Ed Rendell: Thanks, Michael, For All the Memories
When Peters went down, it was beginning of the end of Vick's career as an Eagle
Michael Vick's career as a Philadelphia Eagle ended on March 27, 2012. That's the day that Jason Peters ruptured his Achilles' tendon. Any chance of Mike leading us to the promised land went up in smoke, because the long-range passing game integral to the Birds' success in 2010 and during the tail end of last year depended on Vick having the time to let our wideouts go deep.
When Peters went down, it opened up more holes and subjected Vick to as horrible a continuous beating as any NFL quarterback may have ever endured. If last Sunday's concussion ended his season, it might have been merciful.
On Aug. 14, 2009, Jeffrey Lurie announced that the Eagles had signed Vick to a contract. I, like many Eagles fans, received the news with mixed feelings. On one hand, the football fanatic in me was excited about the chance to watch one of the game's most exciting playmakers. On the other hand, as the proud owner of two beautiful rescued golden retrievers, and as the governor who had passed the nation's best puppy-mill control act, I initially was appalled.
After thinking about it for a little while, I changed my mind. I realized that Mike had paid for his egregious sins by doing prison time, not in some country club, but hard time at Leavenworth. We all give lip service to the concept of redemption and second chances, but, even as a former DA, I believe in it, so I decided Michael deserved another shot. I was eager to see whether Mike was really being genuine when he promised to spend time talking to kids about the evils of dogfighting. I thought he might be playing us, just telling us what we wanted to hear. Let the record show that Mike was true to his word. He has spent countless hours doing just as he promised and doing it with no media present.
When Kevin Kolb went down early in the 2010 season, Michael became our starting QB and he took us on a thrilling magic carpet ride, and was named runner up for the NFL MVP award. He took us to the playoffs and, along the way, engineered the most amazing fourth-quarter comeback in the history of the game when we scored 28 points in the final 7:18 to beat the Giants. He did it by rushing for 94 yards and a TD, and passing for two TDs, all in the span of the final 15 minutes. In addition to treating us to the best comeback ever, in the same season he played one of the best games of any quarterback in Eagles history, orchestrating a 59-28 victory on the road against the Redskins. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards and four TDs. He also rushed eight times for 80 yards and two TDs, making his total yardage 413 yards. And his quarterback rating was just three points short of perfection!
The 2011 season was a frustrating series of ups and downs. Some games Michael played well, like the last four, but some games he was plagued with too many turnovers, and he also missed three games with injuries. Unfortunately, that pattern continued into this year when early on he looked like a turnover machine, but managed to come through in the clutch and lead us to victories over the Giants and Ravens on the way to a promising 3-1 record. Then the injuries mounted and the wheels fell off. Michael was taking a terrible pounding in the midst of a five-game losing streak. With the porous o-line, it was just a matter of time before he would be suffer an injury that knocked him out of the game. This past Sunday, that time came, and, with it, I believe, came the end of his time as an Eagle as well.
We should thank Michael for his time with the Eagles. He brought moments of breathtaking excitement. It was a great deal of fun watching this great athlete ply his trade, but doing it took a real toll on his body and his brain. For nearly 3 years, he took an incredible beating. Time after time, hit after hit, you had to wonder whether whether this time, he wouldn't get up. Somehow, fueled by an astounding amount of courage and determination, he always did. In many ways he was the ultimate NFL warrior.
While we must certainly thank Michael for all he has endured and all of the memories he gave us, we cannot ignore the fact that Vick's career here is a microcosm of this era of Eagles football. Moments of shear greatness, but a continual inability to avoid the mistakes and missteps that have prevented us from realizing our ultimate goal. In the end, as this era appears to be drawing to a close, we must all ask the million-dollar question: Would we trade one Super Bowl for all of the years we have enjoyed watching mostly contending teams that have created some unbelievable moments? The national pundits will tell you that we are lucky to have been a contender for so long and to be careful what you wish for, that Andy Reid is as good a coach as there is. My guess is that for most fans, the only memory that matters is one involving green and white confetti littered all over Broad Street. Now the onus of delivering this memory has been placed in unfamiliar hands.
Nick Foles - time's yours.