Live from the Dome: A former prince returns to the city
The midfield reunion we've long awaited: Arthur M. Blank and Michael Vick. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Michael Vick has returned to the Georgia Dome. He jogged on the field at 11:24 a.m. He received a polite round of applause. (There weren’t many folks in the stands yet.) The first person he approached was Jimmy Cribb, the longtime Falcons photographer. The two embraced.
“He told me I always took good pictures of him,” Cribb said, “and if I got anything good today to send them to him.”
Then came the long-awaited meeting with Arthur Blank. (See above photo, shot by someone much less professional than Jimmy Cribb.) And then Reggie Roberts, the Falcons’ VP of communications, walked over to Vick. More hugging ensued.
Roberts: “He told me he missed being here. He misses the city, misses the Dome. He said he was crying on the bus ride over.”
Along those lines, here’s a snippet of an as-told-to article Vick did with David Fleming of ESPN The Magazine. Here’s Vick speaking his mind on, of all things, the Dome:
“I’m looking forward to going back to the Georgia Dome. I may not do much. I may not even play in the game. But just having the opportunity to be there and maybe have a chance to talk to the Falcons owner, Mr. Blank, before the game — that would be a great thing for me. I spent many a Sunday making that crowd go wild, and I appreciate all those fans. They were great. Man, I miss [those] days.”
In all the furor over Michael Vick, one truth kept getting lost: No matter what he did, the guy’s still a human being. And now he’s again a football player. We don’t know much he’ll play today, if at all. And we don’t yet know — it’s only 11:45 — how the crowd will be. My guess: Warm toward Vick, warmer toward the Falcons.
Speaking of whom: The home side is up against it. Here’s the inactive list: Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Michael Jenkins, Sam Baker and Harvey Dahl. That’s five offensive starters out for what is a game with massive playoff ramifications. (The Falcons and Eagles are tracking the same wild card.) The only consolation, and it’s slim: Philly is missing playmakers DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook.
And that’s why a 7-4 road team is a 5-1/2 point favorite over a 6-5 opponent. You never see that in the NFL, but today seems a day where form could take a hike. The Falcons are undermanned, but there’s almost a last-stand element to this one. Meaning: On this given Sunday, the desperate club could just lift itself by its bootstraps.
And I’ll be here to watch and report, as we say in the trade, with one difference: I have permission from AJC.com higher-ups not to make this a live chat, but because the day has started on a bright conciliatory note I’ve decided to open the floor for comments. Should we devolve into our usual volley of back-and-forthing, the live chat will go away and will not re-open. It’s your choice. Thanks in advance.
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1,246 comments Add your comment
GA Girl
December 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
Blank will be on the sideline. He made his peace with Vick earlier today.
Alan
December 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
Mark is this Prince you are talking about the once imprisoned DOG KILLER, I’m amazed at how any one in Atlanta can do anything but boo him, if they are Atlanta fans they are just showing how wacked in the head they are.
Mr Charlie
December 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
Skins up by 10, as I said, any given Sunday…although, it is long from being over.
J.J.M.
December 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
lol he fumbled on purpose
Mark Bradley
December 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
But not many teams could lose five offensive starters and win.
LantaFalcons
December 6th, 2009
3:18 pm
Saints now down 10 to washington, they’re not having a good day either. Unlike the Falcons though, the Saints have the ability to come back.
SRF
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
Freddie – what the H3LL did you expect the Falcons to do ??? Play Redman until Vick got out of prison ?
The FEDS put him in jail not the FALCONS !
So what if Ryan has a $72 M contract ? Lots of first round draft picks do…
bigdave
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
Tommy D… the savior… the Patriot brain trust… lets be the Patriots lets get the young boy wonder to BM…
pff… a lack of talent. a lack of play makers. on both sides of he ball. the team plays hard (coaching). but there is a marginal difference in talent.
corners that are in positions to make plays but dont make them. dont get heads around. always playing as if getting beat. yet N.O. can go out and get 2 proven corners in they immediately contribute. kills me.
Mark Bradley
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
That said, the Falcons have lost five offensive starters and haven’t scored a point.
81Dawg
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
Redman just looks scared to death.
J.J.M.
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
I wish we had pierless price still(clearly a joke)
ubah
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
Atlanta, the city too busy to hate — unless you are one of our sports teams. In that case, all bets are off.
JTH
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
How many passes have been thrown to White? Does Redman not trust him?
Sonny Clusters
December 6th, 2009
3:19 pm
Isn’t it rich, aren’t we a pair
Me here at last on the ground – and you in mid-air
Send in the clowns
Isn’t it bliss, don’t you approve
One who keeps tearing around – and one who can’t move
But where are the clowns – send in the clowns
J.J.M.
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
anybody knows white stats?
FalconFan
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
Redmon reminds me of Vick when we played them in Chicago his last year here that Sunday night.
Big Ray
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
Yeah, strange how people forget how much support Vick got from this city when he was playing. Despite the losing every other year, despite the fumbles, interceptions, and flipping off the fans. Nobody talks about that. Inconvenient facts.
Jimmy
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
This game has nothing to do with Vick karma.
I am laughing at those comments.
This game is about the Falcons fielding a scrub team.
It reminds me of the strike season so many years ago.
You can’t win in the NFL playing your second team.
J williams
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
White and Gonzo will both have record games today.
Mr Charlie
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
Redmon stood in there on that play.
J.J.M.
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
wow roddy another one
The Dogfighter Returns
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
new orleans is losing against washington a team that the birds thumped so it may be time to start thinking about next week.
Mark Bradley
December 6th, 2009
3:20 pm
I say again: Shockley cannot play today. He’s not on the active roster. He’s not even the emergency quarterback.
Men vs Boys
December 6th, 2009
3:21 pm
Can somebody give us a team that competes and builds from year to year?
Big Ray
December 6th, 2009
3:21 pm
Roddy White, 7 catches, 89 yards. That’s our offense today, folks. The rest of it is Tony Gonzalez…
Mark Bradley
December 6th, 2009
3:21 pm
Speaking of emergencies … Chris Redman just had another pass deflected.
GA Girl
December 6th, 2009
3:21 pm
Sonny,
The Falcons are the clowns. Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown!
David
December 6th, 2009
3:21 pm
Anyone know if there’s a chance Fox will change this game to the Washington/New Orleans game? This is, uh, pretty boring to watch right now.
Driver 8
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
Give the Falcons credit for consistency. Every good year will be followed by disaster.
Redman’s 19th tipped pass.
Season in the trash.
j
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
Hello,
Losing our 2nd round pick to KC for Gonzalez is really going to hurt. I have a feeling they also knew we are a cursed bloody franchise that is incapable of having consecutive winning seasons.
Granted we are without our starting QB and RB, but this has been a horrible game. The 4th down calls are difficult to defend. Especially the 4th and 2 with little time left in the 2nd quarter.
At least the Hawks are looking respectable.
Cheers,
J
Mr Charlie
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
If I remember, the Eagles owned the Falcons with Vick we here too.
Rod
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
DJ SHOCKLEY is on the sideline. I hope we can give him a shot if Ryan is out
J.J.M.
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
I hope so David
jamesr1991
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
Can’t wait for the Steak Shapiro excuses in the morning.
Tell it like it is
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
Thiers no sence in an NFL team that gets paid to play to look this bad.This is the same old falcond i don’ give a dam what anybody says.
Go Vick!
December 6th, 2009
3:22 pm
Go Vick!!! You vick haters mad!!! aka WP
David
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
Stendec,
Yeah, you sound like a real die-hard Falcons fan. Please jump the bandwagon of another team — it smartens our fanbase losing you.
JayDubu
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
TOday’s game is the Eagles vs the Falcons…not Mike Vick vs the Falcons.
Live inthe present, not inthe past!
Falcon 8211
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
hey mark u are out of it too but u don;t want to say it because u don’t want to lose your job
Mr Charlie
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
Falcons can still have winning seasons. Again, you are never as bad, or as good as you think…Look for further than NO and Washington.
Sid
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
DAWGS 2009, you are correct sir. don’t waste your money on this mess. I had season tickets in the 80’s and finally realized they will always be losers. It is written on their jerseys in invisible ink. That is why no matter who comes here to play or coach the results are the same. I would feel sorry for Gonzales. He wanted to win a playoff game. Sorry wrong city, wrong franchise. But at least his bank account is smiling.
Jimmy
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
SRF:
Your post is filled with reason.
It will not make any sense to the Vicksters.
Meanwhile...Mark go to Plan B
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
Mark, I think we’ve reached the point in the proceedings where, in order to maintain your audience, you’re allowed to regale us with tales of Junior Samples as Sonny Cluster’s defensive coordinator, leaving tickets for Jerry Glanville to come to the big homecoming game.
Or something like that.
Redkin
December 6th, 2009
3:23 pm
@JJM
Jealous much? LOL Serioulsly though, you need to calm down. All that bitterness and anger will kill you.
Mark Bradley
December 6th, 2009
3:24 pm
There’s another interception. White was open for about 10 seconds, but the ball took 20 seconds to arrive.
Ron
December 6th, 2009
3:24 pm
I wish the falcons would just leave town..and they want a new stadium……please
JayDubu
December 6th, 2009
3:24 pm
The focus now is to preven the shutout.
ray
December 6th, 2009
3:24 pm
JPW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
Mr Charlie
December 6th, 2009
3:24 pm
Really Stendic, this does not even crack the top 10 Falcon low points.
JSS
December 6th, 2009
3:24 pm
Look it’s the Tiger Girls! oops interception….