The Michael Vick Project

Despite our shared first name, Michael Vick and I couldn't be much different. I've got 13-14 years on him. He's been a world-class athlete; I haven't been anywhere close. He's an African-American who grew up in the projects. I'm a Caucasian of German/French/Irish extraction who's always lived in Midwestern farm country. He once signed a contract worth $130 million. I aspire to be worth 0.2% of that someday. And, unavoidable to the discussion, he's a convicted felon; I have at worst a handful of traffic violations, and none of those in the last 20 years.

And yet the signs are increasing, despite the Philadelphia Eagles' earnest statements to the contrary, that Michael Vick and I may be sharing a building next year, the Edward Jones Dome. Talk has only increased that the Rams are interested in him, and it's being slowed by absolutely no public objection of which I am aware, outside some of us in the "blogosphere," which includes my own very clear objections, on the field and off.

Bernie Miklasz has reported that Rams assistant coaches are talking to their Eagle counterparts about Vick. He also reported public comments from Steve Spagnuolo last week in which coach Spags practically broke the NFL's tampering rules:

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Michael as a player. Everything I’ve heard out of Philadelphia is kind of good. We haven’t gone down that road in our process yet. I think he’s a terrific player.”

Maybe I'm trying way too hard to read between the lines, but there's certainly nothing there to suggest the Rams aren't actively considering or pursuing the Vick option. Plus there was the recent ESPN 101.1 interview with Spagnuolo where he backed away from the "Four Pillars" like Tye Hill backing away from Amani Toomer before the snap. Yes, that happened, and no, neither should EVER be necessary.

But it's happening. There's going to be a point (if it hasn't happened already, who knows?) where Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo are going to look Michael Vick in the eye and make a judgment whether he is the man to bring here, the man to make the starting QB, the man to make the team leader. On a team where the current team leader certainly has his own problems, is this the right move? Can we mere fans ever get a chance to find out without the chance to sit in a room with Michael Vick ourselves?

Probably not. But we might be getting the next best thing. Last week, BET started running what's billed as a documentary series called The Michael Vick Project. All the rumors out there have made this series particularly relevant to Rams fans.

So I'll be watching and learning, and until the Vick rumor is resolved one way or another, I invite Rams Nation to do the same. Is Michael Vick a thug? Is he a good man who got caught up in a bad situation? Is he a professional athlete with a slick P.R. operation? The Michael Vick Project looks like a good opportunity to make a somewhat-informed decision.

Let's hear his case and see what we think.