- Associated Press - Saturday, December 11, 2010

The fans seem to have forgiven, if not completely forgotten. Evidence of that comes straight from the NFL’s election central, where Michael Vick is leading all players in voting for the Pro Bowl.

The judge who put him behind bars is pleased with the new Vick, too. He told the Washington Post a few days ago that Vick’s return to football glory is proof that the criminal justice system really does work.

And the Philadelphia Eagles are ecstatic about the bargain basement quarterback who is not only doing the right things off the field, but doing spectacular things on it. It may just be that Vick, who began the season as a second stringer, is a better quarterback in his reincarnation than he ever was in his days playing in Atlanta.

It may also be that being named to the Pro Bowl is the least of the awards Vick will haul in during his season of redemption. League MVP certainly isn’t out of the question, and neither is Super Bowl champion.

Eighteen months ago he was finishing up a stint at Leavenworth and hated by dog lovers everywhere. Now he’s the toast of the NFL, a feel-good story almost too good to be true.

You wouldn’t think Vick has anything to complain about. But he does, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

It seems NFL referees aren’t showing him any love.

“Not to take anything away from the other quarterbacks in the league, if you go back and watch the film, I’m always getting hit after I let go of the football,” Vick said earlier this week on his radio show in Virginia Beach, Va. “I’m constantly getting hit after I throw the football, constantly getting my facemask pulled and getting hit in the head and it’s never called.”

That Vick would feel secure enough in his new position in life to complain about officiating may be the biggest illustration of how far he’s come in putting his dog fighting scandal behind him. Until now he’s pretty much stuck to the script written for his comeback, keeping his head in the playbook and his mouth mostly shut.

Vick believes the referees aren’t calling late hits on him for a reason. It’s just not the reason you might think.

They’re not holding onto their yellow flags because he’s an ex-con who engaged in despicable behavior. According to Vick, they just sometimes forget he’s a quarterback.

“I just think that because I run the ball so much, the referees sometimes will overlook that,” Vick said. “They have to understand when I’m in the pocket, I’m a passer. If I get hit late, they should call it. I’m not complaining. I just want to be treated fairly.”

Give Vick credit for the timing of his message if nothing else. Tied with the Giants for the lead in their division with the season racing to a conclusion, the Eagles play Sunday night in Dallas against the resurgent Cowboys, then head to New York the next week to take on the Giants.

The two-game stretch will likely decide the NFC East, and determine whether the Eagles are a legitimate playoff threat. It can’t hurt to at least plant the idea in the heads of the officials working the game that Vick needs some extra protection.

Vick, though, is not alone in thinking some quarterbacks have it easier than others.

“They protect the quarterbacks, which is a good thing. They are out there pretty vulnerable,” Jets safety Eric Smith said. “But you are getting roughing calls against certain QBs more than others.”

That defensive players may be tempted to take late shots at Vick isn’t surprising, since getting him out of the game might be the key to winning games against the Eagles. Interestingly enough, his complaints center around the hits he takes in the pocket instead of the ones that come when he’s running the ball.

So far this year Vick has run for 467 yards and six touchdowns, while throwing 15 touchdown passes against only two interceptions. He’s completing nearly two out of every three passes, and his passer rating of 105.7 trails only that of Tom Brady.

But the numbers tell only part of the story about his remarkable comeback. While he tries to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl, he’s also continuing to rebuild an image that many thought could never be rebuilt.

Vick seems to be succeeding, at least judged by the cheers that greet him on the field and the votes he’s getting for the Pro Bowl. Instead of talking about his dog fighting days, fans now talk about his latest scramble from the pocket or one of his long and accurate throws downfield.

The Eagles may not make it to the Super Bowl, and he may not win the MVP award. But Vick has already won something bigger this season.

He’s become a football player once again.

___

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org

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