mike vick to eagles.

[moonpie23]

wow, with the last ten years being the drama-rama with TO and andy's kid, you'd never guess they would have gone for it....

mcnabb prolly isn't too happy about that..

[wolfpackdevil]

I really don't think that the Eagles would have signed Vick if McNabb wasn't happy about it.

This is McNabb's franchise, and I bet he likes the signing.

For one thing, Michael Vick is nothing like T.O.

And Vick could play two years under McNabb, running the wildcat and getting some reps in at QB before going to another team to start quarterback in 2 years.

[rthomas]

Being a huge Stillers fan, I'm lol...Losers!

[DukeUsul]

Now who should I root for? This Eagles fan is VERY disappointed.

[JasonEvans]

Having nothing to do with the morality of it--

From a football standpoint, I think this is a good move by the Eagles. Philly's offense has lacked spark and excitement in recent years with the exception of Westbrook. I expect them to figure out a number of ways to get the ball to Vick by lining him up in the slot and perhaps returning kicks. I don't think he will play all that much QB this year, though I could see him doing it on some 3rd downs or goal-line situations.

They will see if he has what it takes to be a QB down the road -- in a year or two when Donovan is ready to retire. Hard to see a downside for Philly from a competitive standpoint.

--Jason "as for how ti plays with the fans-- Philly fans just want to win" Evans

[Turk]

"They'll need to keep Vick on a short leash..." - David Letterman

Very surprising; I could actually see it working, depending on how long it takes Vick to get back into game shape. Sal Palaoantonio was saying that the Beagles put a couple animal rights groups in their back pocket and even ran this past Philly's mayor. Also, Vick and McNabb are apparently friends. It looks like that rookie McCoy from Pitt might give their offense a boost even if Vick doesn't work out.

[SupaDave]

Quite frankly, they are about to sell a lot of #7 jerseys in Philadelphia...

Forget the wildcat - this is the west coast offense...

One screen pass from McNabb to Vick will be all it takes. Westbrook on one side and Vick on the other in the shotgun formation leaves a defense with some tough decisions to make.

[cspan37421]

I admit being surprised by this news; I thought if he signed, he'd probably go to a team that had nothing to lose, like the Lions or Raiders. Detroit made a lot of sense to me - they've been a QB and HC graveyard for years, and at least one ex-con found redemption there (Ron LeFlore, Tigers - yeah, reaching back a bit). The only reason I thought it might not work out with the Lions was that in the last several years they've had more than one high draft pick with character issues - and maybe they're trying to pay more attention to that going forward.

The Eagles did surprise me. This is the town that booed Santa Claus? Good luck winning them over, Mr. Vick.

[Jeffrey]

I'd rather lose with high ideals, than win with Vick.

[SupaDave]

I'd rather lose with high ideals, than win with Vick.

Just curious but how is winning with Vick playing with low "ideals"?

Seriously, you need to watch Andy Reid's press conference. The guy has become the BEST spokesperson the Humane Society has EVER had especially in the area of dogfighting (which still continues to this day by the way).

By all accounts, Vick has learned to take responsibility for his actions and is using his own misdeeds as a positive to tell others not to be like him. If you can't see the potential for Vick to become a hero and a changed man in this then you are failing to understand what life and America is truly about.

I could go on and on about how many people have been allowed to continue to pursue their dreams and were made better people because of it - but you know this already.

Arthur Ashe helped me to understand a lot about this world and a lot more of us should follow that example.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

With all the public outcry, it makes me want to root for the Eagles even more. What does this say about me?

[Jeffrey]

If you can't see the potential for Vick to become a hero and a changed man in this then you are failing to understand what life and America is truly about.

Vick may be/become your hero, but he is not mine.

Vick has the choice of being a changed man or giving up his dreams. No surprise, he is conforming. That does not make him my hero.

The guy has become the BEST spokesperson the Humane Society has EVER had especially in the area of dogfighting (which still continues to this day by the way).

Vick would have been a complete idiot not to recognize that he had to do this if he wanted to play in the NFL again and make as much money as possible post-prison. IMO, he had little choice but to denounce dogfighting.

[Bluedog]

The thing I find interesting is that how professional athletic teams and the business world act to differently to ex-convicts. Could you imagine a fortune 500 company hiring a new VP who just got released from prison after serving time for a federal felony conspiracy conviction? I sure can't. Honestly, it'd be hard for somebody with his criminal background getting a job flipping burgers at McDonald's in this economy with so many unemployed, let alone a multi-million dollar salary. I realize that his conviction doesn't have anything to do with his athletic ability, but neither would it have to do with somebody's business acumen (unless it was like tax fraud or something; but dogfighting sure isn't related), yet corporations would definitely NOT hire somebody with a similar criminal background. I'm all for second chances...I just find it strange how pro sports are really the only place where somebody like him could get a decent job.

Federal felony conspiracy + felony dogfighting = no job offers and no clients. Unless you're a really good athlete.

[allenmurray]

Just curious but how is winning with Vick playing with low "ideals"?

Seriously, you need to watch Andy Reid's press conference. The guy has become the BEST spokesperson the Humane Society has EVER had especially in the area of dogfighting (which still continues to this day by the way).

By all accounts, Vick has learned to take responsibility for his actions and is using his own misdeeds as a positive to tell others not to be like him. If you can't see the potential for Vick to become a hero and a changed man in this then you are failing to understand what life and America is truly about.

I could go on and on about how many people have been allowed to continue to pursue their dreams and were made better people because of it - but you know this already.

Arthur Ashe helped me to understand a lot about this world and a lot more of us should follow that example.

If somebody wants to hire him I have no problem with his playing. He served his time.

There is a big jump between having served your time in prison and being a hero. There are many, many professional atheltes who learned to take responsbility for their actions before they smashed dogs brains into the concrete, participated in an interstate gambling ring, lied to their employer about it, and then went to jail.

Should he be allowed to play football? Sure. But he is a long, long way from hero status. We should have higher standards than that for a hero.

[SupaDave]

The thing I find interesting is that how professional athletic teams and the business world act to differently to ex-convicts. Could you imagine a fortune 500 company hiring a new VP who just got released from prison after serving time for a federal felony conspiracy conviction? I sure can't. Honestly, it'd be hard for somebody with his criminal background getting a job flipping burgers at McDonald's in this economy with so many unemployed, let alone a multi-million dollar salary. I realize that his conviction doesn't have anything to do with his athletic ability, but neither would it have to do with somebody's business acumen (unless it was like tax fraud or something; but dogfighting sure isn't related), yet corporations would definitely NOT hire somebody with a similar criminal background. I'm all for second chances...I just find it strange how pro sports are really the only place where somebody like him could get a decent job.

Federal felony conspiracy + felony dogfighting = no job offers and no clients. Unless you're a really good athlete.

Only problem with this correlation is that Vick would be the equivalent of a normal employee in a fortune 500 corporation - and not a VP.

And trust me - I'm sure you encounter folks EVERYDAY with worse charges AT their jobs...

[A-Tex Devil]

The thing I find interesting is that how professional athletic teams and the business world act to differently to ex-convicts. Could you imagine a fortune 500 company hiring a new VP who just got released from prison after serving time for a federal felony conspiracy conviction? I sure can't. Honestly, it'd be hard for somebody with his criminal background getting a job flipping burgers at McDonald's in this economy with so many unemployed, let alone a multi-million dollar salary. I realize that his conviction doesn't have anything to do with his athletic ability, but neither would it have to do with somebody's business acumen (unless it was like tax fraud or something; but dogfighting sure isn't related), yet corporations would definitely NOT hire somebody with a similar criminal background. I'm all for second chances...I just find it strange how pro sports are really the only place where somebody like him could get a decent job.

Federal felony conspiracy + felony dogfighting = no job offers and no clients. Unless you're a really good athlete.

I agree that it seems like a bit of a paradox on the surface, but I think it makes sense. The issue is, who do you have to be accountable to?

So let's say a fortune 500 CEO is found to be the head of a brutal dog fighting organization. (I don't want to use rank and file employees, because I don't think that's an apt comparison. Why hire a felon when there are crapload of equivalent folks without the baggage?) Anyway, the CEO is fired, spends two years in jail, gets out, and is looking to come back to another fortune 500 company, maybe as a VP level guy. Well, you'll have to disclose that in an SEC filing as a Section 16 officer (unless he is really junior - but that's the equivalent of Vick going UFL), which will go out to your stockholders, which likely causes a negative drop in your stock immediately. Not to mention the press coverage.

So the Company and its stockholders lose money -- and the board would pretty much have to know this would happen upon hiring him. Now maybe this guy is talented enough to bring things back down the line, but the stockholders don't want to hear that. An individual hire that you know will adversely affect your stock price is not only bad for the obvious reasons, it could lead to a derivative suit later on. I'm not sure that type of hire could even satisfy the "Business Judgment Rule," which is typically a pretty easy duty to meet.

From the Eagles perspective, I doubt they lose a dime, and they could win more games, so the immediate financial harm is simply not there.

In other words. No way the Eagles get sued here unless Vick does something bad in his capacity as an Eagle. If a Board hired a similarly situated executive, they are setting themselves up for a shareholder lawsuit.

[SupaDave]

Vick may be/become your hero, but he is not mine.

Vick has the choice of being a changed man or giving up his dreams. No surprise, he is conforming. That does not make him my hero.

Vick would have been a complete idiot not to recognize that he had to do this if he wanted to play in the NFL again and make as much money as possible post-prison. IMO, he had little choice but to denounce dogfighting.

How do you know if it's conforming or actually deciding to take responsibility for his wrongs?

I've said it before - he does NOT have to return to the NFL. His financial situation may have been in bankruptcy but truthfully was not dire compared to how the average individual lives.

He could have EASILY gotten pissed, said to the hell to the world, and let all the boo birds bring him down and send him into reclusion. It seems that many of you forget this option (by the way, when was the last time you heard from Marcus?).

INSTEAD, he manned up and has done what has been asked of him by SOCIETY and also appears to have learned something in the process. That's something to be commended and respected regardless of the mitigating circumstances.

In my book, that IS a hero. So many people crumble from life's pressures. Those that give up are weak hearted in my book anyway and I don't care how much you've stayed out of trouble b/c you probably haven't lived.

Is Vick MY hero? No, of course not, I'm grown and don't really have much need for heroes but I most surely love a good comeback story and Vick has the ability and now the clarity to re-write his future.

[rasputin]

wow, with the last ten years being the drama-rama with TO and andy's kid, you'd never guess they would have gone for it....

mcnabb prolly isn't too happy about that..

I read today that McNabb actually lobbied the Iggles to sign Vick.

[Jeffrey]

I've said it before - he does NOT have to return to the NFL. His financial situation may have been in bankruptcy but truthfully was not dire compared to how the average individual lives.

He could have EASILY gotten pissed, said to the hell to the world, and let all the boo birds bring him down and send him into reclusion. It seems that many of you forget this option (by the way, when was the last time you heard from Marcus?).

INSTEAD, he manned up and has done what has been asked of him by SOCIETY and also appears to have learned something in the process. That's something to be commended and respected regardless of the mitigating circumstances.

In my book, that IS a hero. So many people crumble from life's pressures. Those that give up are weak hearted in my book anyway...

Clearly, you're much more impressed by Vick's recent actions than I. Conforming to anti-dogfighting speak and playing in the NFL again, while making millions of dollars a year, impresses you more than me. Many people sacrifice more to keep their dreams alive and most of those dreams are not making millions of dollars a year to play in the NFL.

...and I don't care how much you've stayed out of trouble b/c you probably haven't lived.

Please, explain what you mean by that comment.

[SupaDave]

Clearly, you're much more impressed by Vick's recent actions than I. Conforming to anti-dogfighting speak and playing in the NFL again, while making millions of dollars a year, impresses you more than me. Many people sacrifice more to keep their dreams alive and most of those dreams are not making millions of dollars a year to play in the NFL.

Please, explain what you mean by that comment.

This is life and Vick is seeking redemption from people who truly have nothing to do with his everyday life. It's not about how many times you fall down but how many times you get back up.

Some of you guys are skewing things. He's no VP getting hired by some new company. He's a FORMER employee who was allowed to re-enter his profession just like Marv Albert, Pete Rose, Robert Downey Jr, Lindsay Lohan, and so on and so forth. Even doctors and lawyers who have lost licenses are offered shots at getting them back.

People make mistakes - that's why the average employer outsources counseling for a number of ailments, addictions, and disorders.

And if you don't make mistakes, I need to see your free pass on life...