Vicktorious Redemption

When the Philadelphia Eagles named Michael Vick as their starting quarterback, I was highly critical of the decision. I felt the organization handle the situation incredibly poorly and head coach Andy Reid undermined the trust of an entire team by making a short sighted move. Michael Vick was an erratic passer who wasn’t well suited for the west coast offense. He was an athlete on the wrong side of 30-years old that wasn’t going to get any faster. Vick was a player who always relied on his athletic ability and never put in the time or had the work ethic necessary to develop into a truly elite player.

I was wrong.

I was very wrong.

via Associated Press

Why would the Eagles throw away a succession plan they spent 3 years working on? A plan in which they traded their franchise quarterback of over a decade to a division rival to anoint the quarterback of the future. How could this team completely undermine their long-term goals by handing the reigns to a player on the last year of his contract on a team that had seemingly no shot at competing for a Super Bowl?

Because Michael Vick is THAT good.

I will openly admit that I never saw this coming. I knew Vick had regained the ability to play at the NFL level but I never thought he could play like this. In fact, I don’t think there is anyone that could honestly say they believed Michael Vick could play at THIS level.

Not only is he playing by far the best football of his career but he is doing things on the football field that I simply did not think he was capable of accomplishing. It’s more than just the stats. Sure Vick has the highest passing rating in the entire NFL and at 115.1 it is 36 points higher than his career average. He is completing nearly 63% of his passes and has 15 total touchdowns and zero turnovers. The combination of his improved passing and rushing ability have made him better than the player many envisioned when he graced the cover of the popular video game, Madden 2005.

The numbers are mind blowing but there is more. Vick is reading defenses to perfection. He is going through his progressions. His mechanics are flawless. He is looking to pass first and run if there is no one open. Vick is the first player at the Eagles practice facility in the morning and reports say they have to kick him out when they are ready to close at night. He has developed into a leader both on and off the field and is a player that his teammates clearly rally around and love to play with.

Michael Vick has became a true quarterback.

Now I must admit that part of me will always have an issue with Vick’s actions of the past. The events he participated in over a long period of time were more than just a simple mistake. They were calculated, heinous, and downright despicable. But the bottom line is that Michael Vick paid his debt to society and then some. Vick had his career derailed at the prime of his physical ability and had hundreds of millions of dollars taken away. He lost everything he had.

However, this story is no longer about the past. After spending 18 months in a Leavenworth Prison and an additional 2 months on house arrest, Vick rehabilitated his life and became a changed man. Our judicial system believes convicted felons should pay a reasonable price. They should be incarcerated long enough for them to reflect on their mistakes and change their behavior before having the opportunity to rejoin society.

Vick has done that and then some. In addition to his play on the football field, last week he was commended by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for his continued work behind the scenes to bring the issues of animal cruelty to the forefront. Vick had the opportunity to become the most visible figure in the fight against animal cruelty and he is making the most of it. He had time to evaluate the mistakes he made in the past and became a better person because of it.

When Michael Vick was given a second chance at life no one expected it turn out quite like this. The man changed his life for the better and developed into the player many thought he would always become. He now has the opportunity to lead his team and a city to a place they have never been before as this incredible redemption arc continues.

Hollywood couldn’t write a better script.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.