Been Waiting for the Vick Talk to Start…

Brett Favre hasn’t even spurned the Vikings yet, and already prominent national writers are cranking up the “Forget Favre, Go After Michael Vick” machine.  No fair guessing that the “prominent national writer” with his hand on the ignition is Mike Florio.  That guy’s built a career on wild speculation and making crap up.  I’m actually in awe of him.  Here’s what he says about the Vikings, Favre and Vick:

"With Brett Favre reportedly hemming and hawing about whether to join the Vikings and with key offensive players on the team reportedly begging Brett to grace them with his presence (it definitely won’t be awkward in the huddle if Favre decides not to play), here’s a suggestion.The Vikings should tell Favre to get on his tractor, point it south, and ride until he hits the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.And then keep going.The Vikings don’t need him. Apart from the fact that they’ve got two fairly decent (but not great) quarterbacks on the roster, there’s a Plan B.Or maybe I should call it Plan V.Mike Vick is expected to be reinstated to participate in training camp and the preseason. Though he’s also expected to be suspended for the first four games of the 2009 campaign, he provides much more than a one-year, Hail Mary, quick fix for a head coach who knows he needs to get back to the postseason and win a game or two, or else."

A couple of problems with Florio’s idea:  1) Considering all the backlash that would come from fans disappointed over the team’s failure to sign Favre, the last thing they would need is even more negative publicity in the form of protests and animal-loving season ticket holders demanding their money back.  2)  The Falcons tried Vick in the West Coast, and the experiment was deemed a miserable failure.  3) No idea put forth by Mike Florio can possibly have any merit.

But here’s the biggest problem with Florio’s plan:  The Vikings won’t need Vick, because they’ll have Favre.  Sorry, but a little alleged wavering on Favre’s part is not enough to convince me the deal has fallen through.  It’s just maneuvering.  Favre will get what he wants – a pass to miss all or at least most of training camp – and all will be right with the world.