It’s a ticking timebomb

Well, that didn’t take long. In the first game of the Michael Vick era, just over 18 minutes had passed when Donovan McNabb waved his right hand in a slashing gesture near his neck, signaling the end of the night for the controversial backup quarterback.

It appears McNabb, who stuck out that same neck a few weeks ago and championed the cause of Vick, suddenly had a change of heart. While his coaches tried foolishly to deny that the franchise quarterback had aborted the experiment, McNabb at least admitted that, after only four possessions in an otherwise meaningless preseason game, Vick was adversely affecting the flow of the offense.

Of course, this leads to an obvious question. If McNabb was that quick to block Vick’s progress on day one, how will he feel when the games really count? I know Eagles fans hate suspense, so I’ll answer that question. He will not feel good. He will hate the intrusion of Vick into his offense. He will resent the kind of cheers Vick got on that first night. He will wish he had never brought Vick here.

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg tried his best to play down Mc-Nabb’s early concerns, saying that one play here and there will not affect the rhythm of the offense. As usual, the coach totally missed the point.

Think about the two possible outcomes of this ridiculous experiment. If Vick somehow succeeds and adds an explosive new element, how will McNabb react? Is there any chance that the insecure quarterback who resented Jeff Garcia’s success will suddenly embrace the arrival of a new threat?
And if Vick fails — a far greater possibility — how will the Eagles handle the fact they brought in this negative element at the urging of McNabb, and then had to deal with the fallout when McNabb created an atmosphere that guaranteed failure?

My biggest surprise on the first night of the Vick experiment was the positive fan reaction. Stupidly, I expected fans starved for a championship to see the smug dog killer that I see when I look at Vick. What the fans saw instead was a new and different means to success. They saw his potential as a secret weapon, a lethal final piece in a complicated puzzle.

Of course, even the most optimistic fans had to cringe when they saw Mc-Nabb cut Vick’s night short with that slashing gesture. Unfortunately, that gesture was a foreshadowing of the disaster that awaits us all.

There is no way this ends well.