Michael Vick is a fashionista. He introduced his new V7 clothing line at a northeast Philadelphia Modell’s Sporting goods store. “I am very thankful I have the fan appreciation and support that I have,” Vick said in a Philadelphia Inquirer story. Both Vick and his fashion line were well received, in contrast to his arrival in 2009.
“You only get one shot at a second chance,” Vick said when he was released from prison. He is making the most of his. In June, Head Coach Andy Reid said Vick was setting an example for the rest of the team. One of the reasons that we’ve had the attendance here [at mini-camp and OTAs] that we’ve had and one of the reasons that we’ve had energy is Michael Vick,” Reid said.
A story on NFL.com reveals the reason behind Reid’s optimism. Vick promises to take better care of himself to play a full season.
“I want to make a promise to all my fans that I’m going to make a conscious effort, a cognitive effort, to make sure that I protect myself,” Vick told WPEN-FM in Philadelphia. “And you know my motto has been this for the last six months, and I repeatedly said to myself: ‘Get the next yard on the next play.'”
The story says Vick devoted the offseason to study game film of his 2011 performance, something he was loathed to do in Atlanta. The Falcons Vick relied on athletic prowess and admitted he did not study game film as he should have. He was roundly criticised, bu everyone but Atlanta fans, for his poor quarterback skills. NFL analyst (and ex-Eagles QB) called Vick a top-5 quarterback when he plays from the pocket. He called on Vick to have the discipline this year to do so.
A healthy segment of fans are skeptical that Vick has genuinely reformed since his prison sentence. There is clearly something different about Vick on the field.
The Eagles banished the term “dream team,” along with the man who coined the term last season. This year, with a full offseason going into training camp, the Eagles should be favored to win the NFC East, writes KC Joiner for an ESPN Insider article. I agree.
Mel Kiper wrote that the 2011 Eagles were like a basketball team without a center. (Hat tip to JasonB at Bleeding Green Nation who cited Kiper’s ESPN Insider story)They were soft up the middle on defense at the linebacker spot. They addressed the problem by signing free agent LB DeMeco Ryans and drafting Mychal Kendricks. The Eagles lost Jason Peters for the season and need last year’s rookies Danny Watkins and Jason Kelse to step up.
Dion Lewis who is deep on the Eagles depth chart at running back apologized for a prank gone bad. Lewis and his older brother were arrested for pulling a fire alarm outside a hotel lobby after banging on a locked glass door to get in.
“I want to apologize to my family, the Albany community, the Eagles organization and fans, and to the NFL for my involvement in an incident this past weekend,” Lewis said in a statement released by the Eagles. “It was never my intention to cause any public alarm or damage any property. I am sorry for any embarrassment and inconvenience that my actions have caused. I am committed to continuing (?) to conduct myself in conformance with the high moral, ethical and professional standards that I have my entire life and of which so many others rightly expect of me. Because the matter is still in the hands of the court system, I cannot comment any further.”
The dream of an NFL career, so hard to gain; so easily lost.
