GKS Contributor
ATLANTA-It turns out Michael Vick will probably get another chance to play in the Georgia Dome, and it will likely happen this year.
As luck would have it, Vick’s Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to play the Falcons in Atlanta on December 6. Even if Vick is suspended for the first six weeks of the NFL season, which is possible under the terms of his re-instatement, he would be eligible to be on the Eagles’ active roster by the time the Falcons game rolls around.
It hasn’t taken long for Falcons fans to take notice.
Friday’s editions of the Atlanta Journal Constitution blared sports columnist Mark Bradley’s headline “December 6, 2009: Vick vs. the Falcons. Are we ready for this?” Bradley writes that the Vick homecoming could be unlike anything ever seen in Atlanta sports, and that includes two Super Bowls, three Final Fours, and even the Summer Olympics.
My friend and colleague, 640 WGST Sports Director Mitch Evans, agrees.
“It may be one of the great sporting moments in the history of the city of Atlanta,” Evans told me today. “I don’t think there’s any question about that.”
While there are many Falcons fans who blame Vick for essentially firebombing the franchise and setting the stage for a disasterous decline from the NFC Championship Game to last place in three short seasons, there are many more who believe Vick has paid his dues, and deserves another shot in the NFL.
“I think you’ve got plenty of Michael Vick fans in the city of Atlanta, and they’ll be there wearing their red and black and white Vick jerseys,” said Evans, who predicts Vick will hear just as many cheers as boos.
It’s probably a good bet NBC executives are already thinking about using its flexible scheduling rights to move the game to prime time, and it’s now almost all but certain the game will be a sellout.
Oh by the way, both teams are coming off playoff berths, played a very entertaining game in Philadelphia last year, and could very well be playing for home field advantage throughout the playoffs when they meet in the Georgia Dome.
Not a bad way to cap off a December sports weekend in Atlanta. The SEC Football Championship game will be played in the Georgia Dome the day before.
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You may write a few columns, but your no Nick Saban.
You’ve got that right. I’ve never taken two different teams to the Independence Bowl