You know the movie “Dazed and Confused?” Well, this is the sequel. “Dazed, Confused And Stunned.”
However, instead of starring Jason London, Rory Cochrane and Matthew McConaughey, this version needs only one headliner — Michael Vick.
Upon hearing the news of Vick’s two-year deal with the Eagles, my first reaction was pure shock. My second reaction was shock and my third reaction was, well, shock.
Over the last several weeks, we’d heard an assortment of teams linked to Vick. The Patriots and Seahawks were named, as were the Redskins and Dolphins. But not the Eagles. Not a peep out of the birds’ nest. And with good reason.
The Eagles had their quarterback of the present in Donovan McNabb. They had their quarterback of the future in Kevin Kolb. And they had their reliable third-string veteran in A.J. Feeley.
Or so we thought.
Now, the question — the one you’ve been asking in phone calls, text messages and emails for the last four hours — is WHY???
At the outset, this decision doesn’t seem to make sense on several fronts:
-The Eagles already had a quality group of quarterbacks. Actually, you could have made a good argument for the team needing to go out and sign somebody this week — a linebacker, an offensive lineman, a tight end, even a running back. That’s not to say there wasn’t room for improvement at quarterback, but it’s hard to argue that it was a pressing issue at this point.
-That said, a quarterback controversy is pretty much guaranteed now. Not tonight, of course, but let’s say McNabb struggles in Week 6. Let’s say he misses Week 9 with an injury and Vick plays great. This is Philadelphia. All it takes is one bad series, one bad half or one bad game and the controversy is on.
-I’m sure this point isn’t going to be received well, but Vick was never that great to begin with. Sure, he may be a three-time Pro Bowler who nearly carried the Falcons to the Super Bowl. But if you’ve ever watched him play, you know that Vick has always struggled with accuracy and he’s never been known for his decision making either. Yes, he was athletic and electrifying, but there were always doubts as to whether or not you could win a championship with him under center. And that was when he was 24, 25, 26 years old. Now he’s 29 and his best football is most likely behind him. No matter how you view it, anything Vick has accomplished in the NFL is what he “was.” What he “is” is very much up in the air.
-Furthermore, you can’t underestimate the power of not having played a down of NFL football in nearly three years. In sports, there’s always so much talk about rest vs. rust. Well, Vick — who, by the way, plays the toughest position in all of sports — hasn’t played a down of football in 956 days. He hasn’t seen a pass rush since the day after Saddam Hussein was executed. Heck, the last time Michael Vick said “hike,” nobody had even heard of Barack Obama. The point is, it’s been a long time and the layoff should not be taken for granted.
-And I haven’t even mentioned the legal problems yet. Make no mistake about it, my feelings on Vick have nothing to do with his deplorable dog fighting scandal. What he did was horrible, but I do believe that he deserves a second chance. He’s paid his debt to society and he should be able to play football again. I’m just a little confused — among other emotions — as to why the Eagles feel the same way.
This decision, like so many in life, comes down to risk vs. reward. I’ve detailed much of the risk (although I didn’t even delve into the public relations circus that’s about to engulf this team) but you have to ask yourself, what’s the reward? Is Vick going to give the Eagles’ offense a new dimension? Sure. Is he going to revert to his Pro Bowl form? Unlikely. Is he going to get this team over the hump? It’s tough to fathom.
The differences between this and the Terrell Owens situation are that T.O. was a great player when the Eagles signed him — and he filled a glaring need. He immediately made the team better just by stepping onto the field. He was such an impact player that, at the time, he was viewed as being worth the risk.
That’s the question with Vick — does the reward outweigh the risk? Whether you’re completely for the signing or steadfastly against it, we can all agree on one thing.
This debate is not going to end anytime soon.
