A few days after Jim Mora hinted strongly during an ESPN interview that Michael Vick shouldn’t get his heart set on playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Mora is clamming up about Vick.
According to Eric Williams of the Tacoma News-Tribune, Seahawks team officials declined to make Mora available to talk with reporters about Vick.
There have been speculative reports that the Seahawks are a potential landing spot for Vick, but it appears to be an extremely unlikely scenario as Mike Florio pointed out the other day.
Even though there are a lot of Seattle connections for Vick from his Atlanta days, including Mora, General Manager Tim Ruskell, and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, the only former Falcons associate that was willing to speak up for Vick was fullback Justin Griffith.
“I think it’s great,” Griffith said when asked about Vick being released from Leavenworth. “He served his time, and now he needs to get back out there and start playing again. The guy is a great athlete, and I think the NFL is missing an athlete like that right now. You don’t see the stuff that he used to do, we don’t see that anymore. So, hopefully, he can get back there, get into shape and someone will give him a shot, and hopefully he’ll be the same Michael Vick we used to love all the time. . . .
“Me, personally, when someone goes through something like that they learn a whole lot of stuff. And just for him to get a second chance to come back and play, we’ll probably see things we’ve never seen before. Mike was a team player. He was our quarterback. He was our leader and stuff. So, I hate that that stuff happened, but his time is up now, and now he has to do what he needs to do to get back out there on the field.”
From Vick’s standpoint, it’s unfortunate that Griffith doesn’t own or run an NFL team.
As for Seahawks running back T.J. Duckett, another former Falcons teammate, he doesn’t sound so forgiving of Vick.
“I’m not going to comment on Michael Vick,” he said. “Just because it’s a long time ago and there’s really no reason to keep rehashing the subject. It happened and we’re moving forward.”
Meanwhile, Knapp confined his comments to Vick’s play in Atlanta and didn’t remark on his potential reinstatement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“He did a fine job in Atlanta,” Knapp said. “Our first year there when Jim and I were there he helped us get to the NFC Championship Game and provided a great dimension for a run/pass quarterback, so he did a lot of nice things for us.”
Possible translation: “I won’t be coaching Michael Vick again in all likelihood, so there’s really no point in me saying anything of consequence.”
Now, Mora's Keeping Quiet About Vick
Posted by NBC Sports on May 23, 2009, 5:02 PM EST
10 Responses to “Now, Mora's Keeping Quiet About Vick”
“As Mike Florio pointed out the other day”
Way to suck up to the Boss.
You will be off the weekend shift in no time!
Breaking story: Andy Reid has not said anything about Mike Vick.
If there is any justice in the world Vick will be blackballed by all NFL teams.
Greg Knapp ruined Michael Vick as a football player. Under Dan Reeves, Vick was able to bootleg and either throw it or run. Under Knapp, Vick was expected to read defenses and be an accurate passer.
so…..in other words……..Knapp wanted Vick to actually be a QB….which is the major problem considering he really ISN’T one!
Knapp and Mora are the two biggest idiots in the league.
lol Yeah Favre2012, heaven forbid Michael Vick actually learns to read…Defenses also,
All snarkiness aside, even before Vick was pinched for all this weird shit, I never understood the facsination. Great athlete yes. But if you’re down 30-17 in the fourth quarter and Vick is your QB, you’re screwed. If you wanna get back into the game, you need quick strike ability. Not the occasional 20 yard scramble. When he DID try to throw, he was more times than not, god awful. I also never understood all the excitement over him, its more exciting seeing an air show if you ask me.. Give me Manning or Brady or Cutler or whomever throwing bombs all over the place. THATS exciting, not somebody throwing at his receivers feet 70 percent of the time
Keep Ron Mexico out of Seattle………… we don’t friggin’ want him!
Everyone needs to remember that in this day and age its rare that coaches or front office people say anyhting derogatory about anyone. Vick is not playing in Seattle. Anyone who has ever coached him before knows they cant win with a QB who is completely inaccurate. Knapp worked with him and it didnt last. Why would he want to deal with him again?
Seattle has a few years left of Hasselbeck. the smart thing for them to do is see where they draft this year and go after some of the good prospects coming out. By the time Hasselbeck is ready to hang them up Vick will be 30+ so hes not the long term answer
Sounds like Justin Griffith had a lot of good stuff to say about Mike Vick.