I Got His Autograph..Am I a Bad Person?

A friend of my family has luxury suite season tickets for the Eagles, so my dad and I made the hike to South Philadelphia to see the Eagles play their home opener against the Saints. After Sunday, I think it is safe to say that the Suite Level is full of "important people." My dad tapped a guy on the shoulder to ask how much a hat was at a souvenir stand, and the face that stared back at us was Sixer guard Willie Green, just minutes after we got off the elevator with former Sixer Aaron Mckie and his family. Even I was almost starting to feel important, almost. When we got to our suite, due to our lack of a sharpie, we were "autographless." After smiling, nodding, and shaking hands with people that I didn't know but had to act otherwise, I was handed a ticket by the suite holder that had Michael Vick's signature on it, wow. I thanked the guy for the autograph and retreated to my seat not really knowing how to feel. If I felt excited I could easily be labeled as a "dog-hater," and if I felt nothing I was not fulfilling my duties as a Philadelphia Eagles fan. But when I sat down to decipher on how I felt about the "dog killers" signature that I held in my hand, it took me into a much deeper thought on the subject.

Let's make this first part quick. I am all for Michael Vick playing football again. I am a person that believes in forgiveness, and as someone who has devoted their whole life to football Michael Vick deserves to play football again despite going to jail. He tortured and killed many dogs and I recognize that as a horrific crime, but he has paid his debt to society. Now in anticipation for Michael Vick's return to the football field on Sunday, I would like to address something that has gotten completely lost with the whole story; the fact that he is still a football player. 

What can we expect from Vick when the Eagles play the Chiefs on Sunday? We can expect boos, cheers, yes, whatever, who cares! Vick is not only a symbol of dog fighting and someone who you may see as lucky to get another chance, but in the end he is still a quarterback. I have always liked Vick as a football player. He is one of the pioneers of this new age type of scrambling throw on the run quarterback that I find interesting. My one problem is, I don't really see how he helps the Birds. With McNabb out, he will of course be good to have as a weapon who can pick up yards with his feet and through the air, but once McNabb is off the disabled list, I do not see much rationality in picking him up. When Vick was brought in during pre-season from time to time taking McNabb off the field in the process, it rattled Donovan. In the post game press conference McNabb was beating around the bush in saying that Vick being randomly shoved onto the field really wrecked the offenses rhythm. He wouldn't come straight out and say it, but us Eagles fans have known McNabb for years, we can certainly tell when he's upset, and an unhappy quarterback is an unhappy team. 

As to what Vick will bring to the table, most Eagles fans will quickly jump to saying, "The Wildcat!" Look, the wildcat is a cool type of offense that I enjoy watching; when the Dolphins use it. While a lot of teams have started to pick up this new age offense with a sprinter at the quarterback position, the Eagles are a team who are following the group but really don't need to. The offense under McNabb, the classic Eagles drop back west coast offense, is an offense that led us to the Conference Championship the year before. Why do we need Vick to an evolve an offense that is already successful. 

So when Vick takes the field on Sunday, I am not mad because he is an ex-con, or mad because I think what he did was wrong, but simply confused; because on terms of football, I just don't see the point. 

JD