Will They or Won't They?

Michael Vick has been conditionally reinstated by the NFL, and the question everyone seems to be asking is, "Will the Cowboys sign him?" Rumors have been circulating for weeks now that the Cowboys are interested in him, that they are going to go after Vick if and when he gets reinstated--this despite Jerry Jones repeatedly stating that they have no interest in signing him. At yesterday's press conference, Jones was asked again about signing Vick, and again he stated that no, they won't be pursuing him.

So, why aren't they interested in signing Michael Vick? Well, it could be that they already have four quarterbacks on the roster, at least one of whom will definitely not make the 53 man roster as it is. Why then would they add a fifth? If they did add Vick, they would have to cut someone else, and who are they going to cut? Certainly not their $67 million franchise quarterback, and not the 4th round draft pick to whom Jerry Jones refers to as the War Daddy. OK, maybe they could cut Jon Kitna, who by the way is already signed to a contract and cutting him would add even more to the nearly $25 million in dead money they already have against the salary cap. It wouldn't make sense to cut Kitna, but they could.

If they did cut Kitna and sign Vick, he's not going to start. They aren't going to sit their $67 million franchise quarterback to start Vick. Frankly, he is far too talented of a quarterback to be used as just a backup, especially when there are so many teams out there that desperately need a quarterback of his caliber.

Some people have suggested that they sign him just to run the wildcat offense--or the razorback as they are calling it in Dallas. Again, he is far too talented a quarterback to keep on the roster just to run an occasional trick play. And really, can they afford to take up a roster spot for someone just to run one or two plays per game--especially since they already have Isaiah Stanback and Patrick Crayton, both of whom played quarterback in college? It also begs the question, if you run the wildcat with your back up quarterback, would it really be the wildcat, or would it just be your back up quarterback taking snaps? Would they have both Vick and Romo on the field at the same time? If they kept him around just for the wildcat, wouldn't it be a dead givaway? As in, "Here comes Vick, it must be the wildcat."

So the Cowboys have no interest in Michael Vick, nor do they have the need or the space for him on their current roster. And you can't forget the media scrutiny his presence will bring--to whatever team signs him. Dallas has media scrutiny enough as it is.

Another thing people are asking is, should he have been allowed back into the NFL at all? Some say yes, others say no. Still others say he should have stayed in prison for the rest of his life. For fighting dogs? That's little harsh. Sure he did wrong. He made a mistake, but he's paid his debt to society. He deserves a second chance as much as anyone else.

The question that remains is, will someone give him that chance, and who will it be?

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