PHILADELPHIA -- It was a play that zigzagged right, then left, then right and then left again. And after a while, you lost count. Pure motion. Pure delight.
No, not Michael Vick making something out of nothing.
But rather a series of desperation laterals by the Jacksonville Jaguars to cap a laborious 33-32 victory for the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
Vick popular in debut
After Donovan McNabb threw an second-half interception, a small portion of the home crowd began chanting, "We want Vick." Follow all aspects of Vick's return. **More ...**
All that came to see Vick turn such tricks left unfulfilled.
And that was OK with Vick. As he dressed in the Eagles' locker room after the game, he explained that he is far from 100 percent in terms of his conditioning and his strength. Later, in his postgame news conference, he put it more at 70 percent.
And that is exactly what he looked like on early 1-yard run around right end. Pedestrian. More shtick than Vick.
"I probably shouldn't have done that, just passed the ball there," he said of reaching for his jets and finding galoshes. "Right now, I'm just going on natural ability."
Vick orchestrated some plays with quarterback Donovan McNabb on the field, with McNabb spread wide right as a receiver.
Vick's passing was good: 4 of 4 for 19 yards.
His reads and decision-making were solid.
His arm strength was impressive.
But people want to know if Vick can still run like he used to run. If he can still outrun defenses, the ball, the wind. If he can still artfully juke a pass rush. If he can still reach that fifth gear that only few athletes possess. That blinding quickness. That mesmerizing stride.
We don't know that.
We have not seen that.
Vick says he knows he can and he will. Do you believe it?
"I think people have to be patient," Eagles running back Lorenzo Booker said. "I mean, it's his first game in a long time. He's not going to go out there the first time after only a few practices and run 90 yards for a touchdown or pass 90 yards for a touchdown. And here's the thing about him: He was super fast before. Even if he is just normal fast this season, that is faster than most NFL players."
Vick's last NFL game was on this field with the Atlanta Falcons on New Year's Eve in 2006.
What a circle, a moment to return to the NFL nearly three years later on the same soil.
"I never envisioned myself a Philadelphia Eagle," Vick said.
Vick strode through the tunnel Thursday and saw "big guys," teammates, in front of him and all of that green and white and said he had to pinch himself. It was real. His prison term was over. His football life had begun again, in earnest, even though it was a preseason game.
His teammates got it.
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Booker explained: "I think all of us have an appreciation for what he endured and what his family had to endure. And you could see with each play how he was getting more and more excited. With each play, his smile was getting bigger. Nobody really knows how much this means to him. And it was like it was official tonight: He's an Eagle."
It all unfolded without a whimper of protest outside the stadium or much of a fuss inside. In fact, Vick was cheered by Eagles fans when he entered on the game's second play. That surprised Vick, he said. Not sure what to expect, he prepared for rejection. The fans' support made Vick want to give them something extra. A run around the end for glory. That was the 1-yard splat.
Vick had traveled to Virginia and back for bankruptcy proceedings before kickoff. He called that draining and the game easy.
"I wanted to get him somewhere between five and seven snaps and just get him back into the swing of things," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "I wanted to use him with the first group, and we did that. We kind of got accomplished what we wanted to get accomplished. We're just going to take it slow and see how everything works out here."
What they already know is that Vick can be a wrinkle. That he can still zip the ball with that rocket-quick release as good as any NFL quarterback. That he can read and react capably in the pocket. That he looks like he has a chance to become a more accurate quarterback. That his attitude since his return has been proper and his wait, introduction and hunger to play once again are finally over. That he is an Eagle.
But can Vick reach that fifth-gear like he used to?
We don't know that.
