It took longer that he wanted, but Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin got his wish on a day that saw the Steelers sign Michael Vick while they placed Bruce Gradkowski on the injured reserve list.
Michael Vick is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35 y/o QB last played in 2014 with the NY Jets. pic.twitter.com/JzAkcSg3Os
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 25, 2015
- Michael Vick is a man who needs no introduction, and mostly the wrong reasons.
The Atlanta Falcons made Michael Vick the first overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft based on his extraordinary athleticism as Vick offered the potential to redefine the quarterback position. Vick’s record in Atlanta was mixed, although he did reported get Dan Reeves fired, but his is of course best-know for his arrest for dog fighting which landed him in jail.
When Vick was released from prison, Mike Tomlin was interested in testing the waters to bring fellow Tidewater Virginia native Michael Vick to Pittsburgh but the Rooneys quashed the idea immediately. Vick instead went to the Philadelphia Eagles where he wrested the starting job from Kevin Kolb. Vick’s record in Philly was mixed and his out of the pocket style of plays caused injuries to pile up.
- Vick played last year for the New York Jets and again his record was mixed, although he did deal the Steelers a bitter defeat.
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered training camp with questions marks at the bottom of their quarterback depth chart. Ben Roethlisberger’s status was never in doubt, by Bruce Gradkowski began on the PUP list and Landry Jones was fighting for his NFL life.
Gradkowski injured his finger after throwing just three passes in the Steelers preseason win vs. Green Bay. Landry Jones has gotten extensive work and has improved, but the Steelers brain trust is clearly not convinced that he’s ready to be an NFL number 2 quarterback.
Financial terms of the Michael Vick’s contract with the Steelers were not disclosed, but given Vick’s age and the Steelers salary cap situation it is likely to be near the veteran minimum. The team did annouce that the Steelers signed Michael Vick to a 1 year contract.
Vick Pick Stirs Controversy in Steelers Nation
The words “Steelers sign Michael Vick” are arousing their fair share of ire in Steelers Nation. That’s a subject worth of his own article and one will be forth coming here on Steel Curtain Rising. Stay tuned.
