Michael Vick Ready To Take Bite Out Of Chiefs; Back On Roster

NFL News - September 16th, 2009 - Written by Scott

It is official. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick can now come off the sidelines and begin to practice. The controversial quarterback will begin practice today. The Eagles have taken him off the exempt list and activated the pro bowl quarterback to the 53 man roster. In order for this to happen, the Eagles had to make room on their roster and have released wide receiver Hank Baskett. In 48 games with the Eagles, Baskett had 72 catches for 1,052 yards an six touchdowns. The team, who already had seven receivers on their roster including Baskett, had been making attempts to trade him but had no success.

In addition to Vick's return to the practice field, the Eagles signed quarterback Jeff Garcia which will give the team four quarterbacks on their roster. Donovan McNabb is still questionable for Sunday's game against New Orleans, which means Kevin Kolb will get the snaps with the first team offense while McNabb is resting a cracked rib. Garcia was signed to back up Kolb in case McNabb is not able to go Sunday. Head coach Andy Reid has said that Kolb will be McNabb's back up even when Vick does return. This means that he would likely have not started against the Saints on Sunday even if he was eligible to play.

Vick had been suspended for the first two regular season games for his involvement in a dog fighting ring. However, Vick did play in the final two preseason games, as he added another element to the Eagles offense in their version of the wildcat offense. He is now able to practice with the team, but is not eligible to play until the Eagle's game with the Kansas City Chiefs on September 27. Vick has not played in a regular season game since December 31, 2006.

Vick's signing with the Eagles has sparked much controversy and has been heavily criticized by animal rights activist. Despite the presence of protesters surrounding the team's practice facility and outside of their stadium during the preseason, Vick was greeted with cheers from the Philadelphia fans as he took the field for the first time in preseason. His return has not caused the protests and commotion that was expected around the league and this is evident due to the fact that his jersey is now the fourth best seller of all the NFL players.

During his six year career, Vick has thrown for 11,505 yards and 71 touchdowns and has also rushed for 3,859 yards and 21 touchdowns. This dual threat quarterback should turn out to be a great asset for the Eagles. Vick staying out of trouble should be the team's only concern.

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