Vick going back to Atlanta as spectacle and afterthought

Michael Vick "returns" to Atlanta this Sunday as an NFL player, but what does that mean? Simply that Vick will be in the Georgia Dome, dressed in his No. 7 jersey, when the Philadelphia Eagles play the Falcons.

Assuming precedent holds, Vick won't contribute much. He'll barely see the field he used to own, in a stadium he lit up with athletic wonder earlier this decade.

If coach Andy Reid asks him to run once or twice, as usual, Vick will look slow and uncertain on his feet. If asked to throw - and why on earth would he be? - there's a two-in-three chance he'll misfire, even if his target is a few yards away, as was the tight end Vick threw behind Sunday against the Redskins.

Vick's irrelevancy buffers a date that loomed as a spectacle when the Eagles inexplicably adopted him and his dog-fighting baggage upon his release from federal prison.

The day will still be framed as Vick's emotionally charged encore in front of fans he once flipped off in the days before things turned rotten in Atlanta. But emotions are likely to be mixed.

Vick revived a fan base and a franchise on his way to being a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback. He also admittedly didn't prepare hard, didn't always play hard, and ultimately repulsed the team and the league with his heinous and clandestine behavior.

There are those who will forever detest Vick for his sins and resent his ability to make millions again playing football. Their counterpoint are those who cherish the concept of redemption after penalties paid.

Indifference is likely to be a distant third option. Message-board lurkers can see this drama played out in online media this week, especially in Atlanta, where Vick references routinely draw multiple screen-pages of heated response.

"I'm sure it will be an emotional situation," Reid told Philly reporters Monday. "But (Vick's) worked through some emotional situations and done pretty good with them. I think he'll be fine as it goes on."

But then the game will go on - and the big picture of Vick's worth as a football player will remain as murky as a street puddle.

The puzzle is whether Vick's ability is dormant or gone for good. Is he a victim of Reid's reluctance or inability to figure out how to employ a guy who a few years ago was one of the NFL's top offensive threats?

Or has rust encased Vick so severely after two seasons away from the league that his skills are gone for good?

Vick's statistics suggest the latter but, in fairness, there are much easier things to do than to pop off the sideline a couple times a game and produce an impact play.

Vick is 3-for-9 passing for 6 yards. Running, he has a 34-yard burst, a quarterback draw two weeks ago in Chicago. Otherwise, he's rushed 14 times for 31 yards. Against Washington, one of Vick's two runs was a tentative tap dance up the middle for 4 yards to the Redskins 1.

"He probably could've done a little better job on his quarterback draw, just pulling it for another step," Reid said. "He's excited to get a touchdown I think. Everybody has been giving him a bad time about scoring a touchdown here, so he was a little anxious on that one."

Reaction to a Vick touchdown in Philadelphia - where his arrival was loudly criticized - would have been interesting.

Doubtful as it is, it would be doubly interesting in Atlanta.

Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com