Posts Tagged ‘Michael Vick’

You go to sleep one day and wake up to find that Tony Dungy has morphed from a Super Bowl winning coach to the voice and conscience of the NFL.

It was Dungy who helped pave the way for the return of Michael Vick in Philadelphia. And it seems when there is an issue in the league that everyone turns to him.

For a soft-spoken guy, the respect that everyone has for the former Colts’ coach gives him a booming voice whether he is talking about controversial subjects like player felonies or helping out Jeff Fisher in the “Peyton Manning Jerseygate.”

Yesterday he was on the Dan Patrick radio show advocating that the Tennessee Titans say yes on a new QB.

“I would really try Vince Young right now,” said Dungy who thinks that might spark the winless team.

Dungy certainly knows good quarterbacking having had future Hall of Famer Manning in his team meetings.

So that brings us to the question of whether it is time to see more of Vince Young and Michael Vick.

Eagles fans envisioned some cool things happening with Vick’s talent and Young was once the bright future in Tennessee.

Young has thrown five passes with no completions this season. He has rushed for five yards. Vick is 1-for-5 passing with 13 rushing yards.

If Philadelphia’s Andy Reid had any thoughts of utilizing more of Vick this might be the time. The next three games are with Washington, New York and Dallas. If you can’t have trickeration with conference foes when can you?

Jeff Fisher’s decision in Tennessee is much easier. The Titans are running on two flat tires and a decision has to be made about Young’s future. You can’t do worse than no wins. You have a bye week to ease Young back and then a home game against Jacksonville.

Michael Vick is back with Nike two years after the company severed ties over the quarterback’s involvement in a dogfighting ring.

“Mike has a long-standing, great relationship with Nike, and he looks forward to continuing that relationship,” his agent, Joel Segal, said Wednesday.

Segal would not reveal terms of the agreement. Nike, however, denied it had signed Vick to a sponsorship contract in a statement released to CNBC.

“Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick,” Nike spokesman Kejuan Wilkins said in the statement to CNBC. “We have agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike.”

The supposed deal was announced during a panel discussion at the Sports Sponsorship Symposium by Michael Principe, the managing director of BEST, the agency that represents Vick.

The endorsement is the latest step forward for Vick as he seeks to rehabilitate his career and his image after serving 18 months in federal prison. On Sunday, Vick played his first regular-season game since December 2006.

“It is quite evident that athletes that run afoul of the law are by no means relegated to obscurity when it comes to pitching products,” said David Carter, a professor of sports marketing at the University of Southern California.

Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 13. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave him his full reinstatement Sept. 3, saying he could return to the field in Week 3.

Vick participated in 11 plays, accounting for 30 total yards, in the Eagles’ 34-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, as Philadelphia tries to use him in a variety of ways as a backup.

Nike, which signed Vick as a rookie in 2001, terminated his contract in August 2007 after the Atlanta Falcons star filed a plea agreement admitting his involvement in the dogfighting ring. At the time, Nike called cruelty to animals “inhumane, abhorrent and unacceptable” and halted release of his fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V.

Back when Vick first signed with the Eagles, Carter had said he was “too toxic for most companies to even consider taking a chance on him.” What’s changed? As Carter noted Wednesday, there has been little backlash to the quarterback’s return to the NFL.

Protests have been limited, and the Eagles’ sponsors have stood by them. That experience could make companies less wary about adding Vick as an endorser, though the biggest determinant might be no different from any other athlete: how well he performs on the field.

Retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods said earlier this month that it wasn’t carrying Vick’s Eagles jersey in any of its 300 stores as a business decision.

But Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at University of Oregon, isn’t surprised that Nike re-established its relationship with Vick.

“Nike has a history of supporting athletes. I think they are supporting an athlete who still garners attention,” Swangard saud. “This is about Michael Vick as the athlete not Michael Vick the prisoner. … When he is inside the lines of the field he is an exciting football player and that’s what a brand like Nike can tap into.”

Vick signed a $1.6 million deal with the Eagles, with a team option for the second year at $5.2 million. He was once a corporate star — holding multimillion dollar deals to market everything from sneakers to sports drinks. But those millions are long gone.

In July, Vick filed for bankruptcy protection while serving his sentence, saying he owed between $10 million and $50 million to creditors.

To Carter, Nike likely made a calculated business decision that the benefit of sales tied to Vick outweighed any potential public outrage.

Vick must still have some selling power if the company is getting behind him, he said. “Nobody understands their consumer and has their finger on the pulse of their consumer like Nike does.”

PHILADELPHIA — Donovan McNabb is still not able to practice and it appears unlikely he will play this week.

McNabb, who suffered a broken rib in a season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers, is expected to miss his second straight game as the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) meet the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Lincoln Financial Field.

With the Eagles on a bye next week, resting McNabb gives him more time to heal before the Eagles host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 11. McNabb was at Thursday’s practice, but only watched.

Third-year QB Kevin Kolb started last week in a loss to the New Orleans Saints and is expected to start again.

Veterans Jeff Garcia and Michael Vick, back from his league suspension, will be the backups.

Eagles coach Andy Reid has said that Vick is not ready to be a starter. Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Thursday that Vick definitely will see action in Sunday’s game.

“He’ll play. How much we’ll see as the week goes on,” Mornhinweg told reporters, according to The Morning Call. “I think he’s in top physical condition. We’ll see how he handles a few things we have in for him.”

Vick, in an interview with CBS to air Sunday, said he thought he would be a starting quarterback upon his return to the NFL.

“This is not the exact scenario I thought would play out,” Vick told CBS. “I thought I’d be playing with a team and actually starting.”

Vick told CBS he plans on making his second chance in the NFL last.

“I know I can play this game,” Vick said. “I know I can play it for a long time. I still have the speed, the quickness and the mind to run an NFL offense.”

Superman. The Wildcat Originator. Michael Vick has the nicknames ready. All he needs is a chance to play.

After spending 18 months in federal prison and sitting out the first two games as the final league penalty for his role in a dogfighting ring, Vick is eligible to play his first regular-season game in 33 months when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback was so excited Wednesday he ran full speed in the morning walkthrough.

“I’ve been watching football from afar the last two years and this is a dream come true to me,” Vick said.

His role is uncertain because the Eagles have a complicated situation at quarterback. Donovan McNabb did not practice Wednesday because of a broken rib that forced him to miss last Sunday’s 48-22 loss to New Orleans.

Kevin Kolb would make his second straight start if McNabb, injured in the season opener at Carolina, can’t play against the Chiefs. Kolb made his first NFL start against the Saints, throwing for 391 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Coach Andy Reid isn’t sure whether Vick or Jeff Garcia would be the backup quarterback. Reid wouldn’t even say that Vick is definitely playing against Kansas City. Vick said he will be in uniform, so that means he’ll at least serve as the No. 3 QB.

“One thing we do know is I’m going to be dressed up, so that’s a great opportunity,” Vick said. “This is Andy’s team. He’s a smart guy. He knows what to do and when he comes up with the game plan. If it doesn’t include me, I’m cool. But, I will make sure that mentally I’m aware of what’s going on and I’m ready in case something happens. You never know what can happen.”

When he plays, Vick is expected to run Philadelphia’s version of the wildcat offense. The Eagles used that formation nine times against the Saints with three different players taking snaps. Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and running back Brian Westbrook took turns handling the ball. Westbrook even threw an incomplete pass to Leonard Weaver at the goal line.

Vick is quite familiar with a nontraditional offensive style. During his six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, he was more known for his running ability than his passing skills. He holds several rushing records for QBs, including most yards in a season (1,039) and most career 100-yard games (eight).

“I was the Wildcat originator, so it’s not foreign territory to me,” Vick said. “It’s just about making the right decisions and just playing football. It’s almost like backyard ball, but it’s become quite immense in this league now. Everybody’s doing it, so I’m excited about my role.”

Considering everything that he’s been through since he last played a meaningful game — also at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 31, 2006 — Vick feels his career has been rejuvenated. He certainly doesn’t take anything for granted anymore.

“My appreciation for the game has changed tremendously,” Vick said. “I feel like I missed a lot of football. Me coming into a different system, a system I’m pretty familiar with but a lot of different concepts, I sit back and study harder, I try to watch more film and do all the things that are going to help me once I step out on the football field. I have different work habits now. I get up and I’m here by 7:15 in the morning and I’m working out.”

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has a fractured rib on his lower left side, coach Andy Reid said Sunday afternoon.

It is unknown how long McNabb will be sidelined, but Reid said “there’s a chance,” he would play next week against the New Orleans Saints.

McNabb will be examined further on Monday after the team returns to Philadelphia.

McNabb scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 38-10 lead. He didn’t immediately get up after the touchdown, and was attended to by Eagles trainers before eventually leaving the field on his own.

While he was on the ground, quarterback Michael Vick was captured on TV standing in a stadium suite to watch McNabb. Vick is suspended for the first two regular season games to complete penalties for bankrolling a dogfighting ring.

Michael Vick may learn about his potential full-time reinstatement to the NFL soon.

ESPN reported that commissioner Roger Goodell could rule by Saturday on whether Vick can begin playing in regular-season games. Saturday is the day teams must trim their rosters to 53.

NBC analyst Tony Dungy, who served as Vick’s mentor after he left jail in July, seconded those comments today. “I do think the commissioner is going to rule fairly soon and wants to give the Eagles an idea of what’s going to happen,” Dungy said. “Let Michael know when he can expect to play.”

EAGLES CONTROVERSY? Reid says Vick ‘not looking to dethrone Donovan McNabb’

Goodell, who conditionally reinstated Vick in July after his sentence for a federal dogfighting conviction ended, said on Tuesday he has been speaking regularly with the Eagles quarterback.

“A lot of those issues I’m focusing on are off the field,” Goodell told reporters. “How is he dealing with the transition? … Does he have the right people around him helping him make decisions?”

The commissioner vowed to rule on Vick’s regular-season eligibilty by Week 6, though he left open the possibility that he could reinstate Vick sooner.

ESPN said NFL insiders believe he could clear Vick to play starting in Week 3. Vick missed all of the 2007 and 2008 seasons because of his conviction.

NFL VP of football operations Ray Anderson said in July that “if all goes well,” the commissioner could clear Vick to play as early as Week 1.

A massive demonstration is planned to support Michael Vick at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday, when Vick is expected to make his debut with the Eagles.

The Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and other local civil rights groups had planned a demonstration to support Vick.

However, the Eagles called the NAACP after hearing of the plans for the demonstration at the stadium, and asked them to cancel the rally to stop a potentially “ugly scene,” J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP told ESPN.

Mondesire told The Associated Press later Wednesday evening that his group and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia had decided to proceed with their march on Thursday.

“We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to

hold him hostage for the rest of his life,” J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday. “We think that’s patently unfair. It denies Michael Vick’s basic civil rights, denies him his ability to make a living.”

The Eagles’ security operation is planning for individual animal rights protests outside the stadium.

Earlier Wednesday, Mondesire said about a half-dozen groups from around the Philadelphia area were planning to meet at the front of Lincoln Financial Field and begin a march around the stadium prior to the Eagles’ preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Eagles have not heard of any planned demonstration or protest from animal rights groups, which met with team management for two hours on Monday at the team’s practice facility. Although no local animal rights group have yet to partner with the Eagles or Vick in a local anti-dogfighting campaign, the meeting appeared to end on a positive note and head off any planned massive protest, participants said.

Meanwhile, animal advocates are throwing a tailgate party on the other side of town

Thursday for the 2nd Chance Dogs campaign — a pointed reference to Vick’s second chance in the NFL — to increase awareness of dogfighting and encourage adoption of rescued pit bulls.

The initiative, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was launched after the Eagles signed Vick, who served 18 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.

“As a lot of people have pointed out, [Vick's] animals never got a second chance,” SPCA chief executive Sue Cosby said. “We need to speak for them.”

Local animal advocates seem to be keeping their distance. Rather than protest Vick or work with him, they prefer to use the public debate about his return to the NFL to raise money and awareness of animal cruelty issues.

“The animal welfare groups really have no interest in working with Michael Vick,” said Tom Hickey Sr., founder of the Pennsylvania advocacy group DogPAC.

Hickey, who is also a member of the state dog law advisory board, has more than 5,000 signatures on a petition asking the Eagles spend the equivalent of Vick’s salary — $1.6 million — to establish a rehabilitation and training center for dogs.

Nothing was decided at the meeting, but Hickey felt it was constructive.

“I think it was very educational for the Eagles. It was important that they get involved in the community,” he said.

Eagles senior vice president Pamela Browner-Crawley told reporters afterward that “financial support is on the table,” along with other resources, but gave no details.

Karel Minor, executive director of the Humane Society of Berks County, wrote on the agency’s Web site that he was one of many at the meeting who felt it was time to stop chastising the team and start using its resources to help animals.

“We can make use of the power and influence of the Eagles to make a positive difference,” Minor wrote. “We can challenge them to make good on their promise to help us end dogfighting and maybe even more.”

Michael Vick will appear in bankruptcy court in Newport News, Va., to testify at the confirmation hearing for his Chapter 11 reorganization plan on Thursday morning. He will then fly back to Philadelphia to be eligible to play in the Eagles’ third preseason game, a source close to Vick told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio on Sunday.

Vick is scheduled to fly to Virginia late Wednesday night after the Eagles hold a mock game in practice, the final tune-up for Thursday’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The bankruptcy hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and last until the early afternoon. Vick must appear until the hearing is over that day, a source said.

The Eagles are aware of Vick’s court date and his unusual game-day travel plans. The team would not divulge whether the organization is handling his travel arrangements or he is flying commercial to and from Virginia.

“It will not affect his game status,” a team spokesman said.

With Michael Vick back in the NFL, so is the availability of customizable jerseys bearing his name. Including one for your dog.

The New York Daily News revealed on Wednesday that the league is selling jerseys that consumers can custom-order for their pets with Vick’s name on it. “Like any other player, customers can obtain that name and that jersey if they wish,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the Daily News. “As far as putting it on the dog product, he’s working with humane societies, working to educate others on this issue, so we don’t see a problem.”

Vick signed with the Eagles last week, less than a month after finishing a 20-month sentence for a federal dogfighting conviction.

The league is still ruling out customized jerseys with names and phrases it considers offensive. And “Bad News,” the name of the dogfighting ring Vick was associated with, is now on the list.

“That has been added to the filter of names that are inappropriate, and fans will no longer be able to customize their jerseys in that way,” Aiello told the Daily News. “You can choose to purchase a Vick jersey just like any other player, but ‘Bad Newz’ is inappropriate for obvious reasons.”

Also, Dick’s Sporting Goods said Wednesday that it will not sell Vick’s jersey until they get more feedback from Eagles fans.