What’s next for Vick, Falcons?

Anybody out there interested in owning the former home of Bad Newz Kennels?
The 15-acre estate and 4,600-square foot home owned by Michael Vick will be auctioned off next Saturday in Surry, Va., according to the Newport News Daily Press. Just show up at 1915 Moonlight Road at Noon, but don’t forget the $10,000 deposit required of all potential buyers or a letter of credit from a reputable bank.
The home, appraised at $750,000, features a media room, wet bar, large bedrooms and a backyard full of doghouses and kennels. Rape stands and pry bars are sold separately.
The status of the property that housed a dogfighting operation for nearly six years won’t be the only issue settled soon. Come Monday, Vick will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson for his role in the illegal enterprise.
Hudson’s decision will determine far more than Vick’s immediate future.
It will also force the Atlanta Falcons to make a decision about their own.
Vick is under indefinite suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, which has prevented the Falcons from cutting ties to their embattled quarterback. Federal prosecutors recommended a sentence for 12 to 18 months for Vick, who entered a guilty plea in August, but Hudson is not required to adhere to their suggestions. He could impose a sentence of up to five years if he sees fit.
Hudson’s treatment of the co-defendants in the case, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, may indicate that he’s leaning toward something a little stiffer than the federal sentencing proposal. Peace received an 18-month sentence, while Phillips will serve 21 months. Hudson, a dog owner, called their actions ‘‘very callous and cruel.’’
While Vick lacks a previous criminal record, he owned the property and provided the bankroll for the activities that took place there.
When Vick entered his guilty plea in August, Hudson informed him that he couldn't count on leniency.
‘‘You're taking your chances here,’’ Hudson told him.
If Vick serves a sentence on the low end of the federal guideline, there remains a possibility that he could eventually resume an NFL career. That’s assuming Goodell lifts his suspension down the line and that an NFL team would be willing to take a chance on him.
It’s doubtful the Falcons will gamble on a Vick resurrection even though a significant number of their season ticketholders would likely welcome him back. They are a franchise in disarray at the moment, saddled with a 3-9 record heading into Monday night’s home game against New Orleans. When they take the field in the Georgia Dome on Monday, they will do so with their third different starting quarterback this season in former third-stringer Chris Redman.
Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich have flopped, although the team’s troubles transcend one position.
There are problems on the offensive and defensive fronts and there’s an overall lack of quality depth.
The one bright spot for the Falcons is the possibility of prime draft position if the misery continues. While winless Miami will almost certainly have the No. 1 pick locked up, the Falcons could land the second or third overall pick.
Reckon they’ll take a quarterback?