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View Full Version : Michael Vick's lessons for Ben Roethlisberger



polamalubeast
09-30-2010, 12:43 PM
There's a pretty convincing mountain of evidence that athletes are no different than politicians, rock stars, teachers, bankers, pancake house waitresses, you, me, your neighbor Vinny and possibly everyone sitting under lock and key right now at Rikers Island when it comes to this: We all tend not to learn enough from each other's mistakes and triumphs. We just don't.



So maybe it's wishful thinking to imagine that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has spent his four-game NFL suspension diligently taking notes on Michael Vick's career renaissance, now that Roethlisberger is the next athlete coming down the disgrace-to-"redemption" conveyor belt and is about to get spat back into public life.



[+] EnlargeScott Cunningham/Getty Images
With his star on the upswing, Michael Vick has said the right things.

Vick's comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles isn't some redemption story as much as it's a case study about being a star interrupted or, more accurately, a man gone overboard. And the same is true of Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl champion-turned-recovering lout who will report back to work Monday to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that could be 4-0 without him if it beats division archrival Baltimore on Sunday at Heinz Field. The Steelers' startling success -- one and a half games of it achieved with fourth-string quarterback Charlie Batch -- has led to a spate of taunting headlines like, "Ben Who?"



The idea that either Vick or Roethlisberger could take a hiatus from the NFL and return to his previous level of play isn't all that outrageous considering how good they were. But the possibility that either of them could change substantially as human beings -- at least enough to limbo under the low-hanging bar of not getting in trouble again -- now, that's where their stories intersect and get interesting.



There's a lot Roethlisberger could learn from Vick's resurrection -- starting with how to deal with success, and not just contempt.



Both Vick and Roethlisberger have blamed the onset of fame, stardom and money at too young an age for distorting them. That old lament. It's still too soon to say with complete confidence that Vick has made genuine and wholesale change as a person just because he's now 2-0 and he's wrestled the quarterback job away from planned Philadelphia starter Kevin Kolb heading into Sunday's game against the Redskins and ex-Eagle quarterback Donovan McNabb. (McNabb is making his first return to Philly since the Eagles traded him to Washington. His rap sheet only includes failing to win the Eagles a Super Bowl.)


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http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5633080

siss
09-30-2010, 12:54 PM
I am WAAAAYYY to angry to respond to this article. Im not even sure I can form a coherent sentence to really say how much that article makes my blood boil.

fansince'76
09-30-2010, 01:06 PM
Another tip: leave your birthday party BEFORE the shooting starts. :coffee:

CPanther95
09-30-2010, 01:23 PM
Mentioning the two as even remotely comparable is unbelievably asinine.

siss
09-30-2010, 01:31 PM
Another tip: leave your birthday party BEFORE the shooting starts. :coffee:

Better yet....STAY HOME!!!!!!

CPanther95
09-30-2010, 01:34 PM
One big difference:

Leavenworth doesn't supply a QB mechanics coach during your stay.

siss
09-30-2010, 02:13 PM
Vick was sentenced
Ben was grounded to his mansion for 4 weeks.

fansince'76
09-30-2010, 02:50 PM
Vick was sentenced
Ben was grounded to his mansion for 4 weeks.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good hatchet job (the same one which has already been written, rewritten, and rewritten again about 10,000 times in the last 5 months).

memphissteelergirl
09-30-2010, 04:05 PM
Puh-leeze. :ranger:

steelerdude15
09-30-2010, 04:16 PM
has led to a spate of taunting headlines like, "Ben Who
I don't want to hear that shit.


The idea that either Vick or Roethlisberger could take a hiatus from the NFL and return to his previous level of play isn't all that outrageous considering how good they were.
They both are still good. Ben has only missed three going on four games, that's not much of a hiatus compared to Vick.

Craic
09-30-2010, 04:17 PM
As much as I have disagreed with most of this and the previous board about Ben's actions, holding Vick up as the measuring stick is a real stretch.

Ray the Knife, Jerome Bettis (reputation within the Rams organization-though it seems it was quite overblown anyway), James Harrison, etc. are much better examples.

steeldawg
09-30-2010, 05:53 PM
There is nothing about mike vick that you can compare to Ben, Nothing!!!

BPS3akaWirels3
09-30-2010, 06:02 PM
Here is hoping number 5 goes balls out on the Egirls this weekend.. I will be smiling all the way...

HometownGal
09-30-2010, 06:11 PM
Vick was sentenced
Ben was grounded to his mansion for 4 weeks.

Bingo and that should be the fucking end of it. :mad2: I'm sick to death of this broken record - what Vick the Pooch Murderer did and Ben's terribly poor judgment aren't even remotely similar. What the hell is this author smokin? Me thinks this joke of a writer bought some bad hemp or was sniffin' glue when he wrote this garbage. :upyours:

CPanther95
09-30-2010, 06:38 PM
What the hell is this author smokin?

My guess is a traumatic glory hole incident that has him overly sensitive to any bathroom shenanigans.

SMR
09-30-2010, 06:46 PM
My guess is a traumatic glory hole incident that has him overly sensitive to any bathroom shenanigans.

OUCH! :rofl2:

The Duke
09-30-2010, 07:10 PM
Espn? ben learn from vick ???

yeah, not worth my time

SMR
09-30-2010, 07:13 PM
Just when I thought ESPN couldn't suck more, they report THIS????!!!

memphissteelergirl
09-30-2010, 07:39 PM
Bingo and that should be the fucking end of it. :mad2: I'm sick to death of this broken record - what Vick the Pooch Murderer did and Ben's terribly poor judgment aren't even remotely similar. What the hell is this author smokin? Me thinks this joke of a writer bought some bad hemp or was sniffin' glue when he wrote this garbage. :upyours:

Actually, I think the (so-called) author was a "she" and perhaps therein lies the problem. Probably some feminist prig with an axe to grind.

GoSlash27
09-30-2010, 07:40 PM
Michael Vick snuffed dogs with his bare hands, went to prison, and still doesn't realize that it was wrong. Ben got a hummer from a college-hoochie in the shitter. These are not equivalent.

siss
09-30-2010, 09:25 PM
Actually, I think the (so-called) author was a "she" and perhaps therein lies the problem. Probably some feminist prig with an axe to grind.

It pisses me off as a female. Its crap like that make it easier for guys to say that women don't belong in sports.

Galax Steeler
10-01-2010, 03:21 AM
I can't believe that this article was even written what a wast of time.