Back in the day when former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe got the fool knocked out of him, Tom Brady emerged, and the rest is ... well, you know.

In a roundabout way, the same thing's happened with Michael Vick. A dude I'd never heard of named Kevin Kolb was the backup for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. But Kolb got hurt.

Here came Vick.

Reinstated in July by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Vick was juked and jived by teams the way he shook defenders. They were scared to take a chance on him -- or least that was the talk when company was around.

Oh, you know what the deal was, right? Yeah, Vick killed all of those dogs while he was playing for the Atlanta Falcons, so associating with him could be hazardous to an NFL franchise's bottom line.

But the Eagles came around, surely because Kolb got hurt. And because of the drugging and jailing associated with the sons of Eagles coach Andy Reid that have made him more sensitive to second chances. And because of the influence of the respected former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who apparently had been spending time shaping Vick's mind the way Obi-Wan Kenobi was putting those Jedi mind tricks on Luke Skywalker, so Vick presumably is in a good place mentally to get on with his life.

That life is football. Vick has said football doesn't matter, and we know what he means by that. But just like I make a living writing about folks, Vick gets paid giving folks something to write about.

Now, for a while, all that was being typed up about Vick was how he was the cat who bankrolled dogs getting jumper cables put to 'em for electrocution. And there's no getting away from the maliciousness of that. It's awful.

But people change. Situations morph. Falcons become Eagles.

No doubt, the acquisition of Vick is more than just adding some really nice wrinkles to the Eagles' offense -- what a fabulous insurance policy the team has if McNabb goes down.

This doesn't mean Vick won't get in trouble again. But killing dogs is not like porn that makes people keep dipping in that particular well of lust. Vick's dealings with the dogs is more like, "Been there, done that -- and ain't gon' do it no more!"

The news of Vick joining the Eagles broke on the same day the team was playing a preseason game against New England. Brady was making his comeback after sustaining a season-ending injury during the first game of 2008.

Looking good in his return, the Pretty Patriot threw for a couple of touchdowns and 100 yards.

But the signing of the Elusive Eagle -- well, Philly fans sure hope he still has moves -- sent the Brady story to the bench. Vick's return is that big of a deal, but not on account of what transpires on the painted gridiron lines.

The larger message coming out of the City of Brotherly Love is there are penalties in place when yellow flags get thrown in this game called life. But after the requisite yardage is marked off, it's about letting guys line up to make the most out of their new territory.

Reach John McCann at jmccann@heraldsun.com or (919) 419-6601.