He Broke My Heart
by Khaled Elsayed
1/6/2009
I remember everything about it. I had just come in from a night out at university, slightly worse for wear and hyped up on red bull. I was a poor student and couldn't afford Sky so at 2am in the morning I was left with 5 television channels to choose from, and though I didn't understand the game I was always a big sports fan. So I decided to give it a try. If nothing else it would help me fall asleep.
Apparently the game was a big deal. Michael Vick was making his return from a broken leg. Who was this apparent Mega Star that I had never heard of? I wasn't overly fussed truth be told and I watched the game and very early on a play happened that would capture my interest and be the beginning point of my love affair with American football.
After dropping back from centre Vick looked around. He went left but nobody was open, he avoided a tackle or two before going right, setting himself, and just as he was about to be hit threw a perfect ball that was caught for a long gain just as Vick was drilled by a defender.
So you see Vick was my first. He got to me and I don't think I'll ever forget him. But after the initial honeymoon phase things started going wrong. His passing was inconsistent, his attitude disheartening and numerous times he would let you down after promising so much. And then it happened. I won't go into the details of what he did to those dogs, but it destroyed a fan base. To invest so much in someone and have them let you down ... well it was as let down as I have been (in a sporting context).
I didn't think I could ever have as much faith in another quarterback again. There wasn't any as athletic or any who were as special as Vick. No, there would never be another that made me feel that way.
But then something happened. This fresh face kid, all smiles and work ethic reached out to an entire fanbase. He said all the right things, bought a television for his teammates and earned a chance for us to open up to him. I wasn't going to put myself on the line for him to be hurt again just yet, but I was prepared to give this guy a chance.
And did he blow it? Well a first date of sorts saw him throw a touchdown pass with his first throw of a football. And sure he didn't call back straight away and struggled against Tampa, but he got his act together and delivered another solid, above what I expected evening as he led us to victory against the Chiefs. By now I was thinking about taking this to the next level (buying his jersey), he was doing all the right things. But once bitten, twice shy – I wasn't quite ready to leave myself vulnerable to another highly paid Quarterback. And then it happened. In two games he put all memories of the 'ex' at the back of our mind.
It was a year before my time but I'd watched it, and heard the talk. Vick went to Lambeau Field and won. And despite making one mistake with a poor interception, he led us to victory. He did what the ex did, only he was still here. There was a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Could it be love?
I didn't want to rush into things, he was still a rookie and one day doesn't make a relationship work. So when the Bears visited the Georgia dome I was hopeful but also worried. Was this where the honeymoon period ended? Would he let us down much like Vick had? The last time we had faced the Bears Vick had led us to an embarressing defeat as a defence too strong for us had overwhelmed us. And when the Bears took out our running game it could have easily gone so wrong. But he put on one of the best Quarterback displays I've ever seen, practically hitting every pass on the money and then setting us up for the dramatic, game winning field goal.
I knew it was love.
And the rest of the season followed suit. He did the impossible and led us to the playoffs. There was some rough moments, but there was faith in this guy that he would lead the Falcons through it a stronger team. And he did. And now its official. Matt Ryan is our quarterback for the rest of his quarterbacking life.
Everything was great and we're preparing for our second season together when you start hearing rumours that the ex is back in town. The slightly more fancy and athletically gifted Vick was about to be released from prison, and wants back in the league. Some of the old feelings of pain and betrayal started coming back. Now after the way he hurt us all it would be easy to be bitter and just want him gone for good. But truth be told we're so happy with Matty Ice that we don't care about the ex anymore. He may not be as flashy, but the lows are less frequent and he seems to be given us fans all we want in a relationship we have with our quarterback. Stability, security and happiness.
That said there's still a part of me that doesn't want to see Vick succeed or be any more successful then what we currently have. I guess thats natural, as the wronged lover who was so badly let down we don't want them to be happier then us. In any case I just want to move on now. I don't want him on our roster. I don't want to hear 'former Atlanta Falcons QB Mike Vick'. I want him to be with someone else so that he can stop being linked with us.
I forgive Vick for the way he acted and hope he has learned from his mistakes, but he's not the quarterback I thought he was, that I wanted him to be or that I want. He may be right for someone else. I hear Oakland Raiders fans like a challenge, maybe they could work something out in the future. I don't know, the truth is that after many a pained game watching Bobby Petrino's Falcons capitulate or watching Jim Mora's Falcons waste talent season after season, I just don't care.
Matt's our guy, and I wouldn't change him for the world.
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