Michael Vick: More Money, More Problems

ATLANTA (AP) -- Michael Vick has all the trappings of fame: a big contract, lucrative endorsements, diamonds in each ear, overprotective handlers, a never-far-away entourage -- heck, even a scandalous lawsuit.

Not bad, considering he’s only 25.

Of course, there’s one thing missing, the one thing that truly defines success for any NFL quarterback.

A Super Bowl ring.

Vick got tantalizingly close last season, leading the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC championship game. But the quest came to an end on a frigid day in Philadelphia, Vick looking downright ordinary in a 27-10 loss to the Eagles.

No. 7 gets a redo Monday night in a more favorable setting, though it’s only the bottom step on the road to the Super Bowl, not the top. The Falcons open the new season against the team that ended their last one, hosting the Eagles in the 72-degree comfort of the Georgia Dome.

“Last year, to be honest, it was cold,” Vick said, managing a faint smile. “It wasn’t my type of playing conditions.”

That game in Philly is one of the few things that hasn’t gone Vick’s way on the football field. In two full seasons as an NFL starter, he’s guided the Falcons to the playoffs each time -- no small feat for a franchise with a mostly pathetic history.

But Vick’s impact extends far beyond wins and losses. He’s an iconic figure who moves merchandise: video games, high-priced sneakers, replica jerseys. The Falcons -- yes, the Falcons! -- actually have a waiting list for season tickets numbering in the tens of thousands, largely because of you-know-who.

Vick has taken everything we once knew about his position, wadded it up in a big ball and tossed it in the trash. This is a quarterback who might be the best runner in the NFL. This is a quarterback who can unleash 70-yard passes in full stride. This is a quarterback who leaves everyone wondering: What’s he going to do next?

A good question -- both on and off the field.

“We talk about it all the time,” said Falcons safety Keion Carpenter, Vick’s closest friend on the team and a business partner. “It’s like (the late rapper) Biggie Smalls always said, ‘Mo’ money, mo’ problems.’ You’ve got to take the good with the bad.”

As with any celebrity, Vick is finding that his private life isn’t so private.

A bachelor, Vick has two young children. Last fall, he reportedly was involved in a strange case at the Atlanta airport in which a security screener claimed his watch was taken by a member of Vick’s entourage and the Falcons tried to cover it up.

Then, over the offseason, Vick was sued by woman who alleges the quarterback infected her with herpes. Vick has denied the charges and vowed to fight the lawsuit, but he faced plenty of ridicule over another allegation in the case, that he used the name “Ron Mexico” as an alias.

Through it all, the Falcons are confident that Vick is living his life the right way -- no small consideration in light of the 10-year, $130 million contract they signed on for last season, the richest deal in NFL history.

“I consider him a very grounded, unaffected guy,” coach Jim Mora said. “Especially with the situation he is in, in terms of being in the public eye and being such a high-profile person. There are people who take shots at him.”

The Falcons have closed ranks around Vick. He doesn’t go anywhere without being shadowed by a member of the public relations staff. The local media’s access has been dramatically reduced, usually limited during game weeks to a five-minute appearance in front of the podium that ends with a terse, “OK, guys, that’s it.”

Vick shrugs off whatever turmoil exists in his life, insisting he’s still basically the same guy he was before all the millions, before all the fame, before all the potential pitfalls of being in the public eye.

The Vick-led Falcons look downright boring next to the Eagles, aka Team Turmoil.

Most of it centers around receiver Terrell Owens, who is angry at the Eagles for refusing to redo his contract, got kicked out of training camp for a week after arguing with coach Andy Reid and hasn’t been on speaking terms with quarterback Donovan McNabb throughout the preseason.

In a sign of a potential thaw in the feud, Owens said he wants to meet with McNabb before the first game.

“They will work it out with time,” Reid said. “I’ve said that from the beginning. Both of them are good people and they will work everything out.”

Owens isn’t the only Philadelphia player with a contract issue. Running back Brian Westbrook said Thursday he was cutting off talks on a long-term deal because management “hasn’t stepped up to the plate.”

McNabb insists none of those issues will matter once the Eagles run through the tunnel Monday night. This team is eager to cement its place in history with a Super Bowl title after four straight appearances in the NFC championship game and a loss to the Patriots in the final game last season.

“When we’re out on that field,” McNabb said, “you really can’t tell who’s disgruntled, who’s upset.”

If there’s any resentment of Vick’s special treatment, it hasn’t emerged in the Falcons locker room.

“He should be treated different,” Carpenter said. “He’s a megastar. Not only in this league, but in the world. I wouldn’t expect him to do the same things we do. The team does a great job of protecting him, making sure he gets to the right place at the right time.”

In return, the Falcons expect Vick to lead them to the right place at the right time.

The Super Bowl.

Right now.