The Birds have added one dangerous runner

It's been so long that it's difficult to recall how good Michael Vick really was when he played for the Atlanta Falcons.

He made three Pro Bowls, was the MVP runner-up in 2004 and set all kinds of rushing records for an NFL quarterback. But there was a large segment of the football population that thought Vick was mostly a media sensation - a player with unparalleled athleticism who wasn't disciplined enough to become a good quarterback. Vick's critics would suggest that as difficult as he was to defend, he didn't elevate the players around him.

"This is what I've always said about Mike: 'There's not a quarterback in the league that has the physical tools Mike Vick has,' " said Ike Reese, a former Eagle and former teammate of Vick. "That includes all of them, and that includes the two that were on the field [Thursday night]."

Those two were Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady, the starting quarterbacks in Thursday's Eagles-Patriots preseason game. But, Reese contended, there is something that separates quarterbacks like McNabb and Brady from Vick.

"It's up here," Reese said, pointing to his head.

While the Eagles' acquisition of Vick is still puzzling in many ways, it is clear the team saw value in bringing in a player remembered as often dazzling. When he was with the Falcons, Vick faced the Eagles on three occasions. Coach Andy Reid recalled that Vick posed a serious challenge for former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

"He was worried about Michael Vick," Reid said. "I think if you talked to coordinators throughout the league that they would feel that way. He's a tough guy to defend against."

Statistics don't tell the whole story, but they paint a fair picture. The numbers that marred his first six years in the NFL were his completion percentage (53.8) and his average yards per pass attempt (6.7). But Vick added a dimension with his running. He ran for 3,859 career yards at 7.3 yards per carry, along with 21 rushing touchdowns. In 2006, his last season, he set an NFL mark for quarterbacks with 1,039 rushing yards.

From all indications, however, there isn't much chance we'll see the old Vick - good or bad - this season. He's not going to start. He'll probably enter the season as the No. 3 quarterback. And when the NFL does reenlist Vick, Reid likely will use him as a multipurpose back.

Can he summon at least some of the magic that made him a regular on TV highlight packages? Even after the long layoff, Vick is only 29. But there haven't been many examples of football players that have returned from a hiatus to achieve something equal to their previous successes.

"Remember now, he's not coming off an injury," Reid said. "Now he's not getting any younger, either. But once he gets back in shape I don't think you're going to see a person that's slower, and can't throw as well. He's young enough to where he should be OK there."

There have been plenty of cases of quarterbacks missing a season for injury-related reasons, and then returning to pick up where they left off. Brady, who tore his knee up in last season's opener, is hoping to become one of the latest examples.

Jim Plunkett didn't throw a pass in the 1978 season and only 15 the following year, but the former Raider, who would go on to win two Super Bowls, was still practicing as a backup.

Randall Cunningham retired in 1995 after 11 seasons in Philadelphia. He came out of retirement a year later, catching on with the Vikings, and the following season had one of his best seasons. No longer an athletic freak, Cunningham was content to stay in the pocket and let it fly.

In boxing, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson were incarcerated for extended periods and returned to their sports after three-year layoffs. Ali would go on to cement his legacy. Tyson soiled what remained of his. Michael Jordan took a three-year break from basketball, returned just as hungry, and won three more titles to add to his previous three.

Vick, however, is taking his own approach.

"I'm considering this my first year," Vick said. "My first year back, just trying to fit in wherever I can and get acclimated and do whatever I can to help this team succeed and reach the Super Bowl."