Vick Gets a Second Chance

Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com

PHILADELPHIA -- The most surreal press conference in Philadelphia Eagles history took place Friday morning. While Michael Vick sat between Andy Reid and Tony Dungy, public opinion sat clearly divided, on whether the Eagles had made a compassionate move that will pay dividends, or a huge mistake they will eventually regret.

Speaking at length publicly for the first time since his incarceration and his suspension from the NFL, Vick said he was remorseful, grateful for a second chance, and committed to being a positive force in the community. But he also said his actions, not his words, would reveal his remorse.

He recognized that some fans would never forgive him for his past involvement with dog fighting.

"To this day I have to live with that shame and that embarrassment," Vick said, flanked by Reid, the Eagles' head coach, and by Dungy, his mentor and a former NFL head coach. "Our country is a country of second chances. I paid my debt to society. I spent two years in prison. That was a humbling experience. I can't explain how deeply hurt and how sorry I was."

Three NFL teams seriously pursued Vick, according to his agent, Joel Segal. FOXSports.com reported one of those teams was the Bengals. But once the Eagles became involved, they became Vick's first choice, because of quarterback Donovan McNabb, and the overall stability of the franchise.

Vick signed a one-year contract worth $1.6 million, with an option for a second year at $5.2 million.

"I've been away for two years," Vick said. "I have to start somewhere. I have to crawl before I walk. I can't imagine going out after a two-year hiatus and trying to start for a football team. As much God-given ability as I have, I don't think I'd be able to do it.

"Donovan is one of the best quarterbacks in the game. The way he has been polished comes from coach Reid. I want to get with those two, and do as much as I can to become a complete quarterback."

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie held a press conference following Vick's. Lurie admitted it was extremely difficult to approve the Eagles' newest player, and he was appalled by Vick's cruelty to animals. But after a lengthy meeting with Vick, and talking to others, Lurie became convinced Vick was truly remorseful.

"Some of the best decisions that have been made have been the ones that have been the most unpopular," Lurie said. "If I thought for one instant that this player would be disruptive or unable to be a good teammate, and not become a role model, there's no way I would have allowed this to happen. If it becomes at all apparent that we're wrong, it won't take very long to make that change."

Vick will practice Saturday to begin working himself back into football shape. Reid envisions incorporating Vick in the Wildcat formation, utilizing Vick's ability to throw and run, while lining him up in a variety of formations.

"You can ask defensive coordinators on other teams if they're worried about that," Reid said.

Eagles president Joe Banner said the Eagles first evaluated whether Vick had learned from his mistakes.

"We had to make sure the character aspects were good enough," Banner said. "Once we got past that test, it became a football decision. Can he make a difference? Our goal is to win a Super Bowl. Based on the research we've done, we think the risk is fairly minimal, but nobody has any illusions that it's zero. You never know. We feel we've done everything we can to find out where Michael's been the past few years, and we mean in his head. Based on that, we are optimistic, but not positive, that the future will be good. We have a lot at stake, both in terms of what we think he can do on the field, and based on how people will react if we took this chance and turn out to be wrong.

"We're open-eyed about the consequences of being wrong. But we have never been afraid of taking a chance. But we don't take risk blindly. We don't fly by the seat of our pants. We've made an informed decision. Therefore the risk in our minds is fairly small."

Vick said he looked forward to rewarding the Eagles for their faith in him.

"I'm glad that coach Reid and the rest of the organization stepped forward," Vick said. "I'm glad I got the opportunity and the second chance. I won't disappoint."

Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.

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