Triple zeroes on the clock, Mike.

Well, Michael Vick’s going to the slammer.

With the evidence mounting against him, and his cohorts turning on him, trying to stand firm and go to trial was looking like less and less of an option. But, as CBS Sportsline’s Mike Freeman says here, you don’t just plead to crime you didn’t actually commit.

And, in the statement released today, there was some semblance of a confession to the crime. So, that takes care of the guilt part.

Sentencing is next week, and then we’ll find out just how stiff of a punishment he’ll be facing. One thing’s for certain though is that we won’t be seeing him for a little while, maybe for the next year, or at worst, the next five years or so.

But, does this spell the end of his NFL career? Freeman certainly doesn’t think so, and I agree. Talent can override many things, including a criminal record, as long as you’re not Rae Carruth or Art Schlichter (some people never learn, do they?). Despite all of his shortcomings, Lawrence Taylor is still glorified as one of the league’s most respected and loved players. The NFL has had a tendency to be the most forgiving of the major sports leagues, because we’ve seen guys like Lawrence Phillips get far more chances than they may well have merited.

Whether or not Vick will be effective, or even a quarterback when he returns, is up for debate. The person Freeman spoke to said that Vick would be back, but instead of making handoffs, he’d be taking handoffs, as a running back. That doesn’t seem like too outlandish of an idea, considering his skills as a runner could potentially make the transition to running back easier than it would be for him to get acclimated to a new offense (when, well, he never really seemed to get a full grasp of the offenses he’s been a part of in Atlanta).

It’s almost a given, though, that his Falcons career is all but over. Falcons owner Arthur Blank didn’t sound too hopeful when discussing Vick over the weekend, and you can’t really blame him. He’s put up with a lot from Vick in the past year, and when the quarterback prospects for next year are plentiful, it’s time to start fresh. Besides, when there’s a chance when Bobby Petrino could be reunited with his former QB at Louisville, Brian Brohm, that makes it all the easier. Or, there’s Kentucky’s Andre Woodson, or Hawaii’s Colt Brennan, or Michigan’s Chad Henne, or USC’s John David Booty, or Boston College’s Matt Ryan, who are all among the nation’s most talented quarterbacks.

And, you can bet if Joey Harrington finally proves himself to be a consistent, winning quarterback, there’ll be at least one care package addressed to Vick at his new home.

But, as many jokes as you could make about the situation, it’s really a sad story. This guy has all the talent in the world, and has needlessly squandered it, just because he couldn’t keep his competitive juices confined to the field, or within the bounds of the law. And, you know, for the longest time, we thought Michael was the good one, the one that tried to keep Marcus on the straight and narrow while he was going and wielding guns and stomping on defenseless players.

Guess we were wrong about him, or maybe he just did a pretty good job of hiding until it caught up with him. You know what they say, and it’s certainly true in this case - You can run, but you certainly can’t hide.