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Vick Still Casts a Long Shadow Over NFL Hopes in Atlanta

Has it really been a year?

Last week marked one year since Michael Vick was indicted on federal charges for his role in a dog fighting ring that operated in Virginia. It also marked the beginning of one of the greatest falls from grace that we have ever seen by an athlete in our Footprint. Consequently, we saw an entire NFL franchise crippled by Vick’s imprisonment and other bad decisions that now leaves them looking to rebuild on the field and with their fan base.

It’s been an amazing rollercoaster tale. The Falcons, perennially mired as a moribund franchise in a market full of college football fans, trade up for the Number One pick in 2001 Draft and take the electrifying Vick, a phenom from Virgina Tech. They then go on to win Playoff games in ’02 and ’04-which is really accomplishing something if you look at Falcons’ history. The team did level off in ’05 and ’06, but the fans still had a reason for hope and a human highlight machine to watch at the Georgia Dome. Vick was ‘box office’ for the Falcons, and he energized NFL fans in the ATL like no one or team had before.

When Michael Vick handed Green Bay its first ever home playoff loss, it seemed like new era for the NFL in Atlanta

Now, Vick serves time in a Kansas prison while owner Arthur Blank tries to re-invent his sagging franchise. After a disastrous ’07 season in which he not only lost his ticket-selling signal caller, but also his head coach to the SEC, Blank marches forward with a new GM (Thomas Dimitroff), head coach (Mike Smith) ,and QB (Matt Ryan) - all rookie in these respective jobs.

Will the new crew energize the fan base? It’s very hard to see much success, especially in the short-term, with where the club is right now. The Falcons have decided to delay their single-game ticket sales while they try to increase their declining number of season-ticket renewals. They may even have to discount some season tickets, something unheard of in many NFL cities.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, an unproven, defensive-minded coach and a rookie quarterback can be a very tough sell to skeptical fans, many who feel like they lost their passion for pro football with Vick being gone.  Mr. Blank had better hope that this latest gamble of a two year rebuilding plan (Vick's prison sentence) pays off as he tries to short-circuit the inevitable calls for a post-prison Vick return as QB.

With the Georgia Bulldogs being ranked Preseason #1 by many publications, I think we know what the big football story in Atlanta will be in 2008.  Sadly, the gap between our Footprint's passion for college and pro football has never seemed wider than it does in Atlanta and the rest of Georgia at the moment.

- Patrick Snow

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