Where is Mike Vick and What Have You Done with Him?

The football gods grace us with dozens of intriguing headlines and stories every season. There is no story about a single player in the National Football League that has fascinated me more than the career resurrection of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Vick. Many people in sports media throw around emotionally loaded terms, either for dramatic effect, to feed the hype machine which drives public interest in sports, or to illustrate points to children, intoxicated persons, and those with limited vocabularies. However, I cannot think of a more fitting term for what has happened to Vick's career than to describe it as a, "resurrection".

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick 2

Merriam-Webster.com describes resurrection as, "the state of one risen from the dead." "Dead" may be the only word that could accurately describe Vick's career in 2007. In the span of a few months, Vick went from being one of the most exciting players in the NFL to a convicted felon and federal inmate after entering a guilty plea on dogfighting charges. He became a punchline, often for anything and everything that could be paired with the word "dog". He was out of football for two seasons (in his prime), lost up to $100 million in assets and future earnings, based on estimates in multiple media outlets, and his reputation was ruined. The conventional wisdom was that, even though Vick was still a young man, having not practiced and played at a position like quarterback in the NFL, his skills may have eroded to a point where his playing career, at the quarterback position, was not salvageable. Vick was a mediocre passer prior to his legal troubles, and two years in prison will not help improve one's game-condition throwing skills.


Since his release from prison, his story has been remarkable. The Philadelphia Eagles rolled the dice and signed Vick to a one year contract with a club option year. He played situationally in 2009, as Donovan McNabb's backup. In 2010, Vick assumed the reigns at quarterback in Week 1 after starter Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion. Vick's performance, particularly as a passer, was remarkable and the rest of the story has written itself similarly to a Hollywood script. 


To date, Vick is the NFL's top rated passer with a 108.7 rating 1, ahead of Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and everyone else. The Philadelphia Eagles have a 7-3 record, and are in first place in the NFC East. Vick's name has been mentioned repeatedly as a front runner for Most Valuable Player, particularly since his record setting performance at FedEx Field against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football (333 yards and 4 touchdowns passing with no interceptions, 80 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing). He has not thrown an interception during the 2010 season, almost unbelievable by any standard after seven starts.

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The aforementioned on the field success is jaw dropping. What I find most surprising is the degree of growth, maturity, and leadership that Vick has demonstrated during the 2010 season. As stated previously, Kevin Kolb was the Eagles' starting quarterback when the season began. As Vick's performance garnered the attention of the sporting world, many in sports media began to question whether there was an inevitable quarterback controversy in Philadelphia once Kolb was healthy enough to play. Vick towed the company line and played the role of selfless leader and concerned teammate. Through every interview I witnessed, Vick's focus was on the good of his team. Vick has also acknowledged, directly and indirectly, how he made mistakes in his life, has wanted to change, has changed, and that he is grateful to Eagles' coaching and management for giving him an opportunity to resume his playing career. 


In my opinion, this series of personal acknowledgements reflects a greater degree of intestinal fortitude than changing one's work ethic as a quarterback, which Vick has also done with a substantial degree of success. To begin realizing God-given potential that one has always had by changing one's work habits is admirable, but to transform into a better person is far more difficult. To do so, a person must rework his inner framework because he values the need to change his life. 

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Granted, Vick may have the best handlers in the publicity business, may have been trained to handle the media well, and could be saying the right things while feeling something different in his heart. However, Vick has not focused on one aspect of his personal/professional  life and improved it. Had he done that, deficiencies in the more neglected areas of his personal/professional life would be conspicuous. It appears to me that Vick has made an effort to complete a total transformation of his life, improving all areas of his life.


So, again, I ask the football gods, "Where is Mike Vick and what have you done with him?"     


1) Source: nfl.com 
2) Image from philadelphia-eagles.net 
3) Image from mkrob.com
4) Image from jeffwinbush.files.wordpress.com