Fish give Vick a look

[bigboydan]

this kid could be a hidden gem, "IF" he can keep his head out of trouble.

Undrafted and still unsigned former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick will attend the Miami Dolphins' rookie mini-camp this weekend to audition for the team's coaches and personnel officials, ESPN.com has learned.

The invitation comes with no strings attached and no promises of employment.

League rules permit clubs to bring in a limited number of free agent rookies to participate in mini-camp sessions. Teams use the practices to evaluate the players on the field and the auditions often lead to contract offers. Whether the Dolphins decide to sign Vick, the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick, probably depends on how well he performs this weekend.

Dismissed from the Hokies squad in January, for what university president Dr. Charles Steger termed "the cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play," Marcus Vick was not among the 255 players selected in the draft. Some teams inquired about him in the two days since the draft, but none offered a free agent contract.

There is a possibility that, if the Dolphins don't offer Vick a contract and no other NFL club demonstrates interest in him, he might have to consider the CFL as an option for beginning his professional career.

Miami lists just three quarterbacks -- recently acquired veteran Daunte Culpepper, untested veteran Cleo Lemon and Brock Berlin -- on its roster. Culpepper continues to rehabilitate from three torn ligaments in his right knee and it is not certain yet if the former Minnesota Vikings starter will be recovered for the start of the regular season. Lemon, a two-year veteran obtained last year in a trade with San Diego, has yet to play in a regular-season game. Berlin, viewed as a developmental-type prospect, is currently playing in the NFL Europe League with the Hamburg Sea Devils.

The Dolphins have been attempting for weeks to complete the addition of former Detroit starter Joey Harrington, but the Lions have balked at Miami's trade offers.

Beyond his off-field issues, Vick also lacks experience, and he appeared in just 24 games during his college tenure. He was redshirted as a freshman in 2002 and suspended from the team for the entire 2004 season. Vick split playing time in 2003 and then started all 13 games in 2005.

Vick completed 207 of 346 passes for 2,868 yards, with 19 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. At the combine workouts in February, he measured 6-feet and 200 pounds and he has been time at 4.47 in the 40-yard dash.

[moses millsap]

He won't, you can only make stupid mistakes over and over so many times. This kid is a cancer, I'd personally stay away from him.

[Winston Smith]

I'm sure Saban will turn him around, just like he did Rickey.

[bigboydan]

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -On a field filled with NFL prospects, Marcus Vick looked smaller than his listed height of 6 feet, especially when he crouched behind center to take a snap.

``It was kind of crazy seeing him over there,'' said linebacker Sam McGrew, who played against Vick in college. Now they're teammates - for the weekend, anyway - at the Miami Dolphins' rookie minicamp.

Bypassed in the draft last week following a turbulent, abbreviated career at Virginia Tech, Vick eagerly accepted coach Nick Saban's invitation to take part in the three-day camp. The audition began Friday, and Saban stressed there's no guarantee that Vick has a future in Miami beyond Sunday.

``It's a date,'' Saban said. ``We're not getting married.''

Vick was one of three quarterbacks taking part in the camp, which included other undrafted free agents, a handful of unsigned veterans and the Dolphins' six draft picks. The scramble for spots on the roster began with the offense running three plays over and over in the first practice.

Vick looked fast and elusive - but small.

``The guy has obviously got a lot of ability,'' Saban said. ``We certainly thought he had the potential to contribute at some position in the NFL.''

That position might be as a kick returner or receiver, if not as a quarterback. While deciding where Vick might play, Saban will gauge his personality and attitude.

The brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, the younger Vick had repeated brushes with the law at Virginia Tech and was kicked off the team in January after his junior season.

``The guy is a tremendous competitor,'' Saban said. ``Maybe sometimes he hasn't channeled his emotions in the right direction as a competitor, and that's probably a maturity issue and obviously something he needs to work on.

``I haven't had a sit-down with him. But that will be part of the process of evaluating him.''

Also among the unsigned players trying out was veteran Kyle Turley, who has battled back trouble and last played in 2003 for the St. Louis Rams. He's trying to make a switch from tackle to tight end, and his weight is listed at 260 pounds.

``Here's a player who has had some success in this league,'' Saban said. ``It's an opportunity for us to look at him and see if he does have any potential as a tight end.''

Saban declined to let Vick, Turley or other unsigned players speak with reporters. But McGrew, a former Florida State star, offered an endorsement of Vick.

``Marcus Vick is a great guy. He's one of those guys that if you give him time, I believe he'll be a team leader,'' said McGrew, who played against Vick in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game last season.

``When we played against him, I saw how he got his guys up and he was hyping them like, 'Let's go, let's go, come on, get everything right!' Seeing that, that lets you know what type of player and guy he is.''

Vick sat out the 2004 season for disciplinary reasons, then passed for 2,393 yards and 17 touchdowns last year. Saban decided to give him a shot after talking this week with Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer.

``Some guys have a lot to offer athletically, and other issues create concerns about whether they're the kind of people you want on your team, and how they affect the team chemistry and affect this organization,'' Saban said. ``But we're also about giving people opportunities.''

Notes: Wearing a knee brace, QB Daunte Culpepper is running and throwing in the offseason program, and he received a favorable report when examined recently by specialist Dr. James Andrews, Saban said. ... Tennessee DB Jason Allen, the Dolphins' first-round pick a week ago, will work mostly at safety this weekend, Saban said. He'll likely get time later at cornerback. ... Among nine rookie free agents whose signings were announced was running back Gerald Riggs Jr. of Tennessee, son of the former NFL star of the same name.