Vick admits to laziness and complacency in Atlanta

rbdjr1

Vick admits to laziness and complacency in Atlanta

Yahoo Sports by MJD


There are a lot of Atlanta Falcons fans who still love Michael Vick, and will always love Michael Vick. Why this is so, I'm not entirely sure, because it seems like with each passing day, Michael Vick makes a new effort to let the people at Atlanta know that he played them for chumps, every single step of the way.

First, while he was supposed to be saving the franchise and leading them to the promised land, he was also busy unleashing a holy war on the puppies of the area.

That's a crime, of course, and it cost him a good portion of his football career and ended his stay with the Falcons. If you want to stick by Vick's side through that, that's fine. I get it. He's a man, he made a mistake, and he deserves forgiveness. As long as he's dedicated to the home team, we can forgive a human foible and move on, right?

Well, what if, at the same time, he didn't give a damn about the home team, either?

Vick told 790 AM The Zone in Atlanta that while he played for the Falcons, he wasn't giving 100%. Now, I'm sure a lot of people already had a hunch that Vick didn't get the most out of his abilities, but hearing him admit is another thing. Vick openly admits that he wasn't anywhere near the quarterback he should have been.

"There was a lot more I could have done off the field and in the film room that could have elevated my game to a different level," Vick said. "I was complacent at the time, somewhat lazy, and I settled for mediocrity. I thought what I was doing was enough."

"Just imagine what I could have been doing if I really would have been applying myself. That's a regret I have."

Now, there are a real crimes, and there are crimes against sports. Obviously, real crimes are worse.

But crimes against sports can be funny things. In a way, they're a bigger betrayal, because when we care so much and invest so much energy in our favorite players in teams, it can hurt to know that they didn't care even as much as you did.

Take Pete Rose, for example. His major offense in life was a crime against sports. He bet on baseball. Yet, he's barred from the game, he's become a joke and he's basically a sports pariah. And yet, how many wife beaters and guys with multiple DUIs -- real crimes that are clearly worse -- take the field with no real consequences, day in and day out?

This newest Vick crime, the one against sports, is a serious one, because he's gotten some insane amounts of unconditional love from the people of Atlanta, and what did he give them in return? Was he a model citizen and pillar of the community? No. Did he bust his hump to help the Falcons and work hard to be the best player he could be? Nope. He just admitted as much.

It seems like the love in that relationship has only gone one way. They loved Vick, and in return, he took their money, he took their cheers on Sunday, and he spit in their faces. Not just by his off-field activities, but by not caring about the game, either.

mcadams

<< <i>Vick admits to laziness and complacency in Atlanta

Yahoo Sports by MJD


There are a lot of Atlanta Falcons fans who still love Michael Vick, and will always love Michael Vick. Why this is so, I'm not entirely sure, because it seems like with each passing day, Michael Vick makes a new effort to let the people at Atlanta know that he played them for chumps, every single step of the way.

First, while he was supposed to be saving the franchise and leading them to the promised land, he was also busy unleashing a holy war on the puppies of the area.

That's a crime, of course, and it cost him a good portion of his football career and ended his stay with the Falcons. If you want to stick by Vick's side through that, that's fine. I get it. He's a man, he made a mistake, and he deserves forgiveness. As long as he's dedicated to the home team, we can forgive a human foible and move on, right?

Well, what if, at the same time, he didn't give a damn about the home team, either?

Vick told 790 AM The Zone in Atlanta that while he played for the Falcons, he wasn't giving 100%. Now, I'm sure a lot of people already had a hunch that Vick didn't get the most out of his abilities, but hearing him admit is another thing. Vick openly admits that he wasn't anywhere near the quarterback he should have been.

"There was a lot more I could have done off the field and in the film room that could have elevated my game to a different level," Vick said. "I was complacent at the time, somewhat lazy, and I settled for mediocrity. I thought what I was doing was enough."

"Just imagine what I could have been doing if I really would have been applying myself. That's a regret I have."

Now, there are a real crimes, and there are crimes against sports. Obviously, real crimes are worse.

But crimes against sports can be funny things. In a way, they're a bigger betrayal, because when we care so much and invest so much energy in our favorite players in teams, it can hurt to know that they didn't care even as much as you did.

Take Pete Rose, for example. His major offense in life was a crime against sports. He bet on baseball. Yet, he's barred from the game, he's become a joke and he's basically a sports pariah. And yet, how many wife beaters and guys with multiple DUIs -- real crimes that are clearly worse -- take the field with no real consequences, day in and day out?

This newest Vick crime, the one against sports, is a serious one, because he's gotten some insane amounts of unconditional love from the people of Atlanta, and what did he give them in return? Was he a model citizen and pillar of the community? No. Did he bust his hump to help the Falcons and work hard to be the best player he could be? Nope. He just admitted as much.

It seems like the love in that relationship has only gone one way. They loved Vick, and in return, he took their money, he took their cheers on Sunday, and he spit in their faces. Not just by his off-field activities, but by not caring about the game, either. >>



How does that clown continue to stay in the news? Vick is old news in Atlanta, everyone loves Matt Ryan now and no one wishes they had Vick instead. Lets all just move on and let Vick walk into the sunset and fade away.

Blackborder

The fans are gonna dog him over this.

VintageCardLover

im "shocked" that he was lazy and complacent, just shocked.

Connecticoin

<< <i>im "shocked" that he was lazy and complacent, just shocked. >>



Yeah, no kidding. Like we were all shocked when George Michael came out of the closet.

It was obvious Vick did not work hard to learn effective plays, and his passing skills sucked (for what he was paid). He just tried to run his way out of every inevitable broken play. Good riddance to him.

Tomi

How much do you have to pay an athlete to not be lazy?
This is why I never have any sympathy for professional athletes. They have it all and it's still not enough.

MCMLVTopps

As a resident of Atlanta I had to endure the seemingly never ending Vick garbage while watching the local sports broadcast. This guy should go down in history as one of the most arrogant pro players of all time. He played Arthur Blank (Falcons owner) like a cheap fiddle, flipped off fans and had the stupidity to get caught in Miami with a false bottom water bottle...which he claimed was to hide his jewlery, sure, and I'm the Easter Bunny. His personal traits fall into the category of Uber hubris and mega liar.

Vick permeated the news here like smoke from wet burning leaves during the Fall. Some idiots here revere this man, most, inlcuding me, wish he would just go away and never come back. When one thinks of the incredibly horrible things he did to innocent dogs, it is inconceivable to me that this man can still be putting on a pro football player's uniform, not to mention the millions he has received since becoming a pro player. His prison punishment was a farce IMO.

Yet, many kids and grown ups wear their #7 shirts to Falcon's games, great person to look up to in their eyes, really good for kids.

If I had my way, he'd be forever banned from football and still be in prison, REAL prison, like reopen Alcatraz and leave him there.

billwaltonsbeard

Just another member of the long list of professional athletes who have all the perfect physical attributes, but would likely test out as borderline mentally handicapped.