UPDATE: Steelers sign Michael Vick

stlrtruck wrote:

[quote="Buddha BusI contend that anyone that believes that it doesn't matter what a man has done criminally in a violent manner, as long as it he helps win football games, needs their head examined.

And what about the man who paid his debt to society?  Has Vick not done that as well?  Has he shown any relapses?

However, he has shown that he's got some football left in him.

IMO, he's got enough to be a backup to Ben.  At this point, I'm sure Vick will know his role.  Hold the clip board, listen to plays, and ride coat tails.[/quote]


Yes, he paid his debt, but as I said, that doesn't require me to cheer him on on Sundays. What he did was beyond cruel and heinous. The kind of shit that serial killers do. Anybody can ignore it if they like, I choose not to. Torturing animals to death for shits and giggles is not something I feel is the type of behavior one can be redeemed of. It's the sign of a sick and demented human mind and I won't support that.

I'm with you Buddha... Fuck this guy... To me the Steeler organization showed just how soft they have become. 15 or 20 years ago they would have never considered signing this thug piece of shit.

FrancoLambert wrote:

Good move IMO.

Doesn't really matter who's #2 or #3.  If Ben goes down for any considerable time we're screwed.

Landry should be #2 based on familiarity with the receivers, and he has improved.

Actually having a guy with Vick's extensive experience as a starter is pretty good for a #3.

The Steelers went to the Superbowl in two years that Charlie Batch had to start.

So...who's getting a Vick jersey?

steelcityboyz wrote:

I'm with you Buddha... Fuck this guy... To me the Steeler organization showed just how soft they have become. 15 or 20 years ago they would have never considered signing this thug piece of shit.

Too young to have followed the 70s Steelers?

Way back in the spring of 1973, a couple of days before St. Patrick's Day, Dan Rooney was sitting in his office at Three Rivers Stadium. It was after five. Most of the people on the Steelers' staff had gone home. His phone rang, his private line, and when he picked it up he heard his wife. She sounded anxious, troubled. "Ernie Holmes just called me," she told him. "He's in trouble. You better call him right away."...

He was convinced the trucks were after him. He pulled a shotgun from the floor and started shooting at the tires of passing trucks. He stuck his shotgun out the window, already blasted open by his own bullets, and kept shooting. The state police were on his tail now, chasing him at ninety miles an hour. He veered off the main road, blew out a tire, and jumped out of his car, running into a nearby forest. He carried his shotgun with him.

A police helicopter swirled overhead and Holmes, surrounded by state police, began shooting at it, hitting an officer in the ankle. Moments later, surrounded and exhausted, he was finally in cuffs. Said one officer afterward: "We could have killed him a dozen times."...

That night in jail, Holmes called Dan Rooney. "We'll do everything we can for you," Rooney told him. "Try not to worry." It was a Saturday. Holmes would be in jail for the weekend, until a judge could hear his case and consider bail. He slept with a stick by his side, unaware that he was the biggest man in the cell.

That Monday, represented by a lawyer paid for by the Rooneys, Holmes was released on $45,000 bail, also paid by the Rooneys, and admitted to a psych hospital in western Pennsylvania, again paid for by the Rooneys. He was supposed to be there for a month. He stayed for two....

That summer, after his stay in the hospital, Holmes went back to Ohio and pled guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. At sentencing, a psychiatrist testified that he suffered from acute paranoid psychosis. Holmes was given five years probation. That July he was back in training camp. And that September he was the Steelers starting defensive tackle.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5058107

Steelers sign veteran QB Vick to 1-year deal

With backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski facing possible shoulder surgery and out for the season, the Steelers turned to Michael Vick, 35, as his replacement, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Vick, a multitalented quarterback who has gone through his share of troubles off the field, including a stint in jail for dog fighting, signed a one-year contract Tuesday night.


http://www.theredzone.org/BlogDescription/tabid/61/EntryId/51405/Steelers-sign-veteran-QB-Vick-to-1-year-deal/Default.aspx

there it is Vick is a Steeler.

I don't see the point of this, not a guy surrounded by controversy of this type. Is Vick really the best that was available? Not the most accurate passer, and relies too much on his running because he's too small to stand in the pocket. Also prone to injury. Would've preferred a less flashy but less controversial signing.

If something were to happen to Ben I would have been fine with Jones coming in. Guy is showing to be an accurate passer.

Steeler-in-west wrote:

I don't see the point of this, not a guy surrounded by controversy of this type. Is Vick really the best that was available? Not the most accurate passer, and relies too much on his running because he's too small to stand in the pocket. Also prone to injury. Would've preferred a less flashy but less controversial signing.

If something were to happen to Ben I would have been fine with Jones coming in. Guy is showing to be an accurate passer.

have you looked at who is available? Vick is it, unless you love Jason Campbell.

No thanks.

Decent day today getting dougla Gursky and Mike Vick as insurance and backups. Now let's go win the Superbowl

wow guys..dont know how I feel about this 1..as an animal lover I say no way..what he did is unforgivable..as a steelers fan I say it makes sense..everybody deserves a second chance etc. hmmmm...

At least the Michael Vick controversy can take some of the buzz off of Lebeau/Polamalu not being there if our young defense falters

Dog-loving fans irate about Vick signing with Steelers

By Mark Kaboly

Before controversial quarterback Michael Vick arrived at the Steelers' practice facility Tuesday to meet with coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh fans erupted with outrage over the possibility that Vick might be signed by their team.

Vick, 35, went to federal prison in 2007 for 21 months on his guilty plea of bankrolling an interstate dogfighting ring on his Virginia property and helping to kill six to eight dogs. Vick admitted promoting, funding and facilitating the operation for five years. Prosecutors said Vick engaged in hanging and drowning dogs and had failed to cooperate fully with a police investigation.

Soon after the news of Vick's visit broke on Twitter and hours before the Steelers announced they had signed him to a one-year contract, telephones in the team's offices were flooded with concerned callers. Instantly, social media exploded with comments from fans on both sides of the issue.

READ MORE: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8976890-74/vick-steelers-michael#axzz3jsMefurt

Good column by Kovacevic:

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/08/25/column-the-balance-in-weighing-michael-vick/

Wallace108 wrote:

Good column by Kovacevic:

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/08/25/column-the-balance-in-weighing-michael-vick/

great article, thanks for posting!

https://www.change.org/p/steelers-fans-say-no-to-michael-vick-on-the-pittsburgh-steelers-team?recruiter=47322194&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-no_msg&fb_ref=Default


if you want to say no to Vick becoming a Steelers then click on the link and sign the petition at change.org

My 2 big goofy golden retrievers taught me a LOT about forgiveness, I am good with this! Most likely his time on the field will simply be spent in the backdrop!

Wallace108 wrote:

Dog-loving fans irate about Vick signing with Steelers

By Mark Kaboly

Before controversial quarterback Michael Vick arrived at the Steelers' practice facility Tuesday to meet with coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh fans erupted with outrage over the possibility that Vick might be signed by their team.

Vick, 35, went to federal prison in 2007 for 21 months on his guilty plea of bankrolling an interstate dogfighting ring on his Virginia property and helping to kill six to eight dogs. Vick admitted promoting, funding and facilitating the operation for five years. Prosecutors said Vick engaged in hanging and drowning dogs and had failed to cooperate fully with a police investigation.

Soon after the news of Vick's visit broke on Twitter and hours before the Steelers announced they had signed him to a one-year contract, telephones in the team's offices were flooded with concerned callers. Instantly, social media exploded with comments from fans on both sides of the issue.

READ MORE: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8976890-74/vick-steelers-michael#axzz3jsMefurt

I'm not looking forward to talking heads/media calling Steeler fans hypocrites and dredging up allegations about Ben

vasteeler wrote:

im not sure how to feel about this. i do know that i hope to never have to see him play.

@Fire Arians you've always been cool with me but how can you compare what he did to eating a steak or chicken....that makes no sense

Wait a minute. I have 2 cows and 3 chickens in my living room right now and they're telling me they won't watch Vick.

You're right VA. That statement doesn't make sense.

tony hipchest wrote:

Steeler-in-west wrote:

I don't see the point of this, not a guy surrounded by controversy of this type. Is Vick really the best that was available? Not the most accurate passer, and relies too much on his running because he's too small to stand in the pocket. Also prone to injury. Would've preferred a less flashy but less controversial signing.

If something were to happen to Ben I would have been fine with Jones coming in. Guy is showing to be an accurate passer.

have you looked at who is available?  Vick is it, unless you love Jason Campbell.

No thanks.

Decent day today getting dougla Gursky and Mike Vick as insurance and backups. Now let's go win the Superbowl

Yeah on that note I hope Ben stays injury free,

Vick was backing up Geno Smith last year. Honestly, I'm not sure I would take Geno Smith over Landry jones,

Like the legursky pickup,

Also, wonder what was wrong with locker, he's available as far as I know

Steeler-in-west wrote:

tony hipchest wrote:

Steeler-in-west wrote:

I don't see the point of this, not a guy surrounded by controversy of this type. Is Vick really the best that was available? Not the most accurate passer, and relies too much on his running because he's too small to stand in the pocket. Also prone to injury. Would've preferred a less flashy but less controversial signing.

If something were to happen to Ben I would have been fine with Jones coming in. Guy is showing to be an accurate passer.

have you looked at who is available?  Vick is it, unless you love Jason Campbell.

No thanks.

Decent day today getting dougla Gursky and Mike Vick as insurance and backups. Now let's go win the Superbowl

Yeah on that note I hope Ben stays injury free,

Vick was backing up Geno Smith last year. Honestly, I'm not sure I would take Geno Smith over Landry jones,

Like the legursky pickup,

Also, wonder what was wrong with locker, he's available as far as I know

This.

Why taking the back-up QB of Geno Who? Vick is on the decline and I strongly doubt that he's better than Landry Jones. He's also a completely different type of QB than Ben, Jones or Gradkowski and I think that he doesn't fit our system.

Jake Locker has decided to retire because of all of his injuries.