There, I Said It: I'm Proud Of The Eagles

--Posted By BountyBowl--

Okay, so I guess I'll be the bad guy. 

We'll skip the bits where I express shock about the public outrage around Vick and the harshness of his punishment, and we can skip directly to the "Agree to disagree" phase.  We'll also table the conversation regarding the (very cool) football implications of adding Vick to the Eagles (two QBs in the same shotgun backfield?) -- plenty of time for that later.

For now, I'd just like to say that I'm proud to be an Eagles fan this morning. 

I try to avoid broader NFL stories on IgglesBlog; inasmuch as you might care to read what I think about the Birds (and that's why you show up here), I can't imagine that you want to hear what I think about the rest of the league.  Also, the world doesn't need one more jackass blathering on about Brett Favre/ Jay Cutler/ Ocho Cinco.  That said, it's not like I don't follow the league pretty obsessively, and didn't have my set of talking points about Vick.  Essentially, I thought it was ridiculous that 32 teams each thought that they had two quarterbacks better than Vick, and was bummed that they guy seemed to be getting blackballed.

Why couldn't Mike Vick get a job?  Or even an interview?  Because the team that signed him would face a ton of public scrutiny, protests, the requisite media circus -- all the stuff that'll be driving page views around here for the next couple days.  To sign Vick would require a ton of organizational confidence, and given the events of the last couple weeks (as well as the memories of the past couple years), as well as the media environment in Philly, the Eagles did not seem like a very likely destination for Vick. 

Which is what makes the signing all the more impressive. 

There is a lot of potential football upside to bringing in a guy as talented as Vick.  Maybe the Eagles will win a game or two because of his presence on the roster.  But I don't think that Andy Reid knows that -- he hasn't even seen Vick work out yet.  And while the payoff might be huge, the uncertainty about his current level of skill and fitness make this move even more staggering.  That is, the Eagles were willing to absorb the PR hit of Vick without seeing him run.  Which means that this actually wasn't just a football decision. 

The Eagles are going to be Vick's NFL halfway house.  They've offered him stability and the opportunity to prove that he is still a viable NFL player.  One team was going to be the one to take the hit for the rest of the league, with limited upside.  They're getting killed on the radio this morning, though the poll on Philly.com is only running 53-47 against Vick (with ~15,000 votes).  There will be protesters.  There will be a media circus at his first press conference/ practice/ preseason game/ regular season game.  All of that.  And the Birds still did it.

I don't like to psychoanalyze Andy Reid, but when he mentions the situation with his kids (unprompted, no less) as the reason that he was willing to give Vick a chance, well, I think can take him at his word.  And it's a move that wouldn't have happened without the support of Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner and Donovan McNabb.  They all are risking something here (reputation in the community for Lurie, sponsorship dollars for Banner, peace and quiet with the press for McNabb), and they were still willing to do it.  Greedy jerks who care more about the bottom line than winning don't make this move.  Coaches that are afraid of change and risk don't make this move.  Quarterbacks who are insecure don't approve this move.      

I'm impressed. 

Again, I was definitely in the "This Guy Did His Time And Deserves A Shot" camp before the Eagles signed Vick, but that was just because I didn't think that the Eagles would be the team to step up -- I figured it wouldn't be a PR problem we'd have to worry about.  But now that they have, I'm even more proud to be an Eagles fan.  The Eagles make a lot of noise about the importance of character -- I think signing Vick demonstrates that they actually have some.

I'm proud of the Eagles for showing the rest of the league -- owners and players alike -- that they're not afraid of negative press.  I'm proud of the Eagles for believing in second chances -- and putting their reputations behind that belief.  I think that demonstrates leadership to the owners and compassion to the players.  And I think that's pretty cool.

Go Birds.