myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
Who is Michael Vick? He’s an NFL quarterback, a man responsible for the torture and murder of numerous dogs and a human being asking for another chance.
What is Michael Vick? He’s a symbol, a risk and an insurance policy. Oh yeah, he’s also a Philadelphia Eagle.
The Vick signing shocked the football world. The Eagles pride themselves – or should “pride” be past tense? – on having players with character. They were one of the last teams anyone could imagine signing Vick.
The signing triggered a tsunami of opinion. Little of the heated discussion, however, concerned Vick’s value as a football player, so we’ll save that issue, including my theory that he’s an insurance policy, for later in this column. First, we’ll deal with Vick as a symbol.
Vick is a symbol of cruelty. He is a symbol of inhumane treatment of animals. He is a symbol of depraved and despicable behavior.
Why does signing Vick elicit these feelings and provoke so much outrage? Read the specifics of what was done to the dogs on his property. Look at pictures of the abused dogs. You’ll understand.
On the other hand, Vick is also a symbol of everyone who needs a second chance. He lost a fortune, spent time in prison and is saying all the right things.
The Eagles emphasized the notion of Vick symbolizing anyone seeking a chance for redemption during their news conference last Friday. The redemptive element was front and center as Eagles coach Andy Reid, former Colts coach Tony Dungy and Vick spoke to the media. Little was said about how Vick could help the Eagles on the field.
Vick’s potential on-field contributions were pushed even further into the background when Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie took center stage. During his riveting news conference, Lurie even said that the signing of Vick would not be judged by how many yards he gains, but rather by whether he becomes a valuable, productive member of society.
If Vick doesn’t become a productive member of society and take a proactive role in addressing animal abuse, Lure said, this signing will be judged as “a terrible mistake.”
Lurie, who spoke lovingly of his dogs – past and present – knows that signing Vick is a risk. A huge risk. The Eagles’ carefully crafted public image has already taken a tremendous hit. The public outcry and protests at the team’s practice facility must make Lurie uncomfortable.
Vick’s past actions are going to dog him – if you’ll excuse the expression – for the rest of his career. Now, Vick’s problems are the Eagles’ problems. That’s why signing Vick was such a huge risk.
What reward would be worth the risk of signing Vick? Some say there is no reward, not even a Super Bowl victory, great enough to justify this signing. Others are more forgiving, but are still waiting for a valid explanation.
Despite what Lurie and Reid have said, giving Vick an opportunity to redeem himself isn’t enough of a reward to justify this signing. I believe Lurie when he speaks about being agents of change, and, given Reid’s experience with his two sons’ legal troubles, I believe he’s sincere when he speaks about second chances.
But that can’t be the whole story. The Eagles aren’t in the business of helping people turn their lives around. They are in the business of winning championships. (Or, as cynics might point out, trying to win championships.)
Speculation has centered on Vick’s role in the wildcat formation. Quarterback Donovan McNabb said he wouldn’t mind Vick taking five or six snaps per game. He may also be valuable on two-point conversions.
Five or six snaps and a two-point conversion aren’t worth the risk of signing Vick. There must be another reason.
That’s why I think Vick is an insurance policy. My theory is that Reid realized the vaunted offensive line the Eagles assembled during the offseason isn’t going to be nearly as good as he had hoped.
When Reid put the organizational wheels in motion to sign Vick, one week before the actual signing, right tackle Shawn Andrews hadn’t practiced yet due to back problems and prized offseason acquisitions Stacy Andrews and Jason Peters had been limited by injuries. Then left guard Todd Herremans injured his foot. By the time the Eagles signed Vick, four of their five starting offensive lineman had questions marks of varying sizes.
A troubled or inconsistent offensive line makes it more likely that McNabb will get hurt. If McNabb gets hurt, would the Eagles replace him with a less mobile quarterback? No.
If McNabb sustains a serious injury, the best chance the Eagles have to salvage their season behind this offensive line would be to have a mobile quarterback. Regardless of what anyone says about the rest of his skills, nobody questions Vick’s mobility.
Vick is the Eagles’ insurance policy – an expensive one in terms of the Eagles’ public image – in case the offensive line falters and McNabb gets hurt.
This is simply a theory, of course. But, for me, it’s the only one that makes sense.