Eagles Poised To Dominate

It is difficult to see a team with as bright a future as Philadelphia. I was as skeptical as anyone about Vick's early breakout. I figured the league would adjust and he would go back to being the Vick of old - except not as good.

Boy was I wrong

My prognosticator probably isn't any better now than it was 6 weeks ago, but I am completely sold. With Philadelphia's group of skill players, Vick has resources that he never had as a Falcon. Replace Alge Crumpler and Warrick Dunn with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy and Vick has the type of arsenal that makes a player with his skillset extremely difficult to stop.

I understand that Vick's statistics are heavily skewed by Monday's whitewash of the Redskins, but nevertheless they are remarkable.

       Att   Comp  Yards   TD    INT   Rate    Rush    Yards    TD   Team Scoring
Vick    153     96  1350    11     0    115.1    44      341     4        165
Kolb    153     97  1035     6     4     85.3    11       56     0         92

While the statistics are a little deceiving, Vick has played a game more than Kolb, the difference in the Eagle offense is remarkable. They have scored 33 points/game with Vick, 23 with Kolb.

Anyhow, this is a long-winded introduction to the idea that the Eagles are particularly fearsome with Vick under center. I think they can get better though.

I am pretty certain that Philadelphia intends to go forward with Vick. The question then is whither Kolb? I'm sure there will be some temptation to keep him and continue to groom him. I think this would be a mistake.

If we look at the recent windfalls that teams have gotten for unproven quarterbacks like Matt Schaub and Charlie Whitehurst. If we look at what teams have gotten for proven busts like Brady Quinn, one trembles at what Kolb could bring.

Add another couple of young star players to a potent nucleus and it is easy to imagine this team contending for the next five years, and not just contending in the way that they have in the past. Philadelphia has the capacity to move into the rarified elite, from a 9-11 win team to a 12-14 win team. Without simply listing off names, it is hard to overestimate how effective Philadelphia has been year in and out at replenishing their talent. They have a mix of players, each in the top half at their spots in all position groups.

While this post wasn't supposed to be about Vick, it does start and end with him. Vick, the player he is now, will carry the team.

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I am rooting for Michael Vick

Donnie Andrews works as head of security at Bethel AME, an African-American church in the Baltimore area. He counsels young gang members, attempting to get them out of the life and keep them out of the drug trade. One of these was the son of his would-be wife, whom he successfully pulled off a corner selling “blue tops” (crack vials with blue tops). He is the picture of a model citizen.

But it wasn’t always this way. In 1987, Andrews copped to a murder he committed in 1986. He was known in the Baltimore streets as a stick-up man, robbing drug dealers to make his living. If you watched the HBO series “The Wire,” you certainly know Omar Little, who was modeled after Donnie (and a few other Baltimore area stick-up men), and Donnie played one of Omar’s crew in seasons 4 and 5.

Donnie was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He began a long road of reform which started in prison, counseling drug addicts. He spent 17 years there and was released in 2005. (Links to read more about Andrews at the bottom of this article.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about Michael Vick and what he did, what he’s been through and what should happen with him now. He’s done some horrible, inexcusable things. Okay, not some…many. He tortured and murdered helpless animals for sport and money. Those dogs that were killed never get a second chance at their lives.

Just like Zach Roach will never get a second chance at his life, thanks to Andrews.

But, like Andrews, society has deemed Vick's debt paid. There is much debate as to whether Vick should be serving more time, paying a steeper price for what he’s done. This, however, isn’t for me to decide. I have no say in the matter, and regardless how much I want Vick to pay that steeper price, he simply won’t…not for these crimes.

And so I’m left with seeing the man on a National Football League team less than two years after his 23 month sentence and wondering what I should be feeling about this. And while I find what he’s done despicable, I can’t shake the feeling that rooting against him is counter-productive and generally useless.

Instead, I’m making a conscious choice to root for him. I root for him to have changed his life and his ideals. I root for him to begin to do good for society, and particularly for the animals he used to abuse. To help make those animals’ lives better and contribute to their lives in a positive way. And to succeed in his football career which will allow him more money and more status to be able to contribute in a more meaningful way.

I’m hoping he can learn from his mistakes and become a positive, productive member of society. It honestly would serve everyone better if he does this successfully, so I wish him luck in his endeavors, and hope that he doesn’t prove me a fool.

Read more about the life and reform of Donnie Andrews here and here.

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Surprising no one, Vick returns to the NFL

The big NFL news of the day is Michael Vick signing with Philly.

It should be of no surprise that someone signed Vick. Of course someone would--as much as the NFL (and its fans) would like to think that at some point, character issues outweigh tantalizing talent, the reality is that when you get a player that is as captivating as Vick is when he's at his best then he's going to find someone who will turn a blind eye to it. On a side note, it'll be interesting to see how Vick does in Philadelphia, the city that booed Santa Claus. I expect to see plenty of dog collars on the Beagles... uh... Eagles fans this season.

But this isn't about Vick's character issues, whether he should or should not be allowed to play again, or which Philly fan will be the first one to sing "Who Let The Dogs Out?" when Vick hits the field. No, this post is about what Philadelphia is actually going to do with him on the roster.

The obvious and quick answer is that Kevin Kolb sprained his knee so the Eagles need to line up another backup QB. But Kolb's knee isn't expected to be season-ending, and AJ Feeley is tolerable enough to fill the gap.

The NFL is a copycat league... and this year, the cat being copied is going to be a wild one--the trendy Wildcat formation that Miami had so much success with last season. In the Wildcat, the snap goes directly to the running back. Really, what better role is there for Vick? We all know his running ability, and as a passer he has one of the strongest arms in the league (though with accuracy that approaches Shaq at the free throw line some days).

You don't sign a player with Vick's talent if you don't intend to use it, and you don't sign a player with Vick's baggage if you don't intend to try to get something positive in return for the distraction it brings to the team. McNabb is still clearly the starter, so there has to be another way to get Vick on the field. Getting him a few plays a game in situations designed just for him seems to be a good way to get him back into the speed of the NFL game. Andy Reid is certainly capable of figuring out a way to get the most of Vick.

So, the bottom line for Vick? A few rushes, a few passes, and probably a few highlight reel runs in the process. Lots of mocking in every stadium he plays in, including his home field. Dog collars thrown at him in Dallas, snowballs thrown at him in Philly. It's a shame he won't get to play against Cleveland and the Dawg Pound.

This is going to become the new media obsession. His first practice, first preseason game, the time he'll have to sit out, the reinstatement, the first regular season game. We're going to hear about it all. In all things, there is an upside, though--at least we won't get anymore stories about Brett Favre's un-re-un-re-un-re-un-re-tirement for a while.

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Silver lining in the cloud of Vick

Don Banks writes a very interesting note about the good that could come from Vick re-entering the NFL, and why maybe there's a reason for us to root for him to succeed...

Some members of my own family seethe at the thought of seeing Michael Vick return to some level of prominence in the NFL after serving his dog-fighting conviction, and I completely understand their indignation. But let's be clear: Michael Vick is the best thing that ever happened to combat dog-fighting in this country. Without his high-profile face attached to that sick and largely secretive world, the spotlight would not have found the story in the same way, and I say that as someone who dug into the Vick dog-fighting saga from some of its earliest days in May 2007.

As sad and grisly as the story was, Vick's deep involvement wound up being a godsend to anti-dog-fighting efforts. It assured nationwide attention, and that attention ultimately saved the lives of many of Vick's dogs plus countless others around the country who would not have cracked the public radar otherwise.

Vick's fall from grace could well serve as the tipping point that eventually eradicates dog-fighting in the United States, and that's a pretty big silver lining in a very disturbing and painful story. Vick's continued prominence will do more to end dog-fighting than any other steps could by keeping the issue alive in our woefully short national attention span.

Blocking Vick's return to the NFL and forcing him to disappear might make his many critics feel better, but it won't necessarily save more dogs. Let him resume his career and become the foremost advocate of anti-dog fighting efforts, whether or not he's sincere. Most great movements boast an identifiable public face, and for better or worse, Vick's will forever be linked to this hot-button issue.

I of course can't find the stomach to actually root for Vick. What he did was disgusting, and if I were an owner of an NFL team, I would never consider bringing him onto my team.

But this is a really interesting way of looking at the issue, and makes it less black and white than many are making it out to be.

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