It should have been pretty obvious that when Michael Vick’s agent said “a lot of teams” were interested in Vick, none of those teams were looking at him as a starting quarterback.
So, backing up Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia (and probably seeing some time in Wildcat formations and any other sets Andy Reid can concoct for Vick) is probably an OK situation for the disgraced former Falcon.
What probably kept most teams from pursuing Vick is the inevitable fan backlash. A lot of football fans (including this one) have dogs, so the idea of signing a guy who went to prison for his involvement in dogfighting is going to upset a lot of dog-owning fans.
At first, putting Vick in a hostile city like Philly seems like a bad idea. But Eagles fans are notoriously angry all the time, no matter how the team is doing. So is it even possible to make them angrier? Sure, some fans will decry the move and don’t want Vick on their team. I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t want him on my team, either.
But there’s nothing Philly fanatics can do about it now. Vick is a member of the E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES! And if he does well and helps the Eagles win, the crazy fans will be throwing snowballs at PETA protesters in no time.
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I have made my feelings on this subject no secret in the past year and a half. I've said that Michael Vick deserves a second chance after serving his time, and now he has one.
Fans of the NFL, no matter what team, have very short memories. The minute he starts producing touchdowns and helping the Iggles (as my cousin from Pennsylvania calls them) win games, fans will come around. And sure, the PETA parasites will be out in full force for the first few games, starting in Week 6, when he's first allowed to play, but they'll drop off once they no longer have support of the fans.
Let me reiterate that I never condoned what Vick did, but I believe it pales in comparison to Donte Stallworth, Leonard Little or Plaxico Burress, all of whom never suffered the same kind of backlash.
I'm sorry but when it comes to despicable behavior it isn't a case of "pales in comparison". Any human being that would willingly do what Vick did doesn't deserve any chances. And yes, I am a dog owner/lover. That nothwithstanding, there is a very major mental defect in someone that would do what he did to ANY other living being.
He not only willingly participated in the torture, maiming and killing of another living being, he promoted it and profited it by it. I'd like to see him treated the way he treated the dogs. Who by the way are STILL in rehab because of him.
His actions were premeditated. Not that I excuse the other losers but this guy needs to go away. Permanently.
I have very little sympathy for Vick, but I think this actually could be a good fit - I do like Donovan McNabb (Syracuse boy!) and he could be a positive, stabilizing influence on Vick in a lot of ways. And Philly's offense already is used to a running quarterback. It could be a win-win.
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