Post by MGB01 on Apr 23, 2006 19:43:46 GMT -5
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) - Marcus Vick was prepared for all the extra scrutiny, knowing it came with the territory after his college years were marred by roguish, out-of-control behavior. He was ready to fess up to his mistakes, show everyone he had changed.
Still, he couldn't help but grimace at the inevitable whispers, the hushed comparisons to other Guys Gone Wild.
Psst, here's a tip making the rounds: Stay away from Michael Vick's little brother in the XFL draft. He's another Maurice Clarett or Lawrence Phillips waiting to happen.
"That kind of hurts me," Marcus Vick said. "Maurice and Lawrence were definitely guys who had a bad past. They're not even in the league anymore. But I'm a hard worker. I'm going to keep on fighting through my ups and downs. That's the difference between me and them."
The Seattle Reign took a chance on Vick, who was perhaps the most intriguing players in February's XFL draft: a talented quarterback with famous bloodlines who managed to get into all sorts of trouble during his stormy career at Virginia Tech.
Reckless driving. Marijuana possession. Serving alcohol to underage girls. Speeding. Driving with a suspended license. Allegations that he pulled a gun on three people in a McDonald's parking lot.
On the field, Vick reacted with an obscene gesture at West Virginia when the home fans taunted him. Then, after being tackled in the Gator Bowl, he stomped on the left calf of Louisville defensive star Elvis Dumervil.
"Just because he's my brother, that doesn't give him the right to step on another player's leg during a game. It doesn't give him the right to get into some of the other situations he's gotten himself into," said Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons' Pro Bowl quarterback.
"Marcus was very immature. He thought a lot of things were going to be given to him just because he was my little brother. He had to learn the hard way."
The younger Vick's college career ended a year early - after he had already missed an entire season for disciplinary reasons. With basically no other options, he entered the XFL draft knowing he wasn't exactly a hot commodity.
Two words: Lawrence Phillips. Two more words, Maurice Clarett
After stops in the NFL and CFL which were less than spectacular, Phillips' XFL run was just as unremarkable, which saw him go through Dallas and Carolina in 2003 and 2004. The Pittsburgh Ironmen drafted Clarett in the third round in 2004 - and Clarett actually won the starting halfback job after rushing for 744 yards as a rookie. But last year he ran for just 556 yards, and was last seen in court, facing robbery charges (the Ironmen released him in February).
All Vick wants is a chance. The Reign, who cut former starter Tony Graziani last month, appear willing to at least let him be the third-string QB behind John Navarre and David Greene.
"I was basically just laying it all on the line," he said when he initially talked to Reign owner/GM Tim Parente as well as a couple other teams. "Hey, I've made mistakes. I just want to bounce back from the mistakes I've made."
The message drew a mixed reaction, at best.
"Some of them felt my pain," Vick conceded. "Some teams didn't."
Over the past three months, he spent extensive time in Georgia with his older brother. Marcus and Michael have worked out together, talked football and had plenty of heart-to-heart discussions.
Recently, Michael spoke bluntly about his brother's troubles.
"He needs to realize that he's a grown man now," No. 7 said. "This is his livelihood."
But Michael also believes his brother has matured greatly over the past few months, growing to realize his next mistake might be his last as far as getting a chance to play anywhere.
"He just needed someone to take a chance on him and mold him into the person he needs to be," the older Vick said. "What he needs is someone to take him under their wing, tell him what he needs to do and what not to do, because I'm not going to be there for him anymore."
There are plenty of reasons to believe in Marcus Vick.
In 24 career games at Virginia Tech, he threw for 2,868 yards, with 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also ran 184 times for 492 yards and six TDs. In his final season with the Hokies, Vick made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team and was just one vote shy of being the league's offensive player of the year.
Vick also has shown a willingness to be a team player. As a high school sophomore, he played the entire season at receiver because there were older players ahead of him at quarterback. His freshman year at Virginia Tech, he again took reps at receiver because the Hokies were set at QB with Bryan Randall.
"I'm a guy who will go out and do whatever I can do to help the team," Vick insisted. "Me and Mike are different. Mike never had to deal with that. ... Mike was always a quarterback."
Indeed, Marcus isn't a carbon copy of his brother. While they are similarly sized, the 6-foot, 201-pound Marcus doesn't have the same speed or quickness. Then again, he's probably got more potential as a passer.
But Michael Vick casts a large shadow. He always came first, setting an impossibly high standard his kid brother was inevitably measured against - first at the Boys Club in their hometown of Newport News, Va., then at Virginia Tech.
"I love my older brother. He paved my life for me. He put my whole family on his back in college," Marcus said. "But there's ups and downs with that. When things are going good, he's a great person to have as your brother. When bad things happen, everybody knows about it."
At least in the pros, Marcus would get a chance to carve a niche of his own, which is one reason he went to the XFL.
"That would just be adding more pressure to him," Michael said.
Because of a nearly four-year age difference, Marcus has never gotten a chance to go against his older brother on the football field. Their personal battles have been confined mostly to pickup basketball, where Michael got the best of Marcus the last time they played a serious game.
"That 41-inch vertical leap is hard to deal with," the kid brother joked. But turning serious, it's clear he wants to make a name for himself.
"I always wanted to be the opposite of Mike. I never wanted to be on the same team," Marcus said. "I'm always trying to get a shot at him. I want to beat him. You always want to beat your older brother. I'm looking forward to that."
Hoping to ease concerns about his character, Marcus and those around him emphasize that he's accepted responsibility for his actions and cleared up all legal matters, which was also important for the Reign.
For instance, Vick's initial response to stomping on Dumervil in the Gator Bowl was to insist it wasn't intentional. Now, he acknowledges doing it out of frustration and regrets the embarrassment it caused his teammates and his family, who "didn't speak to me for weeks."
"Character is revealed not only when things are going well, but when they are not going well," said Lawrence Woodward, Vick's attorney. "Marcus has never blamed anybody. He's never been a whiner. He's never taken the 'world is out to get me' approach. When he's done well, he's taken credit for that. When he's made mistakes, he's taken responsibility for those."
Vick said he started attending church after getting kicked off the Virginia Tech team, looking for spiritual guidance to turn his life around.
"I think I've changed a lot. I'm always thinking about the big picture. I'm actually thinking before I react now," he said. "I want to focus my life in a different direction. The way I was doing things before was not working."
Now, Vick got someone to take a chance on him.
"They (Reign) got get a great player," his big brother said. "Some people might think he's immature because he's gone through a lot. But he's definitely a great player with great heart."
Still, he couldn't help but grimace at the inevitable whispers, the hushed comparisons to other Guys Gone Wild.
Psst, here's a tip making the rounds: Stay away from Michael Vick's little brother in the XFL draft. He's another Maurice Clarett or Lawrence Phillips waiting to happen.
"That kind of hurts me," Marcus Vick said. "Maurice and Lawrence were definitely guys who had a bad past. They're not even in the league anymore. But I'm a hard worker. I'm going to keep on fighting through my ups and downs. That's the difference between me and them."
The Seattle Reign took a chance on Vick, who was perhaps the most intriguing players in February's XFL draft: a talented quarterback with famous bloodlines who managed to get into all sorts of trouble during his stormy career at Virginia Tech.
Reckless driving. Marijuana possession. Serving alcohol to underage girls. Speeding. Driving with a suspended license. Allegations that he pulled a gun on three people in a McDonald's parking lot.
On the field, Vick reacted with an obscene gesture at West Virginia when the home fans taunted him. Then, after being tackled in the Gator Bowl, he stomped on the left calf of Louisville defensive star Elvis Dumervil.
"Just because he's my brother, that doesn't give him the right to step on another player's leg during a game. It doesn't give him the right to get into some of the other situations he's gotten himself into," said Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons' Pro Bowl quarterback.
"Marcus was very immature. He thought a lot of things were going to be given to him just because he was my little brother. He had to learn the hard way."
The younger Vick's college career ended a year early - after he had already missed an entire season for disciplinary reasons. With basically no other options, he entered the XFL draft knowing he wasn't exactly a hot commodity.
Two words: Lawrence Phillips. Two more words, Maurice Clarett
After stops in the NFL and CFL which were less than spectacular, Phillips' XFL run was just as unremarkable, which saw him go through Dallas and Carolina in 2003 and 2004. The Pittsburgh Ironmen drafted Clarett in the third round in 2004 - and Clarett actually won the starting halfback job after rushing for 744 yards as a rookie. But last year he ran for just 556 yards, and was last seen in court, facing robbery charges (the Ironmen released him in February).
All Vick wants is a chance. The Reign, who cut former starter Tony Graziani last month, appear willing to at least let him be the third-string QB behind John Navarre and David Greene.
"I was basically just laying it all on the line," he said when he initially talked to Reign owner/GM Tim Parente as well as a couple other teams. "Hey, I've made mistakes. I just want to bounce back from the mistakes I've made."
The message drew a mixed reaction, at best.
"Some of them felt my pain," Vick conceded. "Some teams didn't."
Over the past three months, he spent extensive time in Georgia with his older brother. Marcus and Michael have worked out together, talked football and had plenty of heart-to-heart discussions.
Recently, Michael spoke bluntly about his brother's troubles.
"He needs to realize that he's a grown man now," No. 7 said. "This is his livelihood."
But Michael also believes his brother has matured greatly over the past few months, growing to realize his next mistake might be his last as far as getting a chance to play anywhere.
"He just needed someone to take a chance on him and mold him into the person he needs to be," the older Vick said. "What he needs is someone to take him under their wing, tell him what he needs to do and what not to do, because I'm not going to be there for him anymore."
There are plenty of reasons to believe in Marcus Vick.
In 24 career games at Virginia Tech, he threw for 2,868 yards, with 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also ran 184 times for 492 yards and six TDs. In his final season with the Hokies, Vick made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team and was just one vote shy of being the league's offensive player of the year.
Vick also has shown a willingness to be a team player. As a high school sophomore, he played the entire season at receiver because there were older players ahead of him at quarterback. His freshman year at Virginia Tech, he again took reps at receiver because the Hokies were set at QB with Bryan Randall.
"I'm a guy who will go out and do whatever I can do to help the team," Vick insisted. "Me and Mike are different. Mike never had to deal with that. ... Mike was always a quarterback."
Indeed, Marcus isn't a carbon copy of his brother. While they are similarly sized, the 6-foot, 201-pound Marcus doesn't have the same speed or quickness. Then again, he's probably got more potential as a passer.
But Michael Vick casts a large shadow. He always came first, setting an impossibly high standard his kid brother was inevitably measured against - first at the Boys Club in their hometown of Newport News, Va., then at Virginia Tech.
"I love my older brother. He paved my life for me. He put my whole family on his back in college," Marcus said. "But there's ups and downs with that. When things are going good, he's a great person to have as your brother. When bad things happen, everybody knows about it."
At least in the pros, Marcus would get a chance to carve a niche of his own, which is one reason he went to the XFL.
"That would just be adding more pressure to him," Michael said.
Because of a nearly four-year age difference, Marcus has never gotten a chance to go against his older brother on the football field. Their personal battles have been confined mostly to pickup basketball, where Michael got the best of Marcus the last time they played a serious game.
"That 41-inch vertical leap is hard to deal with," the kid brother joked. But turning serious, it's clear he wants to make a name for himself.
"I always wanted to be the opposite of Mike. I never wanted to be on the same team," Marcus said. "I'm always trying to get a shot at him. I want to beat him. You always want to beat your older brother. I'm looking forward to that."
Hoping to ease concerns about his character, Marcus and those around him emphasize that he's accepted responsibility for his actions and cleared up all legal matters, which was also important for the Reign.
For instance, Vick's initial response to stomping on Dumervil in the Gator Bowl was to insist it wasn't intentional. Now, he acknowledges doing it out of frustration and regrets the embarrassment it caused his teammates and his family, who "didn't speak to me for weeks."
"Character is revealed not only when things are going well, but when they are not going well," said Lawrence Woodward, Vick's attorney. "Marcus has never blamed anybody. He's never been a whiner. He's never taken the 'world is out to get me' approach. When he's done well, he's taken credit for that. When he's made mistakes, he's taken responsibility for those."
Vick said he started attending church after getting kicked off the Virginia Tech team, looking for spiritual guidance to turn his life around.
"I think I've changed a lot. I'm always thinking about the big picture. I'm actually thinking before I react now," he said. "I want to focus my life in a different direction. The way I was doing things before was not working."
Now, Vick got someone to take a chance on him.
"They (Reign) got get a great player," his big brother said. "Some people might think he's immature because he's gone through a lot. But he's definitely a great player with great heart."