Vick Goes Hero To Goat With Sunday Flop

You can almost feel the euphoria and feelings of adoration for Michael Vick in the city of brotherly love. Three straight dynamite performances, including one near flawless clinic last week, have the boisterous locals ready to hand over the keys to the city. Vick has looked every part of a  complete, polished version of his younger Pro Bowl self. But just how far will the bandwagon support travel, if he fails miserably on Sunday?

While both starting quarterbacks have done their absolute best to downplay any hype for Sunday's divisional rivalry, not a soul is buying the company line. They know very well just how much is at stake when they square off and would relish nothing more than to outperform the other while leading their team to victory. It is a game of vindication, a long awaited time for both stars to prove the exact reason that the are or should have been the right man for the job. For McNabb this is the big stage opportunity to prove to Philadelphia fans and Eagle's management that he always was the proper captain of the ship and that Andy Reid's pass happy system failed him in the end. While Vick looks to reward the organization for taking an enormous risk on him and his badly damaged reputation, by proving that moving McNabb was just the first order of business in building a championship team.

It almost seems unfair to place such an unreasonable amount of pressure on Vick for one built up showdown. By all rights he should not have to bear the burden of a decade of festering  and misplaced anger toward McNabb. He was not a part of the organization when Donovan was viciously jeered when drafted by Philadelphia. Vick was never a part of those NFC Championship losses and surely never was in the Super Bowl huddle when McNabb vomited from exhaustion or nerves. So why would a man who shares none of the history nor pain be forced to bear that burden? Why would a quarterback who was firmly in place as a backup up until a week ago be expected to overshadow a potential Hall of Fame quarterback? Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Philadelphia sports in a nutshell. The field general could be Joe Montana himself and these fans would talk about this game 20 years for now if he fell on his face and was out dueled by McNabb.

Don't believe me? Can't imagine that emotions could sway so quickly and intensely from month to month, game to game and day to day there? Just ask Jolly ole Saint Nick and his sack full of presents and mouthful of snowballs, how it feels to get a warm Philadelphia welcome. Or perhaps survey Michael Irvin as to how he felt to hear obnoxious cheers as he was embedded in the Vet turf wondering if he would ever walk again. Look, I'm a passionate Philadelphia sports fan and my intention is not to stereotype all of us as unsupportive or cold hearted human beings. But what I will guarantee you is that this city does not permit lame excuses for failure in its sports teams. And if you want any shot to survive the storm, you better have skin thicker than your standard swamp alligator.

For further proof of volatility, consider the fact that many merchandising shops and fans refused to sell or buy Michael Vick jerseys after his initial signing in Philadelphia. There was a somewhat ignorant NFL fan subculture that would isolate you for buying and wearing one of the Eagle green number 7 jerseys. The brave souls would be forced to deal with harsh dog pound comments and even be pressured to look over their shoulders for signs of PETA supporters hiding in the crowd. But success and winning are always the ultimate equalizer in this sport. Those same sports gift shops are now making a precious mint on Vick merchandise and have even run the real risk of having demand outweigh supply for his jersey. And it has even been predicted that it could slide it's way, by seasons end, into the NFL's top ten wanted list.

Through all of the plot lines and anticipation, the truth remains that both quarterbacks will likely play very well come 4:15 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. In all likelihood the game will be decided on defense, by the turnover battle, or logically, who protects their signal caller the best. But the inevitable truth is  that one of these competitors in this early season sideshow will walk away with a highly coveted victory for their team , their fans and their egos. And if either one of them answered in an honest, candid fashion, they would tell you that this game means damn near as much as any one they have participated in outside of playoff competition. For Vick this is the ultimate opportunity to provide another belt notch for what could be seen as one of the best sports comebacks of our generation. But let he not look too far ahead, for he is expected to first fulfill a hefty obligation to this city. Any failure to do so could leave him feeling like Santa Claus with no sleigh to escape.