Vick’s Arrival To “The City of Brotherly Love”
Nearly three years after his dogfighting charges surfaced, former Virginia Tech and Atlanta Falcons standout, Michael Vick, has returned to the NFL. Late Thursday evening, the news the entire sports world had been waiting for since Tony Dungy eluded to last week finally came to fruition.
The Philadelphia Eagles offered Vick a two year contract, thus making an already competitve division even more intriguing.
“Vick arrived in Philadelphia Tuesday morning and remained there Wednesday evening. The Eagles will hold a news conference on Friday morning to announce his signing. The first year of the deal is for $1.6 million with an option for the second year at $5.2 million. Vick can also earn an additional $3 million in incentives over the two years of the contract”, ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli reported.
As stated in the conditions of his reinstatement, Vick will be allowed participate in the final two preseason games and can begin regular season play after week six of the regular season. Since news of the signing, much debate has centered around franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb, who has had his rough patches with the team. Eagles head coach, Andy Reid, quickly disspelled any rumors of a quarterback controversy.
“There won’t be a quarterback controversy,” Reid said. “We have to make sure he gets back in football shape. He comes into a good, stable unit here. Donovan and Michael are very close.
“Vick could be used in a variation of the Wildcat offense that the Miami Dolphins made popular last season. He’s also familiar with the West Coast offense, though Atlanta ran a different version than the one Philadelphia uses.“He’s an unbelievable athlete, both running the ball and throwing it”, Reid said. “I’ll think of something for him.”
On Sunday, Vick will be featured on an episode of 60 Minutes where he will speak candidly on the charges which landed him in prison. In an intriguing sprinkle of irony, Vick’s Eagles will travel to Atlanta to face his former team in week 13, which will surely be one of the most anticipated contests in quite some time.
