By John Russo
@Roose_TTB

PHI: 1-2, 4th in NFC East

SF: 2-1, 1st in NFC West

Spread: 
Eagles by 9
Where: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)

When: 1:00, FOX

Last time met: Oct. 10, 2010: It was week 5 last year and the Eagles were without quarterback Michael Vick when he was hurt the previous week. Kevin Kolb returned from his week 1 and threw for 253 yards and a touchdown in the win. LeSean McCoy rushed for 92 yards and a TD and Jeremy Maclin added 95 receiving.

Opposing player to watch – TE Vernon Davis: The Eagles cannot cover a TE to save their lives. It will be a test for newly starting weakside backer Bryan Rolle as well as the Eagles awful safeties. Davis has 179 yards on 15 catches but has yet to catch a touchdown pass. That could change this week.

Offenses
Eagles: Michael Vick is likely to play this Sunday despite a right hand contusion. Though he’s hurt, he’s still a better option than Mike Kafka. Vick also swore this week the only way he’s leaving the game is on a cart because he’s tired of letting his team down. DeSean Jackson has yet to establish an type of consistency while Jeremy Maclin is looking more to be the top receiving option. Maclin has caught a team high 19 passes for a team high 260 yards and two touchdowns. LeSean McCoy has been Philadelphia’s best weapon, gaining 345 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and another 49 receiving.

49ers: Alex Smith has not been lighting up the scoreboard but he’s protecting the football. Though he’s only thrown for 504 yards, he’s completed 69% of his passes and thrown only one interception to his two touchdowns. But he’s been sacked 11 times. San Fran hasn’t had a standout receiver this season. Davis is their leading receiver. Frank Gore has rushed for only 148 yards on the ground, an incredibly slow start for him, who is usually good for 1,000 yards when healthy.

Advantage: The Eagles have more weapons but the success of the offense hinges on Vick’s health. Advantage Philly.

Defenses:
Eagles: They can’t stop the run and they can’t cover tightends. They can’t tackle in the open field either. The Eagles defense is 30th in the league stopping the run and it’s sickening to watch. The only bright spots have been Trent Cole, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins, who have a combined 11 sacks in the first three games.

49ers: Tramaine Brock has two interceptions for the unit, which has five on the season. But their front seven has managed only seven sacks, which could be a good thing for the Eagles weak offensive line. They’ve allowed 17.3 points per game in the first three games.

Advantage: If the Eagles can’t stop the run, it will be a long day for them.
Advantage San Francisco.

Injury Report:
Eagles: Out: DE Juqua Parker (ankle). Doubtful: Darryl Tapp (pectoral). Probable: S Nate Allen (knee), WR Steven Smith (knee), QB Michael Vick (hand), WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring).

49ers: Out: WR Braylon Edwards (knee). Questionable: RB Frank Gore (ankle), S Donte Whitner (hip). Probable: Michael Crabtree (foot).

Prediction: The Eagles need this win more than anything right now in hopes to not fall to 1-3. They still have a better team than San Francisco, and that will go a long way. If they can stop an injured Gore, they will win the game. Eagles win, 33-18.

“Bad Dream: Eagles “Dream Team” starting to look like a nightmare”
By John Russo

    The moniker has already sickened Eagles fans to death. Ever since newly signed back up quarterback Vince Young pronounced the Philadelphia Eagles the “Dream Team,” ESPN, NBC and every national media outlet has run with the nickname, and it’s finally getting to the Eagles.
    After back-to-back ugly losses, the Eagles find themselves with a 1-2 record three weeks into the season and people are already starting to wonder if the so-called “Dream Team” is nothing more than that - a dream.
    Despite the gaudy free agent moves, three questions were asked heading into this season of uncertainty:
    1) Despite a new contract, can Michael Vick stay healthy? 2) Will the holes at line backer, safety and offensive line prove to be a huge problem for the Eagles? 3) Will Juan Castillo and John Washburn change the Eagles’ run defense misfortunes?
    Vick has not had a healthy past. Since entering the league in 2001, Vick has never played a full season under center with the Falcons or the Eagles. That was the number one concern when Vick was signed to a 6-year, $100 million contract last month.
    Now with Vick already suffering a concussion in the Eagles’ Week 2 loss to Atlanta and a right-hand (non-throwing) contusion in their Week 3 loss to the Giants, many are already starting to wonder if the Eagles in fact overpaid their star quarterback and if they will be able to win without the game’s most exciting player since Barry Sanders.
    The next question plays the biggest part in the team’s lack of success this season. The Eagles splashed all over the board: two new corners, a defensive end, a defensive tackle, a wide receiver, a running back and a back-up quarterback.
    But just like the past few seasons, the biggest holes have remained on the offensive line and in the middle of the next two levels on defense - linebacker and safety position.
    The offensive line is the reason why Vick’s health is a huge concern. The line has barely played as a unit together, and only three weeks in, they have almost gotten Vick killed a handful of times.
    Their big move before the season was moving stud left guard Todd Herremans to  the right tackle to protect Vick’s blind side. Though Herremans has proved to do fine over their, left tackle Jason Peters, center Jason Kelce and guard Evan Mathis have been blown up on countless plays, forcing Vick out of the pocket and leaving him vulnerable to get hit more.
    The poor protection got Vick concussed in Week 2 and his hand broken in Week 3. The damage may have finally been done as Vick could miss next week’s start against the Niners in Philly.
    On the defensive side if the ball, the safety position has been burned more times than Metallica’s James Hetfield on past tours. It all starts with Kirt Coleman, who I am too embarrassed to say he’s a Philadelphia Eagle to want to even comment on him. He got torched by Tony Gonzalez last week, and failed to tackled Victor Cruz on his 74-yard touchdown scamper on Sunday for the game’s first score.
    At linebacker, the Eagles plugged a 4th round pick at middle linebacker for the first two games.  Casey Matthews was embarrassed in coverage and was well out of position for most of the Eagles’ Week 1 win in St. Louis and loss in Atlanta the following week.
    In a move to hopefully fix the problem, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo swapped Matthews with weak side linebacker Jamar Chaney against the Giants on Sunday. Matthews was most burned by running back Brian Jacobs on his 40-yard touchdown in the 1st quarter.
    With Castillo and Washburn’s wide-nine defense, too much pressure is put on the  inexperienced - as well as undersized and under-talented - linebacking unit to make the plays, a problem in itself that will help answer the third question presented.
    Castillo and Washburn’s wide-nine system has allowed Jason Babin, Trent Cole and Cullen Jenkins get to the quarterback a handful of times this season.
    But it’s put too much pressure on the linebackers and has caused their unit to get scorched in the running game even worse than previous seasons. The wide splits allow opposing offensive lines to head straight to the linebackers, and unless the Eagles boast dynamic names such as Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis, they will continue to find themselves out of position or blown out of the play.
    The big number: the Eagles are 30th in run defense after three weeks, giving up 131.3 yards per game, a total of 394 yards already.
    Examples: In Week 1, St. Louis’ Steven Jackson burned the Eagles defense on the opening play for a 47-yard touchdown. Though he left with a quad injury, Cadillac Williams filled in and ran for 91 yards of his own. The following week, Atlanta’s highly touted running game lead by 114 yards from Michael Turned ripped through the Eagles linebackers like butter.
    This past game, they coughed up 102 more yards from the Giants, who actually killed the Eagles more with screens and passes to the running backs than actually running the ball. Those plays exposed the linebackers even more, extending drives and keeping the Eagles dangerous offense off the field while putting up points.
    If these three questions, which have turned out to be the three biggest problems for the Eagles 1-2 record, don’t get fixed, this season may go from being a dream to one bad reoccurring nightmare.

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Eagles/Giants Preview
By Kevin K

Eagles: 1-1
Giants: 1-1
Line: Eagles by 9

The Eagles enter Week Three as heavy favorites against rival New York Giants. There has been trash talk back and forth all week, but one thing remains .... backing up your talk.

Giants safety, Antrel Rolle, is the lead in all of this trash talk saying that he has covered DeSean Jackson in the past and will do it again.

And of course there was the constant trash talk over the summer between LeSean McCoy and Osi Umenyoira (who is out today).

The Giants are missing most of their weapons today against the Eagles, including their trash talkers; but this doesn't mean to take them lightly. This is a rivalry game. All teams are coming in heated and ready to go.

The Eagles must learn how to stop the run and the tight end, a true weakness that was exposed against the Falcons a week ago. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a key target for the Giants throughout the game.

The Eagles did make a change to look to stop that this week in changing up the Linebacking core.

The Eagles are very high powered against a depleted Giants team today. Look for Steve Smith to get more involved for the Eagles against his former team.

Prediction:

Against the Line: I would go with the Giants. In this rivalry game, the underdog is 9-2 against the spread.

Game: Take the Eagles in the game overall. This game should be closer than many people think.

By Kelly Christ.

If you weren’t able to stay up for the Eagles/ Falcons game on Sunday well, you missed out on the worry and concern that came along with Vick’s injury but you also missed out on one very exciting match up.

The Falcons made a big statement having the first and only score in the whole first quarter.

The Eagles made a come back during the second quarter building their momentum with not only a touchdown with a drive of 84 yards to the end zone but also took the lead soon after thanks to Asomugha’s interception.

The 3 point lead was quickly answered by Matt Ryan’s pass for 4 yards to Tony Gonzalez for a touchdown, making the score 14-10 Falcons.

The Eagles went into the half time down once again and Eagles’ fans were only more concerned as the Falcons increased the lead to 21 to 10 as Gonzalez struck again for another touchdown.

The Eagles’ defense put intense pressure on Ryan going into the third quarter with a Samuels' interception contributing to one of the 3 touchdowns added to the scoreboard by Maclin and McCoy.

Unfortunately, Vick was taken out for the rest of the game during the third after he was tackled into fellow teammate Todd Herremans. He suffered a concussion from the collision.

Going into the fourth, the Eagles led 31 to 21. To be honest, it may just have been me but there was an unsettling feeling going into that quarter without Vick.

As the Falcons drove down the field 80 yards on their first possession in the fourth to get a touchdown to make the score 31 to 28, my fear rose and I am sure I wasn’t the only Eagles fan feeling that way.

The Eagles pushed forward with Mike Kafka taking on the quarterback position as they rushed down the field but were unsuccessful and sent the ball back to Ryan at the Atlanta 20.

The Falcons’ offense went at the Eagles’ defense for another 77 yards down the field and sent Turner rushing the ball for the last 3 yards to come ahead of the Eagles for a final score of 35 to 31.

As challenging as it is to re-live a game like this, one that came down to watching the final play result in an incomplete pass, you still have to love the feeling that comes from watching such an exciting display of talent on a Sunday night.

If you weren’t able to stay up for the Eagles/ Falcons game on Sunday well, you missed out on the worry and concern that came along with Vick’s injury but you also missed out on one very exciting match up.

The Falcons made a big statement having the first and only score in the whole first quarter.

The Eagles made a come back during the second quarter building their momentum with not only a touchdown with a drive of 84 yards to the end zone but also took the lead soon after thanks to Asomugha’s interception.

The 3 point lead was quickly answered by Matt Ryan’s pass for 4 yards to Tony Gonzalez for a touchdown, making the score 14-10 Falcons.

The Eagles went into the half time down once again and Eagles’ fans were only more concerned as the Falcons increased the lead to 21 to 10 as Gonzalez struck again for another touchdown.

The Eagles’ defense put intense pressure on Ryan going into the third quarter with a Samuels' interception contributing to one of the 3 touchdowns added to the scoreboard by Maclin and McCoy.

Unfortunately, Vick was taken out for the rest of the game during the third after he was tackled into fellow teammate Todd Herremans. He suffered a concussion from the collision.

Going into the fourth, the Eagles led 31 to 21. To be honest, it may just have been me but there was an unsettling feeling going into that quarter without Vick.

As the Falcons drove down the field 80 yards on their first possession in the fourth to get a touchdown to make the score 31 to 28, my fear rose and I am sure I wasn’t the only Eagles fan feeling that way.

The Eagles pushed forward with Mike Kafka taking on the quarterback position as they rushed down the field but were unsuccessful and sent the ball back to Ryan at the Atlanta 20.

The Falcons’ offense went at the Eagles’ defense for another 77 yards down the field and sent Turner rushing the ball for the last 3 yards to come ahead of the Eagles for a final score of 35 to 31.

As challenging as it is to re-live a game like this, one that came down to watching the final play result in an incomplete pass, you still have to love the feeling that comes from watching such an exciting display of talent on a Sunday night.

Eagles/Falcons Preview
By Kevin K

PHI: 1-0
ATL: 0-1
Spread: Eagles by 2.5
Where: Georgia Dome
When: 8:20 on NBC

Eagles (1-0) are coming off of a blowout of the Rams in Week One and head to Atlanta to face the Falcons (0-1) in Week Two of the season.

The Falcons are coming off of a game in which they were blown out by the Bears in Week One, but are a much better team than what they showed in Week One.

Over the past week I have heard how “easy” this game is going to be for the Eagles, but as I sit and think about the game on Sunday I realize how difficult it will be for the Eagles. This is the second straight week for the Eagles playing away in a Dome, as we all know that could change the pace of the game for the Eagles and Falcons.

Led by Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and a powerful offense, the Eagles defense is going to have a challenge this upcoming week against the Falcons. Now the Falcons are a good team, a much better team than they showed last week against the Bears.

Keys: A key to this game for the Eagles is stopping the run and the tight end. The Eagles weakness on defense continues to be their line backing core, and the Falcons know that. They will use this as an advantage on Sunday … especially with their running game, with Michael Turner, and one of the greatest TE’s in the history of the NFL, Tony Gonzalez. The Eagles line-backing core has a challenge this week against a high powered Falcons offense.

Prediction: I expect this game to be closer than many people think. If I am betting against the spread, I would say go with the Falcons; however, I do believe the Eagles will win this game on the final drive. Rookie Kicker Alex Henery is going to have the challenge of stepping up for the Eagles this week.

Jackson, McCoy shine in first game
By John Russo (@Roose_TTB)

Lost in all the buzz of the off season was the type of year LeSean “Shady” McCoy could potentially have for the Eagles.

In Week 1 of Shady’s encore performance, he did not disappoint. The third-year back from Pitt tallied 137 yards from scrimmage as the Eagles made a statement in their 31-13 win in St. Louis.

McCoy rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown while adding 15 yards in the air on two catches and a touchdown. His seven-yard score tied the game up for the Eagles in the 1st quarter.

The game didn’t start out too hot for the Eagles, who gave the Rams a short field to work with. Running back Steven Jackson broke loose on the Rams first play for a 47-yard touchdown score to give St. Louis a 7-0 lead.

But Jackson would carry the ball only one more time (a 9-yard gain) and the Rams would reach pay dirt. Jackson left the game with a leg injury and the Eagles defense tightened up around the Rams QB Sam Bradford and his receivers, who had a hard time holding onto the football.

Back-up running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams took over for Jackson, and gave the Eagles young and inexperienced line backers some problems. He rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries and added 49 yards on five catches in the loss.

DeSean Jackson also had a statement game. The fourth-year wide out, who is in the last year of his rookie contract and looking to see a substantial raise, caught six balls for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Lost in the game though was Michael Vick’s poor game in the air. Granted the Pro Bowl QB, in the wake of a $100 million deal, rushed for 98 yards on 10 carries and threw two touchdown passes, he managed only 187 yards in the air. He also lost a fumble and completed under 50% of his passes (14-for-32), a number he will need to improve next week versus Atlanta.

The defense managed five sacks, including two from Jason Babin. They also scored when Darryl Tapp forced a fumble on Bradford that was scooped by Juqua Parker and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.

NOTES:

*DE Darryl Tapp, who had three tackles including a sack and forced fumble, injured his pectoral muscle. He will have an MRI tomorrow along with Akeem Jordan (shoulder).

*WR Steve Smith didn't register a catch but was out on the field for a handful of plays.

*95 of RB LeSean McCoy's 122 yards on the ground came in the 4th quarter alone on five carries.

By John Russo

PHI: 2010 record – 10-6, 1st in NFC East

STL: 2010 record – 7-9, 2nd in NFC West

Spread: Eagles by 5
Where: Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis, MO)

When: 1:00, FOX

Last time met: Sept 7, 2008: DeSean Jackson caught a 47-yard reception on the second play from scrimmage, setting the tone for the Eagles 38-3 win. Donovan McNabb threw for 361 yards and three touch downs and both Jackson and Greg Lewis had over 100 yards receiving.

Opposing player to watch – RB Steven Jackson: Jackson is still one of the top running backs in the NFL. Coming off a 1,241-yard season, his sixth straight season with at least 1,000 yards, Jackson will give the Eagles linebacking corps its first test of the season against a premier running back. Expect to see a lot of #39 on the score sheet, especially with a young quarterback like Sam Bradford.

Offenses
Eagles: It’s another highly-anticipated season for the Eagles, who boast potentially the most dynamic offense in the NFL. The key to their success this season won’t lie on the weapons however. Instead, the pressure will be pitted on an offensive line who hasn’t taken a single game snap together. But with the line aside, the weapons Philadelphia boast include Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick, running back LeSean McCoy and star wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Jackson will be what is going to put them far beyond the Rams. Both Maclin (illness) and WR Steve Smith are expected to play on Sunday, adding more weapons to Vick's arsenal.

Rams: It’s a new era under center in St. Louis. With Marc Bulger out and  Bradford in, the Rams are looking to rightfully take back the NFC West. With a running back like Jackson, the Rams are going to be a run-heavy team heading into week 1, providing the test for the Eagles’ inexperienced backers. Receiving the ball from Bradford will be former Eagle Danny Amendola and newly acquired Mike Simms-Walker. Bradford has a lot of speed and a handful of comparable weapons to work with. But the pressure will be on Jackson to keep the Eagles defense on their heels.

Advantage: The Eagles have more experience playing together than St. Louis. Advantage goes to them.

Defenses:
Eagles: The big question mark for Philadelphia will be their linebackers. Obviously the secondary and defensive line are among the league’s best with the additions of DB’s Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, DT Cullen Jenkins and DE Jason Babin. Manning the middle linebacker position will be rookie Casey Matthews, younger brother of Green Bay’s Clay Matthews. Akeem Jordan, Trent Cole, Asante Samuel, Nate Allen and Mike Patterson lead the group of returning Eagles.

Rams: DE Chris Long and LB James Laurinaitis head a young and inexperienced Rams defense. Long will be the first test for newly named RT Todd Herremans of the Eagles, who made the move from left guard a week ago. Former Eagles safety Quinton Mikell signed with St. Louis in the off season and will be their starting free safety.

Advantage: The Eagles boast one of the top three defenses in the NFL. This should be a no-brainer.

Injury Report:
Eagles: Questionable: QB Vince Young (hamstring), WR Steve Smith (knee). Probable: S Nate Allen (knee), WR Jeremy Maclin (illness).

Rams: Out: WR Mark Clayton. Questionable: TE Michael Hoomanawanui (calf). Probable: WR Danario Alexander (knee).

Prediction: Despite an inexperienced offensive line and linebacking corps, the Eagles have a far more talented and elite team than St. Louis. With all the playmakers the Eagles have on both sides of the ball, they should come out firing on all cylinders, ready to play football. In conclusion, the Philadelphia Eagles football season will start out on a high note with a 31-14 win over the Rams.

Superbowl or Bust
By: Carl Naimoli

Like Michael Vick said a week ago after signing his new six year, $100 million contract it’s Super Bowl or bust for the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles. After last year’s disappointing home loss in the wild card round to the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles have their eyes set on one goal: A Championship. Right now many people feel that on paper the Eagles have what it takes to win the franchise’s first every Super Bowl. And now it’s up to this so-called “Dream Team” to win the ultimate prize.

There are plenty of strengths to this team, specifically the offense that led the NFC in scoring and yards per game last year. It all starts with Michael Vick under center. After signing a contract that will keep him in Philadelphia until 2017 he has all the pressure of a championship on his shoulders. If he stays healthy and plays like the MVP caliber quarterback that he was last year he should have no problem leading this team to a long playoff run. Also, with the addition of Vince Young as his backup the Eagles now have a reliable quarterback off the bench in case Vick goes down with an injury like he did last year.

In the backfield the Eagles have added some depth with veteran running back Ronnie Brown from the Miami Dolphins. Brown should be a good spell to starting running back LeSean McCoy who looks to continue his success after a breakout 2010 season. McCoy rushed for over 1,000 yards and led the NFC in yards from scrimmage last year, and at the age of 23 his skills should only improve.

The receiving corps is mostly the same as last year and should be one of the most dynamic in the league. The explosive DeSean Jackson leads this young group of weapons for Michael Vick. Hopefully Jackson’s contract dispute with the Eagles front office doesn’t affect his play on the field too much where he is distracted or not willing to put his body on the line to win.

On the other side of the field is Jeremy Maclin. Maclin is seen by many as a more complete receiver than Jackson because of his ability to catch the ball all over the field and use his body more. There are some questions surrounding him after missing all of the preseason with a lymphoma scare, but now that he is fully healthy and ready to go he should be able to build off of his successful 2010 season.

The Eagles have added more depth at receiver now with the addition of Steve Smith from the Giants who looks like he will be ready for a limited role at the start of the season after having offseason knee surgery. Then with sure-handed Jason Avant and the tall red zone threat Riley Cooper the Eagles have a depth at this position that they’ve never had before.

The biggest question with the offense is with the offensive line. They should be slightly upgraded from last year with their first round draft pick Danny Watkins. Around Watkins there will be some experienced players with pro-bowler Jason Peters (shows you how big a joke the pro bowl is today), Todd Herremans, Jamaal Jackson and King Dunlap. The only hole there appears to be Dunlap who will be battling with Winston Justice for the right tackle position. If they can keep Michael Vick healthy for an entire season they will far succeed any of my expectations.

Defensively is where the Eagles look to be upgraded from last year, specifically the cornerback position. After trading Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie the Eagles shocked the entire NFL when they signed top free agent Nnamdi Asomugha. Along with a ball hawk in Asante Samuel these talented and experienced corners should be able to hold up the slack for young safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman.

The D-Line has added its fair share of talent as well. They added pro bowl defensive end Jason Babin and the talented defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins from the Packers. The 1-2 punch of Babin and Trent Cole should terrorize opposing quarterbacks on passing downs. Also, with the emergence of Antonio Dixon last year at defensive tackle he fills a good pair with Jenkins, and let’s not forget the veteran Mike Patterson filling in when needed.

The Achilles heel of this defense and probably the team is the linebackers. Rookie 4th round draft pick Casey Matthews has been chosen to lead the defense at middle linebacker. He is joined by two speedy linebackers on the outside with Jamar Chaney and Moise Fokou. Where they excel with speed, they lack with size and experience. Hopefully the rest of the defense can fill in the big hole that is the linebackers.

Finally onto the special teams the Eagles have let go of their all-time leading scorer in David Akers. They have transitioned onto rookie Alex Henery out of Nebraska who I would expect to fill in the void since the Eagles used a 4th round pick on a kicker. At the punter position the Eagles have gotten rid of Sav Rocca and replaced him with undrafted rookie Chas Henry. With a new kicker and punter the Eagles have a new look on special teams but when it comes to returning the ball they can always count on DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to put fear in the opposing team every time they step back for a return.

The key to this year’s team is how Coach Andy Reid handles all of the talent that has been put in front of him. If Michael Vick can somehow stay healthy and the defense becomes a weapon rather than a liability like it was last year than the Eagles have a great chance to repeat as NFC East champion. And if all the pieces come together the Eagles could have their first parade on Broad Street in franchise history.

Even With a New Deal, Michael Vick Still Has A Lot to Play For
By John Russo

6 years, $100 million.

It’s the day Michael Vick dreamed of when he stepped out of a federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, KA in the May of 2009.

Getting back into the NFL and playing the one sport he loved was what got Vick through 19 months of hell. But there was more to it. He had to pay off the debt that came with his heinous crime. And this past week, he will finally be out of the red, focusing on what he does best.

Many people were skeptical of Vick’s new deal. “This just proves crime does pay.” “Now that he’s rich again, Vick can just laugh at the legal system all the way to the bank.” What more does he have to play for now?”

That last one struck a nerve. A nerve that makes me angry at the do-gooders in this world. The people who are so blind to one man’s freedom, forgetting that no one is perfect.

I am not going to downplay what Vick did. It is indeed disgusting, but also forgivable. The man did 19 months of jail, admitted to being stupid and did everything the world asked of him: pay his debt to society and contribute positively to the prevention of animal cruelty.

Michael Vick is genuinely sorry for what he did and he and is now looking forward to the next step in his freedom: making people forget.

People will eventually forget. They always do. But in order for there to be any sort of forgive-and-forget, Vick has to do something so unbelievable that people will not associate the name “Michael Vick” with dog fighting.

“Win.”

The famous word that Adrian speaks into Rocky’s ear that gets played at almost every Philadelphia sporting event in a late-game situation. Much like Rocky, Vick has taken his fair share of punches and has been knocked down. But Vick has never been knocked out. Not yet.

Vick gets back up because he is fighting for his life on the football field. When he tucks the football and runs with it, he’s not just going for a first down. He’s running towards freedom.

Vick has a lot left to prove to this world. He’s playing on a team that has tasted victory too many times in the past 10 years. He’s playing a city that’s so starved for a championship that they ran their preceding savior out of town.

Philadelphia has no problem with getting behind a black quarterback. Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb both failed to end the 51-year drought. Now the faith of the fans lies on Vick’s feet and left arm.

A majority of the fan base has put the dog fighting behind him. They only see the greener pastures ahead with Vick under center. But there is still a handful that want him to fail; that wished he would still be rotting away in a 10-foot cell.

But Vick isn’t playing for those people. He’s playing for those who supported him, and most importantly, he’s playing for himself.

So when you see Vick receive the shot gun snap from center, look downfield and see DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin blanketed and immediately look for a hole, you’ll see a man running forwards and not back. Because that hole will eventually close and the ghosts of his past will surround him like the opposing defense.

Run, Mike, run.