Wow, I didn't see that one coming. Don't the Eagles already have a top quarterback in McNabb and semi-solid backup in Kolb? AJ Feeley as the third string sounds fine. I didn't really think QB was one of the positions we needed to shore up.
This officially makes Philadelphia the City of Second Chances. First it was Pedro, and now Vick. I'm all for second chances (sort of), and I'm quite okay with signing Pedro Martinez to see what he's got left in the tank. The guy is a future Hall of Famer and maybe the most intense pitcher I've ever seen. But Michael Vick? I'm a little less comfortable with him being on my team. Feeling this way makes me realize I'm not as forgiving as I think I am.
Let's look at this. Vick is a tremendous athlete, a number one draft choice and formerly highest paid player in the NFL. He's got tremendous ability and potential, and he was on his way up in the league. Two years ago the guy gets sentenced to two years in prison for running a dog-fighting ring. Dog-fighting, really ... who does that? Sounds like a story out of some third world country that I have nothing to do with. Sounds like it's from another planet. Dog-fighting ... really?
Now he's served his sentence, and he's been allowed to seek employment in the NFL again. He's even got a 60 Minutes interview coming up in which, it is rumored, he is contrite and remorseful. People around him say he is rehabilitated and transformed. Really, I believe the guy deserves a second chance, and we should forgive but never forget. He's lost his aura, he's lost his money, he's lost his job ... and who knows what else he lost in prison. The guy has paid for his mistake. The reason we let people out of jail is because at some point you've paid your debt to society and you have the right to move on.
But just because I think he deserves a second chance doesn't mean I like the idea of him on my team. Sure, he's probably still an elite athlete. I'm sure he still has his cannon arm, can run circles around McNabb at this point, and I read somewhere the other day that he's a lot more accurate than the stats seem to indicate. At $1.6M, he's a bargain. And now he's got Tony Dungy, one of the most respectable people associated with the NFL, in his corner serving as a mentor to keep him on the straight and narrow.
Even with all that, I'd rather he wasn't on our team. I mean, let me put it to you this way: I wouldn't want my sister dating him (I mean, if I had a sister). He's a criminal, and his character will now be forever questionable. He deserves a chance to prove that he's straightened out. I just wish he was doing it in Buffalo or somewhere. Not in Philadelphia.
As my brother pointed out when we were talking about this trade tonight, the Eagles build their team around character guys. They emphasize character when drafting and when signing free agents. The one time they threw that principle out the window, Terrell Owens ruined the locker-room chemistry (after registering a glorious first season, it should be mentioned). Maybe Andy Reid's changing his tune a little. Maybe he's gotten used to the idea of giving people second chances. Lord knows, he's had enough drama in his own family to know about needing second chances.
Whatever the reasons for this move are, one thing is for sure: it's going to be a lot of fun to see how the PR team spins this. They've got a little time to figure out their strategy; Vick won't be allowed to play a game until at least Week 6, and only if he's needed. And if Donovan McNabb gets injured and Vick replaces him, the Eagles are going to be in the national spotlight every single week, and not for the right reasons. Vick is a PR nightmare, and we just signed him.
And I'll *really* feel conflicted if Vick ends up leading us to a Super Bowl victory. It makes my head hurt just thinking about the swirl of contradictory emotions I'll have to sort out if that happens. I sort of hope that he doesn't work out well, and we cut him before he ever plays a down for us. Just so I don't have to decide whether or not to root for him when he suits up for the Eagles.
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