Moving and Shaking

The Vick-Capades Atlanta has opened the bidding for fallen icon Michael Vick, who will be serving the end of his dog-fighting sentence under house arrest. Not surprisingly, teams are reluctant to discuss their plans either for or against acquiring Vick. Mike Singletary's statement of possible interest, then reversal has been the only gleam of hope so far for Dimitroff's plans of trading Vick for draft picks. Several teams are in need of a starting quarterback, but Vick's questionable past will make him a gamble for any GM. This isn't the strongest year in the draft, and only a few backups will be testing the free-agency waters, plus Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins. Matt Cassel will also likely be shopped around by the Patriots, so Vick's name will probably come up in more than one team's board room. Detroit is in a position to take Matt Stafford with the number one pick, which is a risky move in and of itself, but if they pass on him, they might be willing to take a chance. Titans may wait Collins out, and sign him to a lower deal, but if Collins makes his way to another team, Tennessee may seek Vick's services. Kansas City, Oakland, (still) San Francisco, Minnesota, St. Louis, Carolina, the Jets and Tampa Bay all have quarterback question marks in either productivity or health. From my perspective, though, the likeliest candidate is Seattle. With Jim Mora, Jr. at the helm, with a prior relationship to Vick, plus Matt Hasselbeck's injury concerns, Seattle may be willing to take a chance. When it comes down to it, it is likely that the Falcons will have to cut Vick prior to his reinstatement to the NFL, in order to avoid paying his salary. Free Agency Free agency is under way. In 2009, Thomas Dimitroff moved quickly, signing Michael Turner off the bat, so expect more of the same this year. The franchise tag has been used liberally this off-season, so the list of top free agents has slimmed some, and other free agents may be overpricing themselves, but there are some strong players available. Terrell Suggs received the "tag" from Baltimore, and Ray Lewis will likely be resigned by the Ravens as well, and even if he doesn't, his history in Atlanta is tarnished, or at least, Atlanta's history with Lewis is tarnished. But Bart Scott will hit the market, and raise immediate interest from several teams. With Michael Boley shopping himself around, Scott will add some veteran skill and leadership to this linebacker squad. Strong Safeties Sean Jones of Cleveland (and former Georgia Bulldog), or Tampa's Jermaine Phillips (also formerly of Georgia) would make great additions to the secondary, as would CB Chris McAlister. I'm anxious to see how Dimitroff follows up his magic from last year, and it feels nice to be optimistic for a change. The Combine Brandon Pettigrew had a decent time at the combine, but not great, and tight ends in general performed well, so the Falcons will have more than one option to take to fill their TE needs. A few other players garnered attention from Dimitroff and Mike Smith, but, as is typical in the off-season shuffle among NFL GM's and coaches, they are holding their opinions close to their chests. At 24th, the Falcons pick gives them many options, and much will be dependent on the team's early free agent moves. Don't be surprised at seeing names like Peria Jerry, Rashad Jackson, or anyone else for that matter, picked up by the Falcons. Last season, again, Dimitroff showed us what he's capable of with players taken deep in the draft making immediate contributions to the team, and his pedigree and experience with the Patriots, again, gives great reason for optimism.