If Vick Gets Suspended, Could Trent Green Be a Falcon?

This whole Trent Green-Dolphins trade thing is getting ridiculous. Can it just get done already? Blown Coverage writes today that the Chiefs should get whatever they can now because the Dolphins have all the leverage, and that makes sense.

Except that Pro Football Talk says all of a sudden there might be another contender in the Green sweepstakes: The Falcons, who might find themselves without quarterback and accused dog fighting ringleader Michael Vick:

The primary reason for the Falcons' belated interest in Green is that folks inside the building believe that there's a 50-50 chance that Vick will be suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with a still-unfolding dog-fighting investigation. Even if the suspension is just for a game or two, the stigma could be enough to make the team decide to go in a different direction, even before finding out whether Vick can succeed in new coach Bobby Petrino's offense.

Green heading for the Falcons would be devastating to Vick, but it would make Atlanta a better team, for the simple and obvious reason that Green is a better quarterback than Vick. On the other hand, the Falcons still have some long-term hope for Vick, whereas Green doesn't have much gas left in the tank.

As for the Chiefs, they'd love nothing more than a second suitor for Green, which would give them some leverage to demand more than the late-round draft pick the Dolphins are offering. And the Dolphins, if they miss out on Green, would be stuck with Daunte Culpepper, a quarterback they don't seem to have much enthusiasm for. I still think Green will be the Dolphins' starting quarterback in September, but it doesn't look like as much of a sure thing as it once did.