Here’s one way to describe yesterday’s big win by the Eagles, especially for those who have a problem with Michael Vick as their starting quarterback.
The thrill of victory, and the agony of watching Michael Vick succeed.
I am now convinced that some people simply will never get past the idea of Vick as the face of the Eagles franchise, let alone their starting quarterback,
To many of them, the issue goes much deeper than any football game. It is a morality play.
To them Vick represents the worst in society, a person who did two years in prison for doing unfathomable things to animals.
There is no denying what Vick did.
But there also is no denying that he paid a price for it, a fairly steep one. He spent two years behind bars.
Vick’s reclamation project started last year when – to the surprise of almost everyone – he was signed by the Eagles. The outrage was immediate.
It has died down a bit, but it has not gone away.
The issues flared again last week when Andy Reid announced that Vick – not Kevin Kolb, who had been knocked out of the opener vs. the Packers and missed the Week 2 win over the Lions – would be the Eagles starting quarterback on Sunday in Jacksonville.
If they bothered to tune in at all yesterday – and I know several longtime Eagles faithful who have simply turned the team off, who will not watch and will not support a team that employs Vick – what they saw must have been something out of a Dickens’ novel.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Vick was magnificent. He clearly is the right quarterback at the right time for this team. That will not silence those who refuse to take part in his redemption, who believe that what he did is so heinous as to preclude any second chance.
Vick had a hand in all four touchdowns as the Eagles dismantled the Jags, 28-3. He threw for three TDs and ran for another one. Here are the eye-popping stats: 17-for-31 for 292 yards. No turnovers.
This morning the Eagles are 2-1 and stand alone in first place in the NFC East.
There really never was any question that Andy Reid made the right decision in going to Vick over Kolb. It was the way he went about it that baffled most observers.
I guess that would include Kolb, although you would never know it by Kolb’s reaction on the sidelines yesterday, cheering wildly as Vick dazzled the Jags.
This is Michael Vick’s team now.
Some people will never accept that. Nothing Vick does, and nothing I can write, will change that.
Michael Vick is no longer just another convicted felon, the person who bankrolled a vicious dog-fighting operation, an example of what is wrong with too many pro athletes. He is all of those things.
He also is the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. And he’s on his way to being their leader.
Michael Vick continues to say and do all the same things. He continues to impress, both on and off the field.
Welcome to the Michael Vick Era.
The thrill of victory, and the agony of watching Michael Vick succeed.
I am now convinced that some people simply will never get past the idea of Vick as the face of the Eagles franchise, let alone their starting quarterback,
To many of them, the issue goes much deeper than any football game. It is a morality play.
To them Vick represents the worst in society, a person who did two years in prison for doing unfathomable things to animals.
There is no denying what Vick did.
But there also is no denying that he paid a price for it, a fairly steep one. He spent two years behind bars.
Vick’s reclamation project started last year when – to the surprise of almost everyone – he was signed by the Eagles. The outrage was immediate.
It has died down a bit, but it has not gone away.
The issues flared again last week when Andy Reid announced that Vick – not Kevin Kolb, who had been knocked out of the opener vs. the Packers and missed the Week 2 win over the Lions – would be the Eagles starting quarterback on Sunday in Jacksonville.
If they bothered to tune in at all yesterday – and I know several longtime Eagles faithful who have simply turned the team off, who will not watch and will not support a team that employs Vick – what they saw must have been something out of a Dickens’ novel.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Vick was magnificent. He clearly is the right quarterback at the right time for this team. That will not silence those who refuse to take part in his redemption, who believe that what he did is so heinous as to preclude any second chance.
Vick had a hand in all four touchdowns as the Eagles dismantled the Jags, 28-3. He threw for three TDs and ran for another one. Here are the eye-popping stats: 17-for-31 for 292 yards. No turnovers.
This morning the Eagles are 2-1 and stand alone in first place in the NFC East.
There really never was any question that Andy Reid made the right decision in going to Vick over Kolb. It was the way he went about it that baffled most observers.
I guess that would include Kolb, although you would never know it by Kolb’s reaction on the sidelines yesterday, cheering wildly as Vick dazzled the Jags.
This is Michael Vick’s team now.
Some people will never accept that. Nothing Vick does, and nothing I can write, will change that.
Michael Vick is no longer just another convicted felon, the person who bankrolled a vicious dog-fighting operation, an example of what is wrong with too many pro athletes. He is all of those things.
He also is the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. And he’s on his way to being their leader.
Michael Vick continues to say and do all the same things. He continues to impress, both on and off the field.
Welcome to the Michael Vick Era.
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