Vick Pleased With Debut
UPDATED (1:10 p.m.)...
PHILADELPHIA--When his long day finally was done, Michael Vick could say late Thursday night that it had been "a great day for me overall."
Vick's day began in bankruptcy court in Newport News, Va., where a judge approved his plan to repay his creditors. It ended at Lincoln Financial Field with Vick making his preseason debut for the Philadelphia Eagles. He participated in a half-dozen plays and said he was pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction he received from the crowd.
"I didn't think it was going to be that positive," Vick said after the game. "I didn't know what to expect. I was running out there on the field. I was listening to see what the reaction was going to be, and I was very pleased. That was part of the reason I wanted to go out and make some things happen. I really didn't expect that reaction, but I'm very thankful."
Vick was mostly cheered by the fans, some of whom wore Vick jerseys. Outside the stadium, there were few protesters. Representatives of local civil rights groups gathered to offer support.
"It was great to finally get out there and get my feet wet and get a feel for the game again, and see if the speed was still the same as it was two years ago," Vick said. "It felt the same. It was almost like riding a bike.... I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the time that I was out there. I had fun."
Asked specifically about the crowd reaction, Vick said: "I can't explain the feeling. It was unbelievable the way that I was embraced, just the warm welcome. It actually made me screw up one of my reads. I wanted to please the crowd and I actually made a bad play. But I came back from it, and it was awesome. It was an awesome feeling."
Said Eagles Coach Andy Reid: "I thought everybody reacted well. I didn't see anything negative."
Vick missed the last two NFL seasons while serving his federal sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia. He preseason unveiling with the Eagles came two weeks after he signed with the club.
"It was something that I've been waiting for a long time, to actually suit up and go out and get ready to play a game, regardless of whether it's the preseason or the regular season," Vick said. "It's been a long journey for me, and I just want to do it right this time around and make the most of my situation."
He called himself 70 percent of the way to being back in playing shape, and added: "Once I get myself into tip-top shape, the sky is the limit."
Vick entered the game on the Eagles' second offensive play. He played five plays at quarterback and one at wide receiver, all in the first half. He completed all four of his passes, but totaling only 19 yards. He ran for one yard on his lone carry, saying that he should have pitched the ball to his running back but was trying to make something happen to please the crowd.
Reid said he'd planned to use Vick for five to 10 plays and indicated that the Eagles "kind of got accomplished what we wanted to get accomplished" with Vick's debut. Reid added: "We were just running basic plays with the option there. He did okay, though."
Said Vick: "The game plan was we were just going to play it by ear and see how everything played out. We didn't put a limit on it, the amount of plays that I was gonna play. Marty [Mornhinweg, the Eagles' offensive coordinator] just told me to be ready at any given moment. I had my package [of plays].... Some things worked. Some things didn't."
Vick said he wasn't nervous "at all."
The toughest part of his day was over by the time he arrived at the stadium, he said.
"The easy part was getting back and getting out there on the football field," Vick said. "It was tough. It was kind of draining on me mentally and to my body. I had to get on an airplane and fly to Virginia and get back to Philadelphia. But you've got to do what you've got to do. You've just got to persevere through all situations. It was a great day for me overall."
Reid said it hadn't been determined whether Vick will play in the Eagles' preseason finale. Vick is eligible to play in that game under the terms of his conditional reinstatement by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. After that, nothing is certain. Goodell is to rule by Week 6 of the season on Vick's eligibility to play in regular season games.
Reid and the Eagles must work out some problems on offense. Donovan McNabb, after starting the game at quarterback, sometimes lined up at wide receiver when Vick was in the game. The Eagles never developed any offensive rhythm in the first half and trailed, 17-6, at the intermission. They won, 33-32, mostly because of the contributions of second- and third-stringers. The starting offense was booed at times. But Reid said the lack of offensive cohesion couldn't be blamed on Vick going in and out of the lineup in the first half.
"I expect the guys to make that part of the rhythm," Reid said, "and make that work."
McNabb said after the game he'd found it tough to get the offense flowing with the first-half quarterback rotation.
"I think that is very important in a game when you're playing, if it's the regular season or preseason, to get that rhythm going," McNabb said. "And if you're going to show different looks, make sure it's the right time. That's what the preseason is for, to make sure that you know when that time is. And we'll get that time together, but I thought it was important at that time for our offense to kind of get out and run our offense."
Vick spent the second half on the sideline, wearing a baseball cap instead of a helmet.
"I just want to help this football team win, whatever I have to do," Vick said. "I just want to be able to make plays and say that I contributed and I helped this football team reach their one common goal. That's winning, at the end of the day, and hopefully winning a championship."
By
Mark Maske
|
August 28, 2009; 12:03 AM ET
| Category:
Eagles
Save & Share:
Previous: Vick Appears Done For Night |
Next: Rules Tweaked To Address Punt Issue
Posted by: abby0802 | August 28, 2009 7:03 PM
@ RVANAGS. By "urban", I guess you are saying black. If you want to sling racial slurs, don't hide behind euphemisms, say what you really mean. An indirect insult is still an insult. And in case euphemism is not a part of your normal vocabulary, it means "a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener."
Last I checked, Syracuse is a predominately white school, and McNabb tried to recruit him there too, but Vick chose to go to Virginia Tech. Nothing urban about Blacksburg either since it is truly in a rural area. Contrary to your belief, McNabb really wanted him on the team and he has said it on the air. Why do you question McNabb's sincerity? Why do you try to project your doubts on a "community" that you obviously can't relate to since you can't even refer to it directly?
Posted by: Carole5520 | August 28, 2009 6:49 PM
Good job and a productive day for you, Michael !!! Wish you the best and peace to play and enjoy football!!! Life is too short !!! I hope you will help the Eagles win many games
Posted by: gbui | August 28, 2009 6:30 PM
The Redskins will finish with a 4-12 record.
Jason Campbell, is definitely not an NFL Quarterback.
It's time to say goodbye to Vincent Cerrato.
Too bad, Danny Snyder.
Danny Snyder loves Penn State.
Maryland basketball will finish with a 15-16 record
No NCAA bid
No NIT bid
Maryland Football will finish with a 2-10 record.
Maryland's defensive line and linebacker corps are a joke --- no pass rush whatsoever and give up a ton of long yardage plays.
I have seen harder hitting teams in powder puff leagues.
The only hard hits the Terps make - are out of bound plays - which cost them an additional 15 yards - which are quite frequent.
California's running back - Best - will gain 296 yards in the opening game
I love it, when Maryland constantly gets embarrassed on national TV.
Prediction:
California -- 56
Maryland -- 10
It's hilarious to see Maryland win a game - and the very next week get clobbered by a Virginia Tech - Boston College.
It is great to see Maryland go down to a crushing defeat on the football recruiting front (the kids they have received commitments from - are a joke! - taking the bottom of the barrel)
Carolina Blue - Carolina WHITE - Go Tar Heels - Let's go Tar Heels !
Posted by: hclark1 | August 28, 2009 2:49 PM
Well, Osama is pretty tall so he could be a good red zone target at WR...
Posted by: ozpunk | August 28, 2009 2:49 PM
Eagles fans would support Osma Bin Laden if they felt that he would improve their chances of winning a Super Bowl. Just another reason to that leads me to believe that most Eagles fans are scumbags.
Posted by: JLawrence2159 | August 28, 2009 2:28 PM
Regardless of whether you think Vick should be in the NFL, I don't see the Eagles' "quarterback by platoon" idea working very well. I can't see how the offense is going to maintain a rhythm from play to play. Other teams that run the Wildcat don't seem to make quarterback substitutions, but just shift the existing quarterback around the formation. Not to say that using Vick as the "X Factor" is hopeless, but I can see the potential for much confusion and sloppiness, which is already a problem for the Eagles.
Moreover, when the "boo birds" at the Linc come out for McNabb--and you know they will at the first opportunity--having a former Pro Bowler standing on the sidelines will make it that much more difficult for Andy Reid not to yank McNabb.
Posted by: acoberst1 | August 28, 2009 1:58 PM
Yeah, but McNabb has already grown tired of the Vick experience and I honestly wonder if he ever was truly on board with this signing??? I think he was prodded into being on board. How would it look to the urban community if Donovan came out and said, I don't want him on our team or I am not thrilled about it..... he would be literally trashed verbally for his remarks. You can tell by his demeanor on the sidelines and his press conference last night that he does not want to share the field and this team with him.
Posted by: rvanags | August 28, 2009 11:21 AM
You're an idiot. McNabb has been close friends with Vick for many years, and has been very clear from the beginning of this. He said that he lobbied for the Eagles to sign his friend Vick and that he does not feel threatened in any way by his presence on the team.
So basically, you're calling McNabb a liar because you can read minds and tell by his demeanor. Wow, you really are that stupid.
Posted by: Barno1 | August 28, 2009 12:08 PM
Yeah, but McNabb has already grown tired of the Vick experience and I honestly wonder if he ever was truly on board with this signing??? I think he was prodded into being on board. How would it look to the urban community if Donovan came out and said, I don't want him on our team or I am not thrilled about it..... he would be literally trashed verbally for his remarks. You can tell by his demeanor on the sidelines and his press conference last night that he does not want to share the field and this team with him.
Posted by: rvanags | August 28, 2009 11:21 AM
Donovan and Vick lining up as wide receivers?!? Those are just injuries waiting to happen to key role players. Good luck with that!
Posted by: JohnWWW | August 28, 2009 8:32 AM
Good for him.
Posted by: shamken | August 28, 2009 7:27 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Vick can be pleased all he wants -- he's still an animal killer -- he does NOT deserve to be playing football -- he should be given a minimum wage job picking up animal messes.
But in America money trumps morality.