Vick Gets Back to Work, Practices With the Eagles

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 15 -- There were few, if any, flashes of the electrifying play that once made him one of the NFL's most dynamic performers. Michael Vick worked mostly with third-stringers and usually was content to stand idly in the pocket and throw short passes, beginning the process of acclimating himself to his new team while knocking the rust off his game and working his way back into football-playing shape.

Vick participated in his first practice Saturday with the Philadelphia Eagles, the day after signing with the club. Returning to the NFL after missing two seasons while serving his federal sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia, Vick will be brought along slowly, Eagles Coach Andy Reid said.

"We're just gonna gradually bring him along . . . and we'll ease back into throwing the ball," Reid said.

The Eagles did not make Vick available to speak to reporters after the practice.

Vick did have a few long completions during passing drills, one to second-year wide receiver DeSean Jackson and two to rookie wideout Jeremy Maclin. He took four snaps in full-team drills at the end of practice, with two short completions and two incompletions. He worked behind starting quarterback Donovan McNabb and veteran backup A.J. Feeley.

His teammates seemed happy to have him around, and cornerback Asante Samuel yelled playfully at media members as the Eagles left the field afterward: "Man, I've never seen so many of y'all out here! It's like we got somebody new in town!"

Vick stayed on the field with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg after practice, being given a crash course on the offensive system. Reid said the transition should be relatively easy for Vick because the Eagles' system is similar to the one that Vick previously ran while with the Atlanta Falcons.

"It's just a matter of the recall taking place," Reid said. "He knows the fundamentals and the snap counts and the fundamental philosophy behind the offense. And actually, he knows quite a few of the plays, so that cuts the learning process down a bit."

Vick's teammates were welcoming.

"He's done his time," Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "Let's get over it and move on. . . . We're all human. Give the guy a chance."

Said Maclin: "It gets you excited because you know what he brings to the table. I'm expecting him to be his same, old self. I'll be interested to see what they [the team's offensive coaches] have in store. . . . The past is the past, and you move on."

Vick's first practice drew only a few protesters to the Eagles' training facility. At one point in the afternoon, the handful of autograph-seekers standing on the sidewalk outside the gate to the complex outnumbered the protesters.