Daily Debate: Brett Favre vs. Michael Vick

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

If only L.A. had a new NFL team, we could be embroiled in a quarterback quandary.

Brett Favre or Michael Vick?

Mark Sanchez, the best signal caller in town, just went to the Jets. Matt Cassel signed with Kansas City, so he wouldn’t come back, either. But Favre and Vick are experienced stars -- and available. They also bring plenty of baggage.

Favre is considering his second consecutive season returning from retirement, and both incidents left his former teams and fans upset. His return ultimately depends on how his injured arm holds up. Vick is scheduled to be released from prison, where he has spent the last two seasons, er, years on federal charges of dog fighting. His return is contingent on NFL approval, after which he would probably be traded by the Atlanta Falcons.

If you were an NFL GM and needed a quarterback, whom would you prefer to sign right now?

BRETT FAVRE

It’s hard to argue with 10 Pro Bowls (as recently as 2008), 3 MVPs and a Super Bowl ring. Favre clearly has the edge in experience and leadership -- something Vick is sorely lacking after his run-in with the law.

Last season with the Jets, Favre showed that he still had some magic by throwing six touchdowns in a single game. His late season collapse is explained as torn biceps, which ultimately didn’t require surgery -- just rest.

Besides the on-field vision that Favre brings, he could also be a mentor on the sideline and a substantial draw off the field. When he joined the Jets, he broke yet another record ... for single-day sales of his new jersey. His old Green Bay garb continued to sell well, too, even though it was the wrong shade of green. He was so popular there, it’s a wonder that the publicly owned franchise hasn’t run the board out of town.

Vick, besides obvious character flaws, is a public pariah who could hurt sales, create distraction and draw protests and ridicule. The only real exercise he’s had for two years is presumably on a prison field, where you worry more about riots than routes.

MICHAEL VICK

Vick is just 28 years old and has had nothing better to do for the last couple of years than work out. Is there any doubt he’s in better shape than Favre?

Vick won’t leave his next team wondering whether he’ll be back next season, unlike Favre -- who mainly seems interested in returning so he can get revenge against Green Bay GM Ted Thompson. The only place Vick will run is toward the end zone. In his last season in the NFL, he became the only quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, and climbed to third on the all-time list behind Randall Cunningham and Steve Young.

Go ahead -- draft a quarterback next year (there are plenty), and you can still use Vick as a multipurpose threat. Line him up in the slot. Send him on a reverse. Heck, give him a draw and see if anybody really wants to tackle a man who just got out of prison.

While some people will make a big deal out of his return, as long as you’re winning, does anything else matter? Vick has been to three Pro Bowls, averaged over 2,500 yards passing in each of his last four full seasons and has led his teams to a 38-28-1 record in this age of parity.

-- Adam Rose

Top left photo: A New York Jets fan holds up a sign for quarterback Brett Favre. Credit: Rich Kane / US Presswire

Top right photo: A fan expresses his opinion about Michael Vick at the Atlanta Falcons 2007 training camp. Credit: Mike Zarrilli / Getty Images