GREEN BAY Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompsons non-answer to a question about Michael Vick was more than just Ted being Ted.
The team is doing thorough due diligence on the former NFL quarterback and has had legitimate discussions about the idea of signing him, according to sources.
Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, has been conditionally reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after completing a 23-month federal sentence for funding an illegal dogfighting ring.
He is eligible to sign with any team and begin practicing immediately, and would be eligible to play starting in Week 6 of the regular season if he meets certain conditions.
Asked Tuesday during the first of his weekly news conferences during training camp if there was any way hed entertain signing Vick, Thompson answered with the non-committal reply he frequently uses when asked about potential personnel moves. His response made national headlines because it wasnt a flat-out no, but it also didnt shed much light on the Packers interest level.
Uh, what is the answer that we give to questions like this? Thompson said. Were always looking to improve our team. We look at all options at all times. I wouldnt care to speculate in terms of the odds or the percentages or anything like that.
Thompson was vague in follow-up questions, saying the Packers look at everything and have had discussions about a large number of things. ... It doesnt mean any more that we are likely to do it or less likely. Its a routine that we go through. Its automatic.
At least publicly, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy tried to downplay the significance of Thompsons comments.
I dont see anything there. I dont anticipate anything happening there, Murphy said Wednesday.
How do you say it? Much ado about nothing.
There are no indications the team has acted on its interest yet.
Of course, even considering signing Vick is far from routine. More than 20 of the leagues 32 teams have stated publicly that theyre not interested in signing Vick, largely because of the potential public relations backlash.
Two years ago, Vick and the Falcons were the subject of massive protests by animal-rights activists. But in recent months, Vick met both in prison and in his home with Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. Last year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hinted it might work with a rehabilitated Vick, but that has not happened.
Vick, 29, hasnt played in the NFL since the 2006 season, as Goodell suspended him in August 2007 after he admitted to funding the dogfighting ring in his native Virginia. Vick served 18 months in federal prison as part of his sentence.
According to the terms of Vicks conditional reinstatement, he would be eligible to play in a teams final two preseason games. After that, the team would have to decide whether to carry him on its 53-man roster during the first six weeks of the season, allowing Vick to practice and listing him among the inactives on game day, or place him on the reserve/suspended list, which would allow him to be around the team but prevent him from practicing during his suspension.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Vick has a career 53.8 completion percentage and 75.7 career passer rating, having thrown 71 career touchdowns and 52 interceptions. He has 3,859 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns, and ran for 1,039 yards and two TDs during the 2006 season.
His career record as a starter is 40-30-1, including a historic NFC wild card playoff victory over the Packers on Jan. 4, 2003, at Lambeau Field.
Once the highest paid-player in the NFL and now bankrupt Vick probably wouldnt cost much financially.
But the Packers obviously would subject themselves to a potentially intense fan reaction, and after last years Brett Favre-related circus, this years training camp has been hubbub-free so far. Thompson and his staff would have to weigh whether signing Vick would be worth the distraction.
However, the NFLs smallest market might provide the perfect setting for Vicks comeback, allowing him to focus solely on football.
The Packers remain high on both of their second-year backups, Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm, and wouldnt want to release either player to make room for Vick. That would mean carrying four quarterbacks on the roster two years ago, the team had just two, Favre and Rodgers or trading one of the young QBs.
Vick could add an intriguing and potentially explosive element to the Packers diversified offense, especially in the running game, where the coaches are integrating more power/man blocking schemes into their zone scheme and Vick could add a unpredictable Wildcat wrinkle.
Vicks passing skills would benefit from an offseason in coach Mike McCarthys quarterback school. One of Vicks cousins is former Packers and New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks, who went to his only Pro Bowl with McCarthy as his offensive coordinator in New Orleans.