Michael Vick will be speaking to Mike Francesa on a weekly basis this season.
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Sports radio superstar Mike Francesa may need to backtrack from his harsh commentary of Michael Vick now that the Jets backup quarterback will be a weekly guest on his show on WFAN in New York.
Vick will do a weekly radio spot with Francesa on WFAN every Tuesday during the season. It is a surprising twist of events given not only Francesa’s noted disdain for the Jets organization, but also his epic rant when the team signed Vick.
The Jets picked up the free agent Vick this offseason to provide depth and competition with second-year quarterback Geno Smith. Francesa was not on board with a move he lambasted shortly after the signing was made official.
“Why do the Jets not ask themselves these questions everytime somebody offers them a Santonio Holmes or a DeSean Jackson? Why doesn’t the team want him? Because he’s a pain in the rear end, that’s why. So now you get Vick in here. Will Vick move the team? Absolutely,” Francesa said on his show after the Jets signed Vick. “Vick moves teams up and down the field all day. He doesn’t score though. He’s the most frustrating quarterback you’ve ever seen. He’s the master of the 80-yard drive that ends in a turnover on the 5[-yard line]. He is not a big player in terms of size. He has trouble throwing over the line. He is not an accurate thrower but he’s a great athlete. I won’t take that away from Vick for one second. He’s fun to watch.”
There’s always been a bit of a back-and-forth between the Jets and Francesa, including an incident in 2011 where Darrelle Revis hung up on Francesa. The popular WFAN host, whose show is also simuclast on FoxSports 1, took shots at offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg — who coached Vick during his prior stint at the Eagles — and Jets owner Woody Johnson with regards to the signing of Vick.
Francesa went so far as to say Mornhinweg “happens to have a thing for him.” He also questioned the Jets’ motives in signing the veteran quarterback.
“Vick equals, in Woody’s mind, buzz, excitement, controversy and tickets. We’re back to tickets,” Francesa said on his show. “With Woody, it gets back to dollars. This time it’s about tickets. He thinks Vick sells tickets. I don’t think Vick sells tickets in New York. I think winning will sell tickets in New York.”
In March, he said the Jets’ addition of Vick made for a “confusing football team.” Now Francesa will call Vick a regular weekly guest.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
