Vick Plays Small Role in a Victory

Reserve QB Is in for 11 Snaps in Return to NFL, and Eagles Starter Kolb Shines: Eagles 34, Chiefs 14

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 27 -- It wasn't going to be possible for Michael Vick to return to regular season play inconspicuously. But he came about as close to that as he could have, participating in 11 plays here Sunday and having little impact on the game in his first regular season appearance since being reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Philadelphia Eagles didn't need major contributions from Vick, not while facing the winless Kansas City Chiefs. Kevin Kolb, making his second start as the Eagles' fill-in quarterback, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in a 34-14 victory over the Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field.

"It really didn't feel any different," Vick said. "The only difference was this game counted toward our record. The atmosphere was great. I was excited to be out there. I just enjoyed the moment, soaked everything in."

Vick said he thought he played "fairly well" and made the right decisions about what to do with the ball. He entered the game at wide receiver on the Eagles' second offensive play and served as a decoy. His other 10 snaps came at quarterback.

Most of Vick's plays were uneventful. His seven-yard run in the first quarter was more workmanlike than dynamic. He threw the ball away on a first-quarter pass with no one open in the end zone, and threw too low on a second-quarter pass toward wide receiver Jason Avant.

"We wanted to get him in and gradually get him back into a game-playing speed and so on, and knock some of the rust off," Eagles Coach Andy Reid said. "And I think we accomplished that."

Vick missed the previous two NFL seasons while serving his federal sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia. He played in two preseason games for the Eagles, then sat out their first two regular season games under the terms of his reinstatement by Goodell.

About two dozen protesters were outside the stadium before Sunday's game. They carried signs saying, "Vick Is Sick," "You Can't Fix Evil," "Buy Ticket, Support Murder" and "How Low Can the NFL Go?"

Some fans walking toward the stadium yelled at the protesters. "We're trying to get a Super Bowl!" one man screamed.

At least five police officers were monitoring the scene.

Vick admitted to being nervous before kickoff. He said he was thinking before the game about his late grandmother, Caletha Vick.

"I'm thinking about everything that I've been through," Vick said. "I'm thinking about what it took to get back to this point. I was thinking about my grandmother, who I lost while I was in prison, and what she would think. The last time I saw her, I was turning myself in to go to Leavenworth. There was a lot of things running through my head. I know she would have been proud of me. I know she's still proud of me. She's the reason I'm gonna keep on pushing, and my ambition to be great is going to grow stronger and stronger every day because I know that's what she'd want."