Jan. 4, 2003. That was the night former Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick made his NFL playoff debut. His mission was to take down the heavily favored Green Bay Packers, led by the “legendary” Brett Favre. Also facing Vick was the Packers’ 13-0 record in home playoff games since 1933.

Despite all odds stacked against him, Vick outplayed Favre and willed the Falcons to a stunning 27-7 upset over the Packers. His stats weren’t jaw-dropping, as he only threw for 117 yards and added 64 more on the ground, but as his former coach Dan Reeves said after the game, “[Vick’s] amazing. It seems the tougher the situation, the better he is.”

At the time, if Vick wasn’t considered an elite quarterback in the NFL, the victory over the Packers definitely propelled him into the same breath as Favre, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. In 2004, Vick became the highest-paid player in the league. In 2005, he led the Falcons to their first NFC championship game since their Super Bowl appearance in 1998.

Of course, as the majority of us know by now, Vick hit rock-bottom in 2007 when he was convicted of torturing and killing dogs as well as promoting dogfights at his Virginia home. He was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison, lost his endorsements and filed for bankruptcy. Vick had everything going for him. He had the money, fame and success that comes with being a star quarterback in the NFL, and in the matter of months he lost it all.

So now fast forward to Aug. 13, 2009. That’s the day Vick, 23 days removed from federal custody, finally found a suitor in the NFL, signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. This came after weeks of rumors flying around about which team would take a chance on the former No. 1 overall draft pick.

Now what I’m about to say may upset many, but I’m thrilled to see Vick back in the league and doing what he’s always loved to do — play football. Although I wasn’t surprised at the lack of teams jumping at the opportunity to sign Vick due to a possible public backlash that came with the risk, I always believed Vick deserved a second chance. Being a dog-lover and having three dogs of my own back home, I was outraged to hear of Vick’s involvement in dogfighting.

I don’t condone his actions, but I believe everyone deserves a second chance in life. I may be foolish, but I believe Vick when he says he’s a changed man. He’s undergone mentoring from Tony Dungy, and he seems remorseful.

I know Vick was never the most accurate passer or the classic drop-back quarterback, but he was a playmaker. He was a gifted athlete who made the Pro Bowl three times and became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards during the regular season. At the same time, the Eagles are a few weeks into their Vick experiment with not much to show for their investment.

Through the two games he’s played in, Vick has completed one of five passes for a single yard and has only gained 17 yards on five carries. Not quite the numbers we’re used to seeing Vick put up.
Yet as he continues to make his comeback, all I can say is that Vick has paid his dues to society. What he did was wrong and he deserved the punishment that was handed to him. He’s clearly not the same player he once was, and he may never be the game-changer he used to be.

But I’m in favor of Vick getting a second chance to play the sport he loves, and if he screws up again, hand him a lifetime ban from the league.

Regardless of the way Vick’s career plays out from this point on, let’s just remember that January night in 2003. If Favre can retire and unretire and retire and unretire until even the Vikings don’t want him back, Vick should be allowed to lace up his cleats and get on the field.