Michael Vick: Back in (the Endorsement) Business

Wow, that didn’t take long. I thought he’d at least have to score a touchdown or lead the Eagles to victory or supplant Kevin Kolb or Donovan McNabb as the Eagles starting quarterback. But, despite what the “swoosh people” say, the endorsement spigot has apparently been turned back on for Michael Vick.

Nike’s suits in PR put out the damage control statement Thursday that they do not have a “contractual relationship” with Vick, but that they “agreed to supply product to Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike.”

Yeah, right. I’d bet the farm Vick will be used to sell Nike products in the coming 12-18 months. That Eagles No. 7 jersey is selling quite well, and it’s not because of Ron Jaworski.

The story Wednesday was that Nike signed the dog guy to an endorsement deal, two years after deciding they didn’t want a canine killer pimping their product, calling his dog ring-leading actions “inhumane, abhorrent, and unacceptable.”

Time heals all endorsement wounds.

“Mike has a long-standing, great relationship with Nike, and he looks forward to continuing that relationship,” his agent, Joel Segal, said Wednesday.

Yeah, he never killed any of their dogs.

Segal also said, “The player and company had agreed not to release terms of the deal.”

And to think, all it took to get this deal was an 0-for-2 passing performance with one run for seven yards.

Maybe they got him on the cheap.

Maybe they plan on using him in an ad-campaign in dog eating countries.

I thought he’d have to sit down with the president and a pit bull (not Sarah Palin) and share a beer or a dog bone or something.

This is almost too easy.

But thinking back on it, the fervor died down pretty quickly after the Philadelphia Eagles signed Bad Newz Kennels personified.

The court of perceived public opinion has moved on.

Yes, he served his debt to society and all that, but shouldn’t some sort of on-field accomplishment be achieved before rewarding this guy with endorsement dollars?

That’s the question of the naive idealist.

What this proves is that the majority of society has moved on. They’re no longer as outraged by Vick’s actions. Memories are short.

Don’t underestimate the suits in research and marketing. Nike doesn’t invest in entities they don’t think will make them cash.

Sign him now so he’s under contract when the public’s emotion subsides.

The “swoosh people” have no trouble removing emotion from the equation.

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Michael Vick: Bound For Big D?

Upon hearing the news the Atlanta Falcons released Michael Vick the first thought of most football fans must be that Mr. “Commitment to Excellence”—the guy who looks like a combo of Elvis and Kim Jong Il—would be front and center to offer the former CEO of Bad Newz Kennels a contract. But wait.

After last season, you might think Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones learned his lesson, but I think we may have found a new NFC home for the quarterback AKA Ron Mexico.

Dallas’s addition of Pacman Jones—the poster gangster of bad behavior—proved pointless if not downright detrimental to the team in 2008. The guy, who was suspended for the 2007 season for felony charges in multiple states, came to Dallas. Complete with his own team-appointed bodyguard/babysitter, Pacman managed to find trouble (or maybe it found him) by getting into a fight with the bodyguard/babysitter and was subsequently suspended four games by the league. Brilliant.

And let’s not forget the addition of Tank Johnson. While still a Bear, he was arrested on weapons charges—not as stupid as Plaxico Burress shooting himself—then came to Dallas (Jerry’s all about rehabilitation), and, after missing half of his first season serving a suspension, had little impact.

Is there a lesson to be learned? Does character matter in the NFL? The league and its teams want to present a good image, or at least the image that they care about image.

But the allure of Vick’s abilities on the turf may be too much for Jerry to resist, especially after the news that the Cowboys will display a new twist to the offense.

Last week from the Fort Worth Star Telegram:

“The Dallas Cowboys unveiled the ‘Wildcat’ offense during organized team activities. Except for one thing: They don’t call it the ‘Wildcat,’ they call it the ‘Razorback’ to pay homage to running back Felix Jones, who helped make the offense famous in college as a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Wildcat or Razorback is a variation of the single-wing offense that features an unbalanced line. Receiver Patrick Crayton served as the quarterback in the Cowboys’ version of the Razorback.”

Doesn’t Michael Vick sound more exciting running the Razorback than Patrick Crayton?

Jerry has shown the ability to change, and I’m not talking about the facelift.

After unceremoniously booting Tom Landry to the curb and then driving Jimmy Johnson out of Dallas, he spent the next eight years coaching, more than vicariously, through Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, and Dave Campo before hiring Bill Parcells and largely budding out (until he couldn’t resist himself and signed Terrell Owens).

If NFL rules would allow for an owner to coach that owner would be Jerry Jones.

A decent number of Cowboy fans would agree he’s certainly returned to “The Coach is My Marionette Doll” brand of owning with Wade Phillips.

But should Jerry change his ways and not add Vick because of the character issues of past players? And how would Tony Romo feel about a two-man quarterback-by-committee?

Although Jerry has a tendency to overpay, Vick should be available on the cheap. They could give him some incentive-based contract, upping the excitement level for the inaugural season in the new stadium.

If he succeeds and the team wins will anyone in Dallas remember the dog thing?

Trust me. If the Cowboys are 8-2—and Vick has something to do with it—going into their Thanksgiving Day game versus the Raiders, those PETA picketers will be figuratively devoured like turducken that day at John Madden’s house.

And Mr. “Committment to Excellence” will be kicking himself for the Darrius Hayward-Bey selection while prepping for chryopreservation, or something like that.

Could you stomach Vick on your team if he helps them hoist the Lombardi Trophy?

Success breeds amnesia.

And, if it doesn’t work out, the P.R. people can always fall back on the old adage “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

Ultimately, Jerry cares about winning.

The highlight reel of Vick is nothing short of amazing. Can he still do that stuff and help a team win? I don’t know, but—Goodell willing—Jerry may be the owner happy to pony up some cash to find out.

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Listen on the radio Saturday night/Sunday Morning–Tune into Patrick Mauro’s Sports Overnight America Weekend (http://www.sportsbyline.com/bios/mauro.htm) 10:06 pm-1 am, west coast time and hear Bleacher Creatures Andrew Ungvari on the NBA Finals and Todd Civin on the aftermath of the Red Sox sweep of the Yankees.

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Drafting a QB With the No. 1 Overall Pick—By the Numbers

Now that we’ve had a little bit of time to digest the 2009 NFL Draft, we can, unless you root for the Raiders, likely find something good in what our squads accomplished over those seven rounds.

Listening to the “big sports network” and its draft prognosticator with his helmet hair (I heard his wife cuts it) dueling the new, young, draft expert guy breaking down the stances of offensive tackles for weeks on end became redundant and annoying.

Now that the draft is over, we’re left with more questions than answers — and I kind of miss ‘helmet hair’.

For now, let’s focus statistically — on the likelihood of Matthew Stafford leading the Lions out of the toilet.

Dreadful Detroit finally figured out Matt Millen’s front office acumen resembled Andre Smith’s at the combine — if the combine lasted eight years.

So in comes a new administration, and the drafting of a quarterback.

For the 17th time in the last 40 years a QB was taken with the first pick. Stafford could be the next Troy Aikman (1989), or the next Jeff George (1990), or, even worse, the next Michael Vick (2001). What are his hobbies? Has he been properly vetted?

In the 73 prior drafts, only three guys selected first went on to Rookie of the Year honors, none of them QBs. 12 overall number-ones earned Hall of Fame busts in Canton — Terry Bradshaw (1970), John Elway (1983), and Aikman, the three QB’s to achieve the honor.

Okay, accolades are nice, but what about some titles?

We can debate the merits of Stafford (38 on the Wonderlic), but this next stat alone explains why, historically, the risk is taken on a QB.

We know not all QBs selected first pan out, but in the past 40 years seven of the 16 signal-callers chosen first overall possess a total of 14 Super Bowl rings:

Terry Bradshaw 4
Jim Plunkett 2
Elway 2
Aikman 3
Drew Bledsoe 1
Peyton Manning 1
Eli Manning 1

I should point out Bledsoe (1993) wasn’t the starter for New England’s 2001 Super Bowl win, and Plunkett (1971) won his two in 1980 and 1983 for the Raiders, not the Pats — the team that drafted him.

Of the nine QBs without rings, Steve Bartkowski (1975), the ageless Vinny Testeverde (1987), Vick the football player, and Carson Palmer (2003) can’t be called outright failures. Vick the human being might be another story. Maybe Vick the construction worker will succeed.

This leaves George — the guy who still he thinks he should be on a roster, Tim Couch (1999), David Carr (2002), and Alex Smith (2005), not necessarily in that order, as the four biggest QB flops of the top overall pick-variety during the Super Bowl era. I’ll reserve judgment one more season on JaMarcus Russell (2007), but I think we know his destiny.

The Colts picked first the most times, a total of six, drafting both ends of the QB spectrum, twice — Elway and Peyton Manning (1998), and also George Shaw (1955) and George.

Obviously the quarterback position is important, but you don’t necessarily need a guy putting up Tom Brady ‘07-like numbers to win. Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, and Doug Williams hold Super Bowl rings. Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Warren Moon do not.

Will Detroit’s Stafford be like Dallas’ Aikman — the beginning of something big, a potential dynasty? And, yes, as Bill Belichick has proven you might have to cheat (Spygate), but dynasties are possible in this salary cap-era of the league. Or will it be pointed at, like Mike Nolan drafting Smith for the 49ers, as the reason the Jim Schwartz regime fails in Hockeytown?

With history as the barometer, teams have a decent chance (43.75/56.25) if simply playing the odds of going all the way with a QB taken first overall.

All I know for sure is that in about a year, Sam Bradford will replace Stafford as the NFL’s top paid signal-caller (without ever having to take a snap), and most likely be the next QB taken first overall — provided we’re not all wiped out by swine flu.

LISTEN ON SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING – Tune into Patrick Mauro’s Sports Overnight America Weekend (http://www.sportsbyline.com/bios/mauro.htm) 10:06 pm-1 am, west coast time. Call (800) 878-7529 to call the show.

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