Except for a few passing words after practice on Saturday, Vick has not addressed the media since his introductory news conference last Friday.
There was the interview that aired Sunday on "60 Minutes," but that was taped before Vick had signed with the Eagles.
According to the Eagles' media relations department there is no official edict against Vick speaking, but it also said that all parties agreed it would be best if Vick did not speak while he went through the adjustment back to football and joining the Eagles.
There's no telling when or if he will be made available again.
I think that's a mistake.
This Vick situation is a battle of public relations, and if there is one thing you want to do in a case like this, it is to gain some semblance of control over the message.
Right now, Vick's image is about as low as it can get.
He was convicted and served time for actions that has made him the poster boy for animal cruelty.
Some are demonizing him as being less than human.
Through all of this, Vick and the Eagles are trying to convince the public, some of which is extremely skeptical, that he is contrite, has learned from his punishment and deserves a chance at redemption.
It's hard to do that if Vick is perceived as being afraid to face the music.
Vick is under no obligation to speak, but by not doing so, he not only leaves it up to others to speculate about his sincerity but also gives the impression that he has more to hide.
Vick sat under the glare of a national spotlight on Friday, but that was still a controlled setting, one that can be viewed as him having been well prepped for.
The same thing can be said for the "60 Minutes" interview.
A lot of people, perhaps even the majority of people, are still straddling the fence about Vick. They are withholding judgment until they get a chance to determine his sincerity.
They want to look into this guy's eyes when he speaks. They want to hear what he has to say over and over.
But they want to see it in a setting that is not perceived as being staged.
People know that an athlete being interviewed on the practice field or in the locker room is likely to be little less guarded, a little more real.
And a lot of Eagles fans are still trying to determine who the "real" Michael Vick is.
Obviously, there would be the risk that Vick might say something wrong, but that's better than having others speculate about what he is thinking.
There is probably a lot of talk going on between the Eagles and Vick's crisis management team to find some animal rights group for him to work with.
And while that's certainly a good idea, many skeptics still view that as Vick trying to paint over warts. He is fighting against cruelty to animals because he is expected to fight against cruelty to animals.
I think Vick could make more immediate headway with the public by simply talking to people, as much as possible.
Vick needs to convince people that he is indeed a human being, not just some privileged athlete looking to salvage a well-paying career.
He needs to start disarming his critics by answering questions, not just once at a news conference, but on some sort of regular basis.
The Eagles have to understand that this is a unique situation. They need to put Vick out there at his locker, even if it's just once a week.
Some people would actually like to know his thoughts on football, what his practices with the Eagles have been like thus far.
The only way that is going to happen is for people to hear from Michael Vick.
This story is not going to just go away, and the longer the Eagles treat Vick with kid gloves and cover him in a security blanket, the longer it's going to take for things to get back to a normal football mode down here.
If Michael Vick doesn't talk, someone else is going to talk for him, and that's rarely a good thing.
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