Letter to Falcons Fans

Dear Fellow Falcons Fans:

I can understand your frustrations. Our quarterback has let us down over the last year with his off-the-field antics. Considering his age and experiences, salary, and his high profile position, we all think he should conduct himself in a more civil manner. We all want our quarterback and the rest of our team to be character guys.

After all, the team in some respects represents our city and the surround areas. With that being said, some fans are suggesting that Michael Vick be suspended by the team or even cut while the investigation is working its way through the legal system.

I wholeheartedly disagree with those who suggest this course of action because Vicks’ alleged transgressions have nothing to do with football. If Vick had done something relating to football, like gambling or using his football connections for illegal activity, then I would considered suspending him, but since his actions are independent of football, then he should not be suspended unless he violated a team and/or NFL rule. I believe that if the judicial system deems that Vick is able to make bond and walk free, then he should be able to make a living playing his sport.

Whether people want to admit it or not, the Atlanta Falcons are better with Vick. He energizes the crowd and he makes the big play when the team needs a superstar. He may be inconsistent at times and he may not throw lots of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but he did rush for over 1,000 yards and ranked in the middle of most quarterback statistics.

Furthermore, my fellow fans we cannot blame Vick for receivers who drop catchable balls, a defense that played with little heart last season, and a coaching staff that never made any mid-season adjustments. We can't blame Vick for an offensive line that couldn't block for short yardage, so our running backs could score at the goal line, or for a kicker that missed key field goals during the critical moments of games.

In conclusion, we as Falcons fans need to support the players on our team, the good character and bad character guys. Vick is innocent until proven guilty and it would be an ill-conceived move to suspend Vick because at the end of the day, the Falcons need him if the hope to make the playoffs this season because both Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley lack the skills of Vick and even if Matt Schaub was still in Atlanta, he wouldn’t be able to lead the team to victory. Remember, Schaub went 0-2 as a Falcons starter and his numbers weren’t as good as Vicks.