Nathaniel

Shockey

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August 19, 2009

Michael Vick Signs, and This Eagles Fan Goes Into Mental Overload

I can’t even remember what I was doing when I read the headline on my computer screen: VICK SIGNS WITH PHILADELPHIA EAGLES. What I do remember is that, throughout my illustrious career as a cantankerous Philadelphia sports fan, never have I been so surprised. Michael Vick – dogfighter, ex-con, with unrivaled quickness and an easily rivaled arm, the guy who could easily remain homeless in the NFL for another year or two – has just signed with my Eagles.

So yeah, I was shocked. I’m still shocked. But it’s been almost a week, so instead of continuing to look puzzled and “just as curious as you are” whenever the topic comes up, it’s time to organize my thoughts. Here are a few of them.

Concerning Vick the dog-fighter-turned-animal-rights-activist, allow me to take a page out of the Mike and Mike in the Morning playbook and say “just shut up.” First of all, he’s been in prison for two years, which means he’s paid his societal debt. If you’re still outraged about it and think he should never be allowed to earn a living anymore and would prefer to donate tax dollars so Vick and guys like him can continue to be clothed, fed and housed by U.S. prisons, you need to go to Wal-Mart, find someone wearing a blue shirt, ask them where the game aisle is, and when you get there, look for this thing called a clue. In the same aisle, you can find another thing called a life.

On a related point, I’d like to quickly break down the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s great caution when reinstating Vick, as well as Eagles’ Owner Jeffrey Lurie’s crucial need to feel Vick’s “remorse” and even “self-hatred.” Both of these giants of the league got where they are because they know how to turn a profit. Any investment has to be measured as risk vs. reward. What’s the risk with Michael Vick? If he were to relapse into dog-fighting, the NFL and the Eagles would look bad and might lose money. The reward? The attention that the NFL and the Eagles receive will be worth tens of millions of dollars in ticket sales, jerseys (guess which jersey is the highest-selling jersey right now?), and television advertising as ratings will undoubtedly skyrocket for Eagles games.

The rest of the league will receive a bump as well, simply in collateral attention given. Vick is not so stupid that he’ll reorganize a dog-fighting ring, which means there is practically no risk.

So what’s the real reason Lurie and Goodell appear so concerned that Vick is a changed man? Look at it this way: Imagine that, upon Vick’s release from jail, Goodell had reinstated him automatically, only responding to concerns about Vick the dog-fighter when specifically asked, and even then, saying only, “He’s paid his debt to society and it is not my concern. He will certainly be a valuable asset to the NFL and any of its teams.” The media would go into a feeding frenzy, and in all probability, would plague his family, friends and possibly even pets for generations. Of the many noble things the media stands for, one is that animals are just as important as humans, and let’s never forget they were here first.

Lurie and Goodell are doing their best to keep the media off their backs. They want Vick participating in the league as early as they possibly can get him without being brutalized by the media. And that’s why, among the many stipulations of signing Vick, one was that he out-duels Sarah McLachlan as the world’s fiercest opponent of animal cruelty. Good move everyone. Not the noblest, but plenty savvy.

As an Eagles fan, I don’t love the move, but I also don’t hate it. Vick was never a great quarterback. He was a great rusher, and an average-at-best passer. Under his leadership, the Atlanta Falcons reached one NFC championship game (only to be beaten by the Eagles). He’s now the best backup in the league, but if rumors happen to be true that the real reason the Eagles hired Vick was to replace Donovan McNabb in 2010, Philadelphia better get used to the idea that its team is many, many years away from a championship. I fear Eagles’ ownership may be operating under the fantasy that Vick will not only equal but pass his former effectiveness. Reports are that he’s been more diligent and disciplined in practice than he has ever been in the past.

Of course he is. He just got out of prison, He’ll practice from dawn ‘til dusk if he has to. It’s way better than 24-hour confinement. But it doesn’t mean he’s going to suddenly become a great passer in addition to a great runner. McNabb has been working diligently for almost 10 years in the NFL, and he’s still not a great passer. It sounds like nailing Jello to a tree to me.

But still, Vick is an incredibly gifted kind of Jello. With some work, it’s hard to imagine him not helping a team. And financially, he’ll be worth much more than the paltry $1.6 million he’s receiving this year, and even the $5.2 million next year if the team so chooses to retain his services. Four years ago, Vick received the largest contract in NFL history, worth $130 million over 10 years. I’d say the Eagles are getting a good deal.

I can’t wait to see what happens.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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