"That was the best move the Eagles ever made, one of the best," said Leroy Emerson of North Philadelphia.
The news that began to trickle out Thursday night, as the Eagles were losing an exhibition game to the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field, had by yesterday become the talk of the town, even if no one could quite believe it at first.
Michael Vick, the dog-killer? An Eagle?
The signing of the disgraced quarterback, fresh from federal custody, dominated discussion on sports radio, television news and Internet sites, not to mention offices and taverns. By last night, more than 33,000 people had voted in a Philly.com poll, with the results split: Fifty-one percent opposed the signing, 49 percent supported it.
"When I heard it," said Bill Fey, who is active in Gloucester County politics, "I nearly drove off the road. . . . How can you sign a guy who hangs dogs from a tree and shocks them?"
Vick, 29, was the first pick in the 2001 NFL draft, chosen by the Atlanta Falcons. He served 18 months of a 23-month federal sentence after being convicted of running a dog-fighting operation in Newport News, Va.
Vick was released from federal custody on July 20 and quickly sought to renew his NFL career. Hardly anyone suspected it would be with the Eagles, which helped drive the reaction.
President Obama's difficulty in selling health-care changes? A tripling of the death toll in the Taiwan typhoon? Sorry, not news. Not in this town. Not yesterday.
"Am I going to buy his jersey? As soon as they make them, yes, I am. You can bet on that," said James Cutts, 72, of South Philadelphia.
