Michael Vick's return to Atlanta: Good news?
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick tries to
avoid the tackle of Chicago's Alex Brown
during the first quarter of Sunday's game.
ATLANTA -- The Man American Loved to Hate -- notice the past tense -- limped to the podium late Sunday afternoon wearing simple clothes, a black pullover and slacks that didn't scream designer suit or look-at-me.
He had a smile on his face, acting almost sheepish, looking far from the high-profile star he once was, speaking softly enough that it was tough to even hear him.
Formerly known as Inmate No. 3376-183 in the federal prison system, he's now back wearing a more familiar number.
Michael Vick and his No. 7 jersey returned to Atlanta Sunday.
This time, he wasn't playing for the Atlanta Falcons, but playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. His play didn't decide the Eagles' 34-7 victory like it did so many times when he was with the Falcons since he only had a handful of snaps, but this was indeed a special day for him.
The fans chanted his name. Loudly. There were a lot of Eagles fans in the stands, but the Falcons fans chanted it as well.
"It sent chills down my spine and it made me know that people here still appreciate what I have done and what I will be able to do going forward," said Vick, who tweaked an ankle during the game. "I will never forget this game. I will never forget coming back to the city of Atlanta."
So much has happened since Vick had last played a game in the Georgia Dome, including his going to prison, losing his millions and becoming America's favorite villain for his role in a dogfighting ring.
 | |
| 'I will never forget this game. I will never forget coming back to the city of Atlanta,' Michael Vick says. |
Vick once owned this Georgia Dome field -- and the city of Atlanta, come to think of it. As quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons from 2001-06, his dazzling skills made black and red Michael Vick jerseys a fashion statement. He became a highlight-show delight, even if his passing skills always were lacking.
That was the back story as Vick returned to the field Sunday. Would the fans cheer? Would they boo? Would they even react?
They did more than just cheer. They chanted for him to play.
"We want Mike," they yelled. "We want Mike."
"This used to be his house," Eagles tackle Jason Peters said. "This is the House Mike Built. So of course it was special for him. You could just tell the way he handled it. He was excited. Why wouldn't he be? The fans loved him here. Couldn't you tell? They forgive and they forget. We saw that."
Said Eagles coach Andy Reid, who made Vick a game-day captain: "I think everybody felt it. I think everybody rallied around Mike."
There were plenty of No. 7 Falcons jerseys in the crowd, even if nobody wears that number now for the Falcons.
It was a lesson Tiger Woods had to love to see. Scandal goes away with time. It always does.
America is a forgiving place, and Vick has paid his debt to society. He seems changed. Those who know him, and some who worked in Atlanta with him, noticed the difference when they talked to him recently and again on Sunday.
This isn't the same Vick. The street-hardened kid who owned the Atlanta nightlife now seems like a mature family man, one who will be married in the spring.
Going from the top to the bottom can do that to a man. Talk about getting knocked off a pedestal. He was slammed off his pedestal by his own doing, which makes it even tougher to take.
"I want this to be an inspiring story for the kids," Vick said. "I want them to know that things happen and you have to persevere and overcome adversity. I want kids to know that if you keep that support and have faith in yourself, things will eventually work out for you."
In the third quarter, with the Falcons leading 27-0, Vick went in at quarterback after previously taking some snaps in what I call the Eagles' "Gimmick package." Vick promptly completed a 43-yard pass to Reggie Brown and then threw a touchdown pass to Brent Celek to make it 34-0.
After the game, Reid was asked if the crowd swayed his decision to put Vick in with the chant.
"It didn't sway me, no, not too much," Reid said with smile. "It didn't hurt."
Those two pass plays raised these two questions about Vick:
• Did the Eagles rub it in the face of the Falcons by putting him in a blowout and then throwing long?
• Is Vick close to being ready to be a starter again?
The answer to the first is yes. The answer to the second is still to be determined.
It's yes on the first question because there were some Falcons who thought the Eagles showed up Atlanta owner Arthur Blank by putting Vick in when the crowd called for him and then letting him throw deep. Vick and Blank, who were especially close when Vick played for the Falcons, met on the field an hour and half before the game and had a cordial chat, with Blank welcoming Vick back to Atlanta.
Then Blank had to watch his team -- playing without five offensive starters, including Matt Ryan -- get dominated in every facet of the game.
After spending 18 months in federal confinement -- a nice way of saying he was in the slammer -- Vick signed with the Eagles this season and has been little more than spot player in Wildcat situations in relief of starter Donovan McNabb. He came in Sunday in the first quarter for a few snaps, but it was his play in the second half that stole the show away from what was a dominant Philadelphia victory.
Vick scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run, threw the touchdown pass to Celek and totaled 65 yards. Normally that's not enough to warrant a mention. But it's also not every day that a convicted felon returns to face the team he disgraced.
"I was very happy for him," McNabb said. "I think everyone was looking forward to him coming in and doing miraculous things, but the most important thing we need to focus on is that he's moving forward. It takes time. Just an opportunity for a second chance trumps anything else."
If Sunday taught us anything, it's that even people America considers the most vile subjects can be forgiven.
Michael Vick isn't The Man America Loves to Hate anymore. He's just a football player who made some mistakes -- bad ones -- who's trying to prove that he's turned his life around.
"I will never forget shedding a tear on the bus ride over here thinking about all my experiences here in the past," Vick said.
Was that a tear for all he let go to waste or a tear because he's truly a changed man?
I'd say both. What happens from here is anybody's guess. He won't be back with the Eagles and wants a chance to start. Whether that happens is up for debate. But all reports are that he's working hard and craves another chance to be a star again, rather than just a gimmick.
It won't be in Atlanta. They have Ryan and that train has left the station. But if the Falcons fans are any indication, it won't matter where he plays in the eyes of the fans, as long as he produces.
Mike Vick's sins have been forgiven.
