How We Learn To Stop Worrying And Love The Vick Signing
Well, it finally happened.
Almost two years after his guilty plea, Michael Vick is back on a team.
The fact Vick will be back in the league is a major risk for the Eagles, what with the massive backlash he could receive the first time he enters a game. Philly also gambled by altering their team chemistry with a potentially massive distraction. And there’s a high chance protesters will show up to practices and picket outside of games.
But aside from all the negativity that surrounds Vick, there are reasons to like this signing. If anything, Philly just made the 2009 season far more interesting.
1. The Eagles haven’t had many offensive weapons since T.O. left
As it would have been with any team he signed with, Vick’s arrival adds a new dimension to the Eagles. In the post-T.O. era, Philly has largely been known for its swarming defense and its lack of playmakers around McNabb. That changed slightly last year with the emergence of DeSean Jackson, but Philly was working with an almost no-name offense before the Vick signing.
As everyone knows, Vick is a weapon. That’s why teams are interested in him. Somewhere in Vick is that 46-yard TD run in overtime against Minnesota in 2002. His speed could still be there, even after two years in prison. And if Philly can make use of that, it’s going to get dirty.
2. The NFC East got even nuttier
You gotta love it. The NFC East already has the biggest stadium, a recent Super Bowl champ and a perennial underachiever that paid through the nose for Albert Haynesworth. As Michael Scott would say, the only thing that would make this better is ice cream.
Relatively, the Eagles stayed pretty quiet before the Vick signing compared to the division rivals. The only real change with Philly was the loss of Brian Dawkins and the addition of several promising rookies.
But now, instead of simply watching Haynesworth crash through Philly’s offensive line, the fat load might have to chase down Vick in their late November game. And when the Eagles and Cowboys meet up in Arlington in the regular season finale, how great will it be if Vick becomes a factor in deciding who makes the playoffs?
For pure entertainment value, the NFC East is now too good to miss.
3. The Eagles travel to Atlanta on December 6
Don’t think we won’t hear about this one for a month leading up to it. Not only do the Eagles play the Falcons, but it’s also at a point in the season where Vick will be reinstated. Oh, and the game is in Atlanta.
It’s going to get personal, and it will certainly get awkward. Atlanta made him the highest-paid player in the league, only to have him drag the entire city through this two year suffer-fest. There are going to be boos, but it might be some mixed emotions. Vick broke Atlanta’s heart, but you know the city still has some feelings for him.
More than likely, though, that won’t stop Atlanta citizens from raining down some hate in the Georgia Dome in December. There’s almost too much pent-up emotion for one game with this one.
4. Kevin Kolb might have altered the fate of the NFL this season
It’s great to think that this NFL season might have been forever altered by Kevin Kolb.
In case you forgot, Kolb is a second round pick from the University of Houston that the Eagles drafted in 2007. In terms of football pedigree, he’s a relative nobody. And yet, Kolb was drafted by the Eagles as a message to Donovan McNabb that they’re tired of hoping he’ll stay healthy.
Kolb hasn’t pushed McNabb for playing time in the past two years. But, wouldn’t you know it, he did managed to injure his MCL this week.
That begs the question of whether the Eagles had their eyes on Vick all along, or whether he became an insurance policy once Kolb injured his knee. If Vick was the insurance policy, was it a very smart bet? He can’t play until midseason, meaning the Eagles are stuck with A.J. Feeley as a backup should Kolb continue to be unavailable.
If they were looking at Vick all along, then this is no big deal. But we’d prefer to think that lowly Kevin Kolb set this entire story into motion.
5. This signing helps McNabb initially, but it’s a threat to him over time
Vick’s presence isn’t exactly a vote of confidence toward McNabb. Sure, Vick will probably serve some sort of specialty role this season, be it a situational receiver, Wildcat QB, whatever. But what happens in year two, when Vick could be back to his former self? Are we looking at a training camp battle between Vick and McNabb in 2010?
Or in an even more likely scenario, what if McNabb gets hurt this season? It’s not hard to imagine it happening. He’s only played a full regular season five times in his career. And if we’re talking a mid to late-season injury, the Eagles could easily take Vick over Kolb or Feeley.
No matter the scenario, all of a sudden McNabb will have a very capable QB breathing down his neck. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will.
McNabb/Vick photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
All other photos courtesy of Flickr
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