Michael Vick has gotten his wish.
Not for a second chanced at redemption; he's already gotten that in this most unusual season.
He's getting a second shot at the Packers.
And so the playoff season begins exactly where the regular season did. Eagles vs. Packers at the Linc, only with a little more on the line this time.
You might remember that after Clay Matthews turned the Eagles season upside down on opening day by pile-driving Kevin Kolb into the Linc turf, leading to a concussion and opening the door to the Michael Vick era, the one-time dog ring operator almost rallied the Birds to an improbable second half comeback win.
After the game Vick lamented that if he had been in there all four quarters, the Eagles might have had a chance to win.
Soon after, Vick supplanted Kolb as the Eagles starting QB, and uncorked a spectacular All-Pro season.
Now he has his wish, a rematch vs. Green Bay.
And now he will deliver something every Eagles fan has been wishing for the last 11years.That's how long Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb lorded over football in Philly. Fans waited patiently for McNabb to deliver that stirring end-of-game, final drive to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They're still waiting.
The wait is almost over.
Here's the deal: Green Bay scores to take a 27-23 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Birds get the ball on their own 22-yard line. 1:22 left. One one timeout remaining (some things don't change).
Enter the Michael Vick Experience.
No. 7 wills the Eagles down the field with his arm and legs. It comes down to this. Eagles with the ball on the Packers 7, 00:05 seconds showing on the clock. Vick drops back, is flushed out of the pocket, scrambles ... looking ... still looking .... then takes off for the end zone. At the 2 he puts his head down and crashes through two Packers before breaking the plane of the end zone.
30-27, Eagles win. Vick reinjures his ribs on the play and is questionable for next week in Chicago.
This game comes down to two things. Can the Packers contain Vick, and can the Eagles defense contain Aaron Rodgers. A lot of people think it would be wise for Reid to feature LeSean McCoy in an attempt to slow down the Packers rush and take some of the heat off Vick. Why would he start now. Reid instead will feature Vick throwing and running, single-handedly willing the Birds to the win.
Make it Eagles 30, Packers 27.
Last Week: The less said about the disgraceful end to the regular season the better. You can't blame Andy Reid for resting almost all his regulars; you can blame the NFL and the Eagles for charging full price for this charade. The least they could have done is offer free parking, or maybe free coffee. Of course, if it turns out the rest propels the Eagles to a win Sunday, all will likely be forgotten.
Season Record: That stufefying loss in a meaningless regular season finale dropped my season record to a fairly mediocre 9-7, while the Eagles slid to their almost traditional 10-6 mark. That's usually the number I throw out every summer when looking ahead to the Birds season. Not this year. I thought this season had all the makings of an 8-8, out-of-the playoffs disaster. Everything at this point is gravy. Unless, of course, the Birds lose Sunday, then I reserve the right to bitch with everyone else Monday morning.
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