Astounded by Vick deal

A text came in. Then another. Then the whispers started in the press box. Then the phone started ringing. This all happened within seconds.

It was about 8:45 last night when the focus shifted and everything changed. People stopped talking about how good Shady McCoy looked in the Eagles' preseason opener against the Patriots and started talking about the big news.

Did you hear? The Birds signed Michael Vick.

I didn't believe it at first. I didn't believe it until Vick's agent, Joel Segal, confirmed the rumor to ESPN.com. A news conference is scheduled for today.

The fans at Lincoln Financial Field didn't seem to believe it either. One guy seated right in front of the press box stood up, knocked on the glass and mouthed the question to me that everyone was asking: "Is it true?" When I nodded yes, he didn't seem so thrilled. The poor guy put his hands on his bald head and shook it. He did that for a long while. His reaction probably wasn't unique.

It was barely two years ago that the former Atlanta signal-caller traded his Falcons uniform for government-issue prison garb after being convicted of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in the federal pen and suspended indefinitely by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The commish has since softened his stance, allowing Vick to look for work and stating that he could be eligible for full reinstatement by Week 6 at the latest.

And so now Ron Mexico is an Eagle. To say it's a shocking development is a gross understatement. If anyone in town expected this or knew it was happening, they did a good job keeping it a secret. Vick reportedly flew into town Tuesday night and remained undetected until late last evening. That's a hard thing to pull off. If his football comeback falls through, he has a terrific career ahead of him as a spy.

Covert operations aside, the Eagles will take a PR hit on this, and it won't be a small one. PETA and pet owners everywhere will crucify Vick and the Birds for climbing into bed together. Radio hosts will jabber about it incessantly and question what the hell the Eagles were thinking. Columnists and bloggers will write countless words - many of which will be angry and judgmental.