Michael Vick wanted to be a Buffalo Bill. At least that is what he told GQ in an interview. The now Eagles star quarterback says that when he was being let back into the league, he thought he had a good chance to step in and start for the Bills or the Bengals. But Vick says Commissioner Roger Goodell steered him to the Eagles and told him not to sign with Buffalo or Cincinnati
Tony Dungy, who mentored Vick in his comeback, told Dan Patrick today that he thought the Eagles were the best spot for the quarterback to land. Dungy said he doubts that the commissioner would tell Vick to go to the Eagles, but he does think that Goodell might have advised him that it would be a better spot. If that is true, that Roger Goodell actually steered a player to a certain team and away from the Bills then Ralph Wilson needs to get on the phone and stick up for his franchise. The commissioner works for all 32 owners and he cannot put one team ahead of another in a competitive situation.
The truth on the football field appears to be that the best thing that ever happened to Michael Vick was his signing with the Eagles. Vick got to sit as a 3rd stringer behind a pro like Donavan McNabb and to learn from a great quarterback teacher like Andy Reid. A year later Vick is now an MVP candidate who has remade his on the field image. But just because it worked out on the field for the player doesn’t make it right.
The Bills have enough trouble trying to get quality free agents to come to Buffalo. They are at a disadvantage because of their recent track record on the field, their perceived lack of financial resources, the overstating of the weather and the accurate assessment of the ridiculous tax structure in the state of New York make it a big wall to climb. The commissioner of their league playing matchmaker and cutting them out is something they should not have to deal with.
