Michael Vick is retired from the NFL. But while the ink on his retirement papers is barely dry, he’s already second guessing his decision.
Vick spoke on Monday and stated that while he began instantly second guessing his decision, the heroics of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LI have him thinking even more.
“As soon as I made the announcement, I wanted to come back out of retirement,” Vick said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “Once you make it official, it’s a totally different animal. I’m getting cold feet, man. Just watching the game last night, Tom Brady really inspired me. The reason is because I know how hard he worked. We had the game. Atlanta had the game. But a guy like Tom, man, it’s just a testament to how hard he worked and the people that are around him to believe in him. That’s what won the game.”
While Vick’s logic is not entirely wrong, his argument is incomplete.
Brady will be 40 in 2017 while Vick will be 37. From that perspective, Vick certainly doesn’t seem too old to play. But Vick hasn’t really been a full time players since 2012. He played sparingly from 2013-2015 and not at all in 2016. In fact, Vick has recently stated that the complete lack of interest from the Minnesota Vikings following Teddy Bridgewater’s injury was when he knew it was time to retire.
Vick is younger than Brady. But other than missing 2008 with an injury and the first four games of 2016 with a suspension, Brady has started every game since becoming New England’s starter in 2001. Additionally, Brady’s game ages a lot better. Vick can certainly pass, but his mobility was always a huge part of his game. Traditionally, that doesn’t carry into an athlete’s mid-to-late 30’s.
Vick added that he’s remaining officially retired but wants to stay ready in case a team wants his services. There’s no harm in that but he should also be realistic. Even with as many bad quarterback situations as the league had in 2016, nobody wanted his services then. It’s hard to imagine 2017 and beyond being any different.