Predicto

Life has been anything but easy for Michael Vick lately.

Once on top of the world, the then-star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL’s highest paid player fell into the shadow of disgrace after a police raid in April of 2007 discovered he was operating a dogfighting ring in his home. He pleaded guilty in August 2007, and was meted 23 months of federal prison time on top of an indefinite suspension by the NFL beginning November 2007.

Several years and court appearances later, Vick is about to return to football at last and is getting ready for the next season. It is his hope that he will be able to spark some kind of improvement in the Philadelphia Eagles, his new team, over the duration of his one-year contract.

And change he must bring – the Eagles have not landed, but have skidded, crashed and burned their way recently through a tough 9-win season that fans and pundits would never have foreseen had Vick been part of the lineup. There are many people who believe that the Eagles would not have had to endure that kind of hardship had someone of Vick’s caliber been around.

So now he’s with the Eagles. And questions abound: Does Vick still have that same levels of fitness and skill that he had before the scandal? Will his recent absence from the NFL affect his game? Will fans still back the Eagles given everything that has happened since?

And, most importantly: can the Philadelphia Eagles improve on their 9-win season from last year, now that Michael Vick is on board to support Donovan McNabb and the crew?

This is not the first time high-profile athletes have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Remember Kobe Bryant? Or how about Rasheed Wallace and the ‘Portland Jail-Blazers?’ Then there’s the whole doping controversy that only recently surrounded major league baseball and some of its biggest names.

There are always reasons why a player can’t function the way he used to following a long absence. A lack of fitness is one. Lost practice time is another. Then there’s the factor of being ‘left behind,’ as your contemporaries all start stepping up and raising their game. If Michael Vick is to have any hope of making it big again, he has to beat down those demons and push himself back up to the top of the league. Most certainly, he has the talent to be able to do it. He also has a lot to prove, and with that chip on his shoulder, he has the fuel to prove it.

All this looks good on paper. The question that remains is how it will all play out. If the Eagles improve on their last season with the help of Vick, then the shamed quarterback may have found redemption. Anything more – the playoffs, the Superbowl, possibly even an NFL championship, would be reaching.

But reach he ought to, for there are no other ways. Anything else, and the shadow of the dogfighting ring may continue to haunt him, his career, and his future indefinitely. Already the Eagles are 0-2, with Vick expected to be out for the next game, and fans are expressing their distrust towards the signing.

Despite this, the Predicto community have called out their votes this far, and have put 78% of voters saying that he will indeed improve Philadelphia’s 9-win season.

Fans like Bmay75 say that Vick and Donovan McNabb are tapped to lead the Eagles to win more than nine games.

Userkbpb0131 said that he didn’t want it, saying “after what he did to animals he should never be allowed to play again” and hopes “the team that took him loses every game.”

Yet others like vallynandmatt say “They will but I don’t think it will all be because of Vick.”

What do you think? Get on Predicto and speak your mind!