Despite the fact that Vegas regards the Steelers as 4-1 co-favorites to sign quarterback Mike Vick and notwithstanding some of the easy dot-connecting that the situation invites, we’re prepared to conclude that the Steelers have no interest in Vick.
And that’s not because coach Mike Tomlin has said that the Steelers aren’t interested. He hasn’t, and he likely won’t. Tomlin, we presume, wants to help the fellow Newport News native find a new team, and the vague sense that the Steelers could be in play could help make that happen.
The best evidence we’ve seen suggesting that Vick won’t be wearing black and gold comes from Post-Gazette beat writer Ed Bouchette, who has penned an unequivocal explanation to Steeler Nation that Vick isn’t in the cards.
There’s no wavering or waffling in Bouchette’s words, and one thing we’ve learned about this business is that, sometimes, well-placed sources disseminate key information with a specific instruction to “make it sound like your own idea.”
In this case, the odds are much lower than 4-1 that Bouchette’s piece was written with the confidence that comes from being given just such an instruction by someone whose last name rhymes with “Goonie.”
Bouchette simply wouldn’t have opted for such clarity if he hadn’t been provided clear assurances that Vick won’t be part of the mix. And while Bouchette wasn’t able to break the news officially that the Steelers won’t be signing Vick, the consolation prize is that Bouchette gets to look like a svengali when they don’t.