The Future is Now For Michael Vick

There comes a time in almost every athlete's career when he or she must shelve the excuses, tune out the criticism, say no to certain extracurricular activities off the playing field, and ascend to new heights of athletic performance.

For Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick, that time is now.

It's been five years since the Falcons made the earth-shattering move of trading up for the first pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, essentially for the rights to select Vick. Five seasons, no MVP awards, and zero Super Bowl appearances later, Vick is heading into the 2006 campaign with arguably more pressure on his shoulders than any other player in the league.

Of course pressure is nothing new to No. 7, as every year he — and the entire city of Atlanta — knows that as he goes, so go the Falcons. Vick is more valuable to his team than anyone in the NFL not named Peyton Manning and maybe Tom Brady. I am not saying Vick is the second or third best player in the league. I'm not even saying he's in the top 15 of that category.

But on the rare occasions when LaDanian Tomlinson has been shut down by opposing defenses, Drew Brees and Antonio Gates have stepped up and the Chargers have been just fine. When Tiki Barber has those games where he tries to be too cute and gets tripped up for so many negative yard runs that he's mistaken for the second coming of Barry Sanders, Eli Manning simply airs it out to Plaxico or Jeremy Shockey or any other weapon in the Giants' offensive arsenal. Heck, even when Tom Brady can't hit the broad side of a barnyard with his normally trusty right arm, Corey Dillon either runs for 200 yards or Adam Vinatieri (in the past) kicks five field goals and wins the game as time expires.

Vick has Warrick Dunn, Alge Crumpler, a respectable complimentary unit on the other side of the ball, but not much else. Dunn — all five feet, eight inches of him — is almost worth the price of admission, but it's no secret that Dunn needs help from the rest of his offense to work his magic.

Crumpler runs great routes and possesses out-of-this-world hands for a tight end. He is the only pass-catcher on the squad who can be relied on to pull down Vick's sizzling throws, most of which almost nobody on the field, including Vick, has any idea where they're going. But to say Crumpler is not a lynchpin of an offense, one that can serve as the catalyst to make all things go when the others have lost their game, would be an egregious understatement.

The Falcons' defense has been nice, albeit not spectacular, in recent years and could be even better this year with the addition of defensive end John Abraham and one year's worth of maturation for shutdown corner DeAngelo Hall. Deion "Prime Time" Sanders even made two cameo coaching appearances at training camp to work with the secondary, and if he's as incredible at coaching as he constantly insists he is, well then those two days should instantly vault the Falcons "D" to the top of the NFL. Yeah, right.

But seriously, while the defense should be pretty good, they couldn't stop the run even if the opposing running back was Maurice Clarett. I'm not talking about the Ohio State Clarett; I'm talking about the one that comes gift-wrapped in a jumpsuit and handcuffs. In other words, even on days when Atlanta's defense puts forth one of its best efforts, Vick will have to play up to his unparalleled potential if the Falcons have inclinations of outscoring the other team.

That's the bad news in a nutshell. The good news is that if there's one thing Vick can deal with, it's pressure. 1999 Sugar Bowl, anyone? Overtime at the Metrodome in 2002? 2003 NFC Divisional Playoff at Green Bay? Lest anyone forget, that's when Vick became the first visiting quarterback to win a playoff game at Lambeau Field. Fourth-and-goal from the 12-yard line late in the game against Carolina in Week 15 of the 2004 season with the division title hanging in the balance? That's when Vick took off for the end zone and dove from four yards out, while it seemed like only the Hand of God could be keeping his knee off the ground as he flew in for the tying score.

So no, don't even try to tell me or anyone else that Vick cannot stare pressure in the face and thrive in its midst.

Excuses, criticism, and off-the-field shenanigans are a whole different story.

Vick has offered his fair share of excuses in the past, and in most cases, he's had every right to do so. Just seven months after the Falcons stunner at Lambeau Field and Vick's simultaneous and meteoric rise to becoming the face of the NFL, it all came crashing down during a meaningless preseason game against the Ravens in August of 2003. Every Falcon fan's worst nightmare came true when No. 7 went down awkwardly at the hands of defensive end Adalius Thomas. I was there and let me tell you that if not for the news of Vick's broken leg spreading like wildfire throughout the Georgia Dome, you could have heard a pin drop on the turf for the duration of the game.

Goodbye, Michael Vick. Hello, 5-11 season.

Vick insists that he does not play scared and that he simply will not change his reckless style of play that is prone to injury. Yet there is no doubt that Vick has cut down on his tendency to flee the pocket and use his human-defying feet to move the ball downfield. Whether that has been Vick's own decision or Coach Jim Mora simply demanding that his quarterback no longer put his life in danger every other play, I do not know. What I do know is that it's time for Vick to do what he needs to do and do it by whatever means necessary. If that means running for 1,000 yards this season, great. If that means developing a comfort zone in the pocket and learning how to make accurate throws in the face of hard-charging linemen, outstanding. It just does not matter.

What does matter is putting an end to the excuse that the West Coast offense is stunting Vick's growth. I refuse to believe that Greg Knapp, Atlanta's offensive coordinator and generally respected as a pretty solid coach throughout the league, would be too blind to realize the shortcomings of the West Coast offense if that style really was the offense's Pandora's Box. Instead, Vick just needs to take what's given to him and make it work. That may sound like a lofty demand, but a former number one draft pick whom many believed would one day be the best player in the NFL must expect to be faced with other-worldly expectations.

A player of Vick's caliber must also be prepared to handle criticism day in and day out. While Vick has his fair share of worshipers (if you've ever seen "Around the Horn" on ESPN, you know what I'm talking about, as Woody Paige annually anoints Vick as the savior of the league and the Falcons as the should-be Super Bowl winners), there is an equally large group of people who seize every opportunity to criticize him.

During the 2004 season, while the Falcons chalked up wins despite Vick posting anything but spectacular numbers, the quarterback spewed, "If I'm winning, don't criticize me." For players of mere mortal talent that is a valid argument, but the standards are not the same for Michael Vick and he will be criticized until he consistently wins MVP of the league and multiple Super Bowls. In other words, the criticism will never end and he needs to understand that. He will never live up to some people's expectations, plain and simple. Such is the price of having almost supernatural talent.

Another price is being faced with constant scrutiny under the public eye. Now Vick is a genuinely good guy and has stayed out of trouble for the most part. Compared to his little brother Marcus, Michael is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Honor, and any other award that can be given for humanitarian efforts.

Nonetheless, he will never live down the infamous "Ron Mexico" scandal. More recently, a woman posted a picture of Vick on the Internet and claimed that he was smoking a joint in the photo. We don't know whether he was or was not, and quite frankly it doesn't matter whether he was or was not. What we do know is that Vick, and every other star of his magnitude, is held to unusually high standards off the field as well as on.

Quite simply, Vick must focus on football, football, and more football.

Everyone knows he has the physical tools to be a premier quarterback in the league, one capable of carrying a team on his shoulders all the way to the Super Bowl. All Vick needs to do is develop some passing accuracy and devote almost all of his free time — if he has any — to spending extra hours in the video room learning how to read defenses.

Easier said than done, I know. But to achieve Michael Vick standards, set by him, Falcon coaches, and Falcon fans alike, that is what it will take.

Your average 26-year-old athlete deserves a little patience from his or her fans. Michael Vick, as we know, is not your average 26-year-old. The time for patience with him is over.

The time for being a great athlete, but not necessarily a great football player, has passed. The time for making the playoffs but not going all the way has come and gone.

Michael Vick, this is your time.