ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary about Michael Vick aired on Jan. 30. It reopened an old debate on retiring the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft from the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor.
Let us do the same here.
In short, Vick’s legacy as a Falcon is polarizing for fans. While it reflects on the great times of the early 2000s, it also opens up old wounds for the franchise. As the team’s starting quarterback from 2001-2006, Vick put the franchise on the map and guided them to the most successful season since the 1998 Super Bowl team.
Vick made history by beating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs, the first team to accomplish such a feat. In 2004, he guided the franchise to its second title game in and infamously graced the cover of Madden NFL 2004
The Virginia Tech product went on to establish the franchise as a must-see experience. Before Vick, the Falcons were nothing special, which explained their disappointing amount of nationally televised games.
Stepping aside from football, Vick’s best moments as a Falcon expanded far beyond the Georgia Dome. Much of the city rallied around Vick as the face of a predominantly African-American city. His presence affected longtime fans, such as Demario Scott, who felt that cultural connection to Vick.
“His impact was huge,” Scott said. “Atlanta is a black city so, of course, the city wants a black quarterback to thrive and be successful.”
The cultural impact was not lost on the sports journalists in the city as well. Longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Terrance Moore recognized the impact Vick’s tenure had on the culture of Atlanta.
“Atlanta, with a huge black middle class, finally had a quarterback that looked like them,” Moore said. “And many black fans, to this day, still see Vick as their quarterback over [Matt] Ryan.”
But these facts may not be enough for some.
As shown in the documentary, Vick had many shortcomings both as a football player and a leader of his team. While some fans glorify his tenure in Atlanta, his final years were rife with controversy.
Even before his indictment, Vick was heavily criticized for his lack of on-field preparation. One of the most infamous moments of him in Atlanta was flipping the bird to fans in the Georgia Dome in 2006.
Now, 14 years later, many have forgotten just how bad the end of his time in Atlanta really was, to say nothing of his role in dog fighting.
With all of that said, Vick was an overall average quarterback for the Falcons: While his arm was a cannon, and he could outrun nearly anyone on the field, Vick’s 53.8 completion percentage for his Falcons career was subpar, at best. In his final season in Atlanta in 2006, he had a terrible quarterback rating of under 50%, souring his relationship with the team in the process.
The debate regarding Vick’s number being retired will remain a polarizing one. The bottom line is this: For all his many flaws and complicated legacy, Vick is unquestionably the most consequential quarterback in the team’s history.
