
December 17th, 2009
4:29 pm
GO MICHAEL VICK!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!
Alex
January 9th, 2010
8:00 pm
Michael Vick is low rent trash and it is shameful that he was allowed to return to the NFL.