I'm done with debating whether Michael Vick should play. I believe once a citizen has paid dues for his crime, he should be able to earn a living. I also believe in forgiveness.

Lord knows I've needed some myself.

Moreover, Vick is going to play. Neither the torrent of venomous comments that accompany any story written anywhere about Vick, nor the threat of protesters, nor, clearly, the NFL commissioner will prevent that from happening.

Sometime by Week 6 of of the upcoming season, Vick will take the field in the NFL.

And he just might be a better quarterback than he ever was prior to serving nearly two years for bankrolling a dogfighting operation.

In fact, I'm willing to say he will be a better quarterback.

Certainly not on the first snap, or during the first series or first game. Probably not even during the first season.

But sometime before Vick takes his last snap, he'll prove to be better than the three-time Pro Bowler who was one of the game's most exciting players.

That will either be a towering task or pretty easy, depending on whether you believe Vick - who, in six seasons in Atlanta, led the Falcons to the playoffs twice and to the conference title game after the 2004 season - was a top-tier QB or a bust.

Most have set the bar pretty low for him, citing, essentially, atrophy. The layoff no doubt will have an effect. While he looks good in a suit (pretty much the only way we've seen him since he was released from prison), Vick is far from peak condition. And he hasn't been hit by any frothing 260-pound defensive ends in a while.

On the other hand, the latter may yet be a reason why he's probably healthier than any player reporting to training camp. Any injuries, nicks or bruises are surely healed. 

He's 29 years old. That's younger than Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb. It's younger than Chad Pennington and David Garrard. It's younger than Jake Delhomme. It's younger than Tom Brady.

And it's light years younger than Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner.

It's even two months younger than Tony Romo.

Vick will be rusty, and at times he'll look bad, especially for a guy who relied on quick feet and instinct.

But no matter where he ends up (Seattle just might be the perfect franchise and city for him), age will not be a factor in Vick's success.

Though maybe somewhat dormant, his skills will still be there. His legs, his arm. He will still marvel.

It will take more than talent, of course. But beyond the talent around him, the offensive scheme and, maybe most importantly, the coach Vick plays for, the biggest factor in Vick's football future, and the reason he'll ultimately be a better quarterback, is that he's had to become a better man.

Prison breaks a man. And by all accounts, Michael Vick has been humbled. He's been forced to look at the depths of his heart and assess not just who he is but, most critically, who he wants to be.

I'm not really sure what "remorseful" means anymore -- the word gets tossed around so much as the emotion every tattered athlete must show in order to be forgiven that it means about as much as the final quarter of a preseason game. But whatever the definition, Vick has shown it enough to be conditionally reinstated by Roger Goodell.

I'm good on the remorse front.

I'm waiting to see what kind of man Michael Vick has become.

And if he's a better Michael Vick than the one we knew, being a better quarterback will be easy.

Reuters photo

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