On field, Vick’s reputation was shaky

Even before Michael Vick’s problems of dogfighting arose, there were whispers around the NFL that the Atlanta Falcons might get rid of him by 2008.

That’s not what people think of when they talk about Vick the superstar quarterback.

But that reputation was built more on occasional highlights than consistently excellent play, and he had been largely disappointing over the last two seasons, during which the Falcons were 15-17. In 41 years, the franchise has never posted consecutive winning seasons.

Three years ago, however, Vick seemingly had it all. He was among the NFL’s richest and most popular players, had helped the Falcons reach the NFC championship game, and -- with endorsement deals that pushed his annual income north of $20 million -- he clearly was being groomed as the next face of the NFL.

That’s the Vick people remember when they say the Falcons are doomed without him -- and make no mistake, they will be without him for a year or more.

Vick is already set to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges related to running a dogfighting ring, and on Tuesday Virginia authorities said they’re considering piling on more serious charges. His future as an endorser is over -- details about the sadistic slaughter of dogs at Bad Newz Kennels took care of that -- and his NFL career could be too.

So what does that mean for the Falcons?

In the short term, it means a huge headache. New Coach Bobby Petrino and his players will have to cope with a major distraction that won’t go away.

On the first day of training camp, a plane circled the team’s facility dragging a banner reading, “New team name? Dog-killers?” Protesters lined the street in front, chanting slogans and holding signs urging the team to “Sack Vick.”

The plane is gone now, and so are the demonstrators. But questions will persist as the ghastly details of Vick’s misdeeds unfold.

Vick signed a 10-year, $130-million contract extension in 2004 that included more than $30 million in bonuses. Although the Falcons might be able to recover some of that, the guaranteed money -- about $37 million -- will have a serious impact long after Vick is gone from the roster. Signing new players will be a real math problem.

The team’s string of 51 consecutive home sellouts is as good as dead. Many people came to games simply to watch Vick, who rivaled Hank Aaron as the biggest star in the history of Atlanta sports.

“There is absolutely no buzz with this team now,” said Matt Edgar, program manager for WQXI radio in Atlanta.

But, purely from a football perspective, losing Vick might not be as bad as it sounds.

There is evidence that the Falcons believed in Vick. They apparently felt good enough about him to trade talented backup Matt Schaub to Houston, and, of course, owner Arthur Blank delivered on that long contract extension. But sources around the league also say the franchise was already mulling the possibility of life without Vick -- even before his legal entanglements.

Although he was an incredibly gifted runner, one who could escape waves of defenders, Vick was nowhere near the quarterback many people thought he might become. There were persistent rumors that Petrino wanted to give Vick one season to prove how well he could run the offense, then make a decision whether to keep him or move in another direction. To that end, the coach was going to allow Vick to audible at the line of scrimmage this season, freedom Vick didn’t have in former coach Jim Mora’s system.

Vick has unbelievable mobility -- no other quarterback has rushed for 1,000 yards in a season -- but is a subpar passer who completed only 53.9% of his throws over the last two seasons. That’s worse than 38 others with at least 300 attempts.

He showed phenomenal arm strength but terrible touch, triggering an ongoing debate in Atlanta about which was worse, Vick’s passes or his receivers. As much as he scrambled, there were questions about his offensive line too. Did he run because the line was bad, or did linemen have a hard time blocking for Vick because they didn’t know where he was?

Whichever, it doesn’t matter much now. The Falcons have to move forward without him, hoping that Joey Harrington will be at least a short-term answer.

Still, there is a perception that Vick is essential to the Falcons’ success. One betting service had the odds of Atlanta winning the Super Bowl at 35-1 in February. Now that’s 60-1.

The Falcons have split their two exhibition games, losing to the New York Jets, 31-16, and defeating Buffalo, 13-10. The starting offensive unit has been inconsistent, and Harrington has been almost a non-factor, completing 10 of 16 passes for 119 yards with an interception.

What might be expected once the regular season starts?

“This is unprecedented,” linebacker Keith Brooking told reporters Tuesday. “It’s never happened before. For us to sit here and reconcile that or put it all in perspective, it’s very confusing.”

Feelings of confusion, frustration, disappointment, the Falcons are all too used to those.

sam.farmer@latimes.com