Avery Reese started his writing career by covering high school sports, then wrote for a Philadelphia college newspaper and reported for the campus radio station. He relocated to the South after graduation and worked on a Masters in Journalism. He wrote for several publications in a big southern city and did a stint on local radio. He still passionately follows most major sports and concentrates on freelance writing. "It will never happen again."
Those were the words of a contrite Michael Vick after his double-barreled post-game salute to an Atlanta fan last season.
That incident, coupled with a recent situation at a Miami airport where he was detained for carrying a bottle with a concealed compartment that contained what officials termed "suspicious particles" (he has since been cleared of all charges) add up to one big headache for the Atlanta franchise.
For six seasons, Atlanta fans have adored Vick… even going so far as to term him a "savior" for their club. Now, many wonder if all they got for $130 million is some bottled hope and a reluctant but talent field leader.
Several times last season, Vick looked not at all like the triumphant passer owner Arthur Blank once deemed "a unique playmaker." He struggled to find receivers, pick up the pass rush, and even hold his temper in check on the sidelines.
Now here they sit, six years later, and there is reason for concern as the team is not appreciably better then they were before Vick came aboard. Sure, you have a trip to the NFC Championship Game and some good starts to the season (6-2 the last two years), but those things still do not show a good return on your initially QB investment.
True, a team is much more then the quarterback, but the winner's mentality must start with that position.
Of course, it would be foolish to discard a player so talented and driven. He has games where critics have to swallow their harsh words and writers have to find new words for "amazing" and "jaw dropping."
There is no denying that he has been blessed with a multitude of skills others just do not possess, but the mixture of speed and happy feet will not lead an NFL team to a championship.
Now is the time when you begin to wonder if there are any breakthroughs left for Michael Vick. You ponder if he'll ever find the right system or the right coaches, or if such things even exist. You wonder if the backlash that set in last season and reached full force with the elder Jim Mora's "coach-killer" soliloquy has taken such a bite out of this so far resilient man that he'll never bounce quite so high again.
Atlanta fans are accustomed to seeing the Falcons fall to pieces, but for many, hope sprung anew on April 21, 2001 -- the day they signed Vick. It was the day the future glowed brightly for every hopeful fan.
Ultimately, though, potential has yielded to limitations. Strapped with an enormous contract, and the need to stick with a guy that you gave up so much (see $$$) to draft, the Falcon's hands are essentially tied to Vick. What the franchise is faced with today is determining whether or not they can swallow fluctuating performances from a player that carries a $130 million price tag.
So many will point to the changes in offensive coaching personnel, the ushering in of Vick's third coach in six seasons, and a hodgepodge of mediocre wide receivers, but the real test is for the man himself to evolve into the quarterback that he was meant to be when he was brought to this team.
Being a savior for a depressed franchise is not an easy task, but one that Vick needs to finally embrace. Feeling comfortable within the system, adapting his superior natural speed to the plays at hand, and becoming the field general the team desperately needs will determine whether or not he succeeds.