What would summertime at the Don Hutson Center be without a quarterback controversy?

No, it’s not Brett Favre, but instead a new guy with a totally different repertoire of headache-inducing baggage: Michael Vick.

The Packers have reportedly shown some interest in the recently-paroled Vick, who spent just about two years in a federal prison for orchestrating a dogfighting ring in Virginia. Surely you have your own opinions on the severity of the crime and the appropriateness of the punishment, as well as your own statistics on prisoner recidivism and relapse tendencies. But this is a football blog, damn it, and I am entitled — nay, compelled! — to investigate the pigskin-related impact Vick would have on a team such as Green Bay.

From Pro Bowl to prison stripes – would Vick look better in green and yellow?

Before I continue, it’s important to note that GM Ted Thompson is notorious for holding his cards close to the vest, nor would it really be in his character to suddenly break from years of conservative drafting and free agent spending to sign Vick and invite the media circus along with him. This hullabaloo or what have you comes from an interpretation that when Thompson says “we’re not ruling anything out” that he means “we’re looking into Vick.” Listen, you gotta understand that Teddy Thompson is well versed in execu-speak. Reading between the lines with him is like trying to understand how Courtney Love got a record contract.

So, Vick is rumored to be persona non grata in roughly three-quarters of NFL camps, leaving at most six to eight teams that aren’t closing their doors to him. His market is extremely depreciated, and while any agent would hope to get the top dollar for his client, anyone representing Vick would have to acknowledge the extremely unique external circumstances that would deflate any theoretical contract. Plus, Vick doesn’t have much leverage with so many owners outright saying they don’t want Vick on their team. He can’t play in the Canadian Football League (good luck getting a recently-paroled felon a work visa) and the Arena Football league is expected to fold (single tear). Vick better be quite alright with a veteran’s minimum salary and maybe some incentive bonuses, if he’s on his best behavior.

Green Bay isn’t really in the market for a QB, even though that’s Vick’s position on paper. Rodgers is young and improving (did you know he threw for more yards and had more touchdowns than Peyton Manning last year? I know, surprising, right? Look it up!) and the backups, Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, have shown enough improvement and promise that there aren’t too many whispers that the team is looking to bring in a free agent veteran. If Green Bay broke camp last year with their three quarterbacks having a combined 0 starts among them, what are the odds they’d feel compelled to bring in a veteran now?

The “Wildcat” (or a similar style) formation would seem to welcome a player with such versatile abilities as Vick. Of course, that assumes that Vick can still play the game at a high enough level. If he can still throw a ball fifty yards and run the field like a blender set on liquify, there’s a spot for Vick as a niche player (think Pat White, but presumably cheaper). Green Bay probably won’t run the Wildcat, as much as the NFL is a copycat league. They probably shouldn’t anyway, not with how successful their offense seems to be. If there’s a flaw, it’s in the young offensive line, and adding a new blocking schematic for a new formation would be counterintuitive. You wonder if the Vikings’ drafting of Percy Harvin will make Green Bay itchy for a slash player to run some deceptive plays. I think it’s a little too far into the offseason to add a new wrinkle.

(Disclaimer: Vick is allowed to participate in the first two preseason games but must sit out until week six at the very earliest. Then, if commissioner Roger Goodell says so, he could join a team’s roster. If Green Bay has a roster spot open and they feel like unveiling a Vick-led formation for the final three months of the year, it wouldn’t be a bad tactical move. Admit it, you can see why it would make a little sense. Now consider that Green Bay has their bye week in week 5, which would give them two weeks to prepare for a Vick return in week 6. You’re nodding your head, talking yourself into this.)

If Vick is going to join the boys in green and yellow, he’d best fit in the capacity of a return man. Green Bay’s failures on kick returns are pretty well documented, and while the team is high on Will Blackmon, he’s had injury issues in the past. Not to mention, the risk for bringing on Vick is not high, at least from a financial standpoint. He’s not a franchise quarterback anymore, so an injury on a kick return doesn’t decimate your team’s playoff chances. Would he make oppositions sweat every time they kicked his direction? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s for personnel evaluators to ultimately decide.

Ted Thompson is more than likely going to stay the course, which means staying far away from Michael Vick. Some team that takes a shot might find out that he’s still got some skills for a low, low price.