Vick deal proves winning trumps all else in NFL
Editor’s note: This column originally appeared as a column in Wednesday’s York Dispatch:
Just win, baby.”
It’s the slogan that Al Davis made famous while coaching and owning a band of misfits and miscreants known as the Oakland Raiders.
But that mantra also perfectly describes the NFL as a whole.
It’s all about winning. Coaches and owners can preach character, leadership and family values until they sound like Billy Graham, but that’s just so much window dressing.
Legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi had it right when he said repeatedly: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Want proof?
You need look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles’ signing of Michael Vick. The Eagles, of course, are framing this as a “second chance” for Vick. That’s laughable. There would be no “second chance” for Vick if he didn’t run like the wind and have a rocket launcher for an arm.
The Eagles signed Vick for just one reason — they believe he can help them win the Super Bowl title that has forever eluded them.
The Vick bargain comes with a price, however. It’s a public relations nightmare that will bring protests, boycotts and tons of bad press. But none of that will matter if the Eagles are holding the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 7, 2010, in Miami.
Former Raiders coach and longtime NFL broadcaster John Madden once said “winning is the best deodorant.” He was right on. If the Eagles win the Super Bowl with Vick playing a key role, the pungent stench of his ugly crime will be conveniently hidden under the sweet perfume of a championship.
Does the name Ray Lewis ring a bell? His obstruction of justice conviction in connection with the murder of two men in Atlanta was soon forgotten after he was named MVP the following year in the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl win.
Of course, the Eagles and Ravens aren’t alone in hiring players who’ve had legal woes. Nearly every NFL roster has at least one or two — sometimes many more. But none of the NFL teams could get away with such sketchy behavior if they didn’t have millions of co-conspirators — namely the NFL fans. We continue to pack the stadiums and we continue to be glued to the TV sets every Sunday.
If the Vick signing really bothered us, we wouldn’t converge on “The Linc” like moths to a flame and we wouldn’t watch the TV games by the millions. But my guess is the Eagles will continue to sell out every game and the TV ratings for Vick’s first Philly appearance will be astronomical.
Sure, a few will follow through with threats of a boycott. But for every one of those fans, there will likely be five more waiting to buy their tickets.
And it’s all because we love a winner above all else.
Steve Heiser is sports editor of The York Dis patch. He can be reached at sheiser@yorkdispatch.com or at 854-1575, ext. 455.