He's paid his debt, but there could be Bills in his future

In case you were wondering where any loose talk about the Buffaronto Bills signing Michael Vick sprang from (The Score's Tony Ambrogio mentioned the possibility during a report from the team's mini-camp), there was an item about on Pro Football Talk.

"The Bills want to win. Now. Whether it’s because owner Ralph Wilson is feeling a Leon Hess-style sense of urgency or whether coach Dick Jauron feels a Rich Kotite-style sense of urgency or a combination of both, the Bills are going all in.

"They offered receiver Terrell Owens $6.5 million guaranteed at a time when no one else was willing to pay him $6.50.

"And a league source tells us that the Bills made a very aggressive play for defensive end Jason Taylor immediately after Taylor was cut in March by the Redskins.

"... As to the potential backlash from signing Vick, consider the fans' reaction to the arrival of Terrell Owens.

He's already gotten the key to the freaking city."

Be that as it may, Vick is probably an even-money met to eventually return to the NFL. Even the New York Daily News is onside with letting him back into the league. The recently retired coach Tony Dungy, who is pretty non-threatening, has kind of become his advocate, taking up Vick's cause in the media with appearances on The Dan Patrick Show and an article in S.I.

Incidentally, on the subject of crimes and misdemeanours committed by NFL players (it would be nice if all those products of Domination Culture who run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds and throw themselves around with reckless abandon were also wired to stay on the straight and narrow, but that ain't happening), the league is being reactive about the frequency of players arrested for ddrunk driving. A San Diego Union-Tribune story said earlier this month claimed there 73 players on NFL rosters who had been stopped for drunk driving. That's two players per team, about 4% of the league.

The league's efforts could be part of greater awareness that getting behind the wheel while impaired is such an anti-social act (remember the PSA which likened driving drunk to pointing a loaded gun at a room full of people?). The Ontario government recently increased the penalty for people who blow just .05, just below the legal limit of .08. It doesn't do any good to get sucked into a debate about what's worse, dog fighting or drunk driving (so just don't), but it's odd where the line gets drawn..

Anyway, getting back to Vick, the Jacksonville Jaguars said yesterday they are not interested in signing him. Of course, the other team with a feline-derived nickname, the Carolina Panthers, are more commonly known as the 'Cats. That meant ruling out the headline, "Dog killer won't play with Cats."

(So, so sorry. Going on about 3 hours' sleep.)

Related:
Keep An Eye on Buffalo As A Mike Vick Destination (Pro Football Talk, May 19)