Vick Practices For First Time as an Eagle

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Michael Vick is smiling after landing a job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Updated at 3:31 PM EDT on Saturday, Aug 15, 2009

Michael Vick was back on an NFL practice field for the first time since completing his prison sentence.

Vick ran the scout team offense in Saturday morning's walkthrough practice with the Philadelphia Eagles. He's expected to do more when the team returns to the field in the afternoon.

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"We have to get him in football shape," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. Reid said Vick was fit enough to handle an NFL practice and the team would bring him along accordingly.

Vick practiced only at quarterback in his first practice, Reid said.

"That's what Michael is," he said. "Michael's a quarterback."

A three-time Pro Bowl pick during six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring and was reinstated last month by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being out of action since 2006.

He signed a one-year deal with the Eagles on Thursday for $1.6 million with a team option for a second year at $5.2 million.

With Donovan McNabb firmly entrenched as Philadelphia's starter and Kevin Kolb backing him up, Vick may be used more as a gimmick player than a traditional quarterback. He's got the athletic skills to run the Wildcat formation.

"There's always the possibility you can do something," Reid said.

Vick always has been far more inclined to take off and run than stay in the pocket and find an open receiver. His career completion percentage is 53.8 percent, among the lowest for a starting NFL quarterback. He has 71 career touchdown passes, but 52 interceptions.

Vick has more career 100-yard rushing games (8) than 250-yard passing games (6).

Aiding his return to the NFL is he'll be learning an Eagles' West Coast offense similar to what he ran in Atlanta.

"He's very fortunate he knows the foundation of this offense. That will speed things up," Reid said.

McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowl pick who has led the Eagles to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in the last eight years, said he "lobbied" for the Eagles to sign Vick.

The 29-year-old Vick picked Philadelphia over other teams because of the organization's strong infrastructure and his friendship with McNabb.

"I thought this was the perfect situation, perfect scenario," Vick said Friday at his introductory news conference. "I can come in and I can learn from Donovan, one of the premier quarterbacks in the game, one of the best at it. Everything that he's learned and the way he's been polished just comes from Coach Reid. I want to get with those two and do as much as I can to become a complete quarterback and I have time to do it."