Protests Fizzle as Vick Debuts in Philly

PHILADELPHIA -- Went out about an hour before kickoff looking for protesters. Anti-Michael Vick, pro-Michael Vick, it didn't matter -- I was just looking for some action. And I've gotta tell you, it was a little disappointing.

The animal rights protesters, or the anti-Vick faction, was composed of three women holding a sign that read, "Murderers are not role models," with crude drawings of dogs on it. The pro-Vick faction was made up of about 12 men under the direction of J. Whyatt Mondesire, the head of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. And their "protest" consisted of waiting until the stroke of 6:30 PM to turn around and address a group of reporters that had been waiting to hear what Mondesire had to say.

"We're here to show our support for Michael Vick," Mondesire said. "It's been kind of a one-sided battle, so we wanted to come out and show the other side. We choose our own causes, the dialogue on this has been one-sided and we've seen a lot of racism."

That last part addressed a question about what the NAACP was doing protesting something that doesn't seem to be a civil rights issue, and the fact that Mondesire felt compelled to answer it spoke to the general lameness of the protest atmosphere outside Lincoln Financial Field.

"Those three right there?" said Lt. Dennis Koncyzk, head of the civil affairs unit of the Philadelphia Police Department, pointing to the three women with the banner. "That makes four anti-Vick people we've seen. I don't think there's much happening here."

Koncyzk said he didn't know how many extra police officers had been assigned to the game, but he said his unit wouldn't have been here at all under normal circumstances. They monitor protests and demonstrations, in case things get out of hand. Which they were not. Asked how many people from his unit were here, he shook his head and said, "Not many."


At one point, TV cameras surrounded two people who were arguing about Vick on the sidewalk outside the entry gates, but as part of that argument one of the participants was heard to say, "You really think Kevin Kolb is a good enough backup?" So you can kind of see where their heads were.

That's right. Football.

When the game finally started, Vick was not on the field for the Eagles' first snap, but he did jog onto the field to resounding cheers for the second. Vick lined up in the shotgun, with starting QB Donovan McNabb split out wide as a receiver. Vick took the snap and slid left in an option look, then pitched an inside shovel pass to LeSean McCoy for a four-yard gain.

He came back on a few times during the first two series, at one point running for no gain and later throwing a 13-yard pass to Hank Baskett. (He did not throw to McNabb, who had been open every single time.) Each time he has run onto the field, the fans cheered.

Which brings the point home: As long as he plays good football and helps the team win, the fans here are going to like him. And the protests, such as they are (and they aren't much, tonight) will become a thing of the past.