It took a concussion for that to happen.
In all of 2009, Vick attempted 13 passes, completing six for one touchdown (ironically giving him his best-ever 93.7 QB rating). He was used as a novelty, a third-string quarterback. He was in no way a significant part of the Eagles' plan — except to force opposing teams to waste practice time scheming against his potential presence.
Then, when the Eagles parted ways with Donovan McNabb, they chose the unproven Kevin Kolb to be the starter. He had to be better than the guy who could never be a real NFL QB when he was in his prime, right?
But when the Eagles took the field on Sunday against Green Bay, who took the first snap?
Michael Vick.
Vick was used with far greater frequency in the opening portion on the Green Bay game than he ever had been in 2009, and when he was off the field, Kolb struggled to orchestrate the offense.
Then, it happened. Kolb exited the game with a concussion, and Vick came in with the team in a deep hole.
Vick was going to get sacked dancing around behind the line as always? overthrow receivers by 10 yards on touch-less passes? make terrible decisions?
He didn't do any of that. While Vick did appear to have his former speed back — something not true in 2009 — he actually managed the game.
In total, he completed two-thirds of his passes, posting a higher yards-per-attempt than Aaron Rodgers did, threw a 17-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin and ran like he was playing Florida State in the BCS Title game.
If there was such a thing, it was vintage Vick.
Whether or not you agreed with the severity of his sentencing, you have to believe that Vick deserved a shot at redemption.
It may not have been the case in 2009, but, all of the sudden, Philadelphia is really the perfect situation for that to unfold.
Their offensive line looked to be the team's weakness going into the season, and now it lacks center Jamaal Jackson for the rest of the year.
Given that, would you rather have the league's fastest quarterback or a young pocket passer under center?
In the backfield, the Eagles nearly exclusively use LeSean McCoy, who coincidentally played in the wildcat in college. The strategy may already be past its prime in the NFL, but wouldn't a McCoy-Vick wildcat be as good as it gets?
And then there are the receivers. McNabb may have loved throwing checkdowns and making tight ends like L.J. Smith and Brent Celek fantasy sleepers, but Vick's strength as a passer is his powerful arm. The Eagles' receivers, DeSean Jackson and Maclin, are primarily playmakers and vertical threats.
If the Eagles go with Vick, they can compensate for their offensive line by using their skill players creatively — something Andy Reid is generally apt to do.
Reid has said that Kolb will be the starter when healthy, but he won't practice until at least Friday — meaning it is unlikely that he'll play against the Detroit Lions.
So, Vick will probably get a second chance against the Lions on Sunday. Given the opponent, he'll likely look pretty good again.
If he keeps performing, you'd have to think Reid would reconsider.
If Reid doesn't, he may be missing out on something special — and Vick may find a starting job elsewhere.
He's Michael Vick again — an older, wiser, but definitely not slower Michael Vick. That was clear on Sunday.
