Audition Day: Michael Vick's final chance in the NFL?

Sunday's week 17 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants may seem like a meaningless match-up between two NFC East rivals who have both been knocked out of play-off contention (technically, the Giants are still mathematically alive to make the play-offs, but I have better odds of winning a Pulitzer prize for this post than the Giants do of making it to the play-offs) . But, think again. There are a number of sub plots at the heart of this game that will help to decide how the NFL looks next year. For instance, the defending Super Bowl champion Giants will undoubtedly make personnel changes in the off-season after a season full of inconsistent defensive efforts, and conservative play calling on the offensive side of the ball.

Yet, the sub plots surrounding the Eagles may be even more intriguing. This Sunday could be the final game for Andy Reid as the head coach in the city of brotherly love. Despite being the longest tenured coach in the NFL and posting an overall record of 139-97-1 with the Eagles over 13 years, Reid's teams have vastly under achieved in recent years, and have completely fallen off the map this year compiling the 3rd worst record in the NFL. Despite all his success in Philadelphia, Reid will still likely be known for his teams' inability to win "the big game," despite compiling stellar players. It is still too early to speculate on who would replace Reid, but whoever it is, they will certainly have a difficult time filling Reid's shoes.  
 
While Reid's situation is interesting, the drama surrounding Michael Vick is even more intriguing. The sorry Eagles have opted to start rookie quarterback Nick Foles instead of 4-time Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick for the latter half of the NFL season. While some pre-season pundits predicted that the team would contend for the Super Bowl, Vick and the Eagles have had a dismal season, losing 10 of their last 11 games. To be fair, Vick was not provided much help by his teammates earlier this year, as the Eagles' offensive line was and has been in shambles all season. But, Vick did himself no favours either, throwing 14 interceptions and fumbling the ball 7 times in 13 games. After being stripped of the starting job, it looked like Vick would whither away on the Eagles bench until the end of the year, which would be followed by a trade to one of the few teams in the NFL that actually needed a quarterback or be released altogether. But, as luck would have it, Michael Vick may have a say in his future after all. With Foles breaking his hand in last week's loss to the Washington Redskins, Vick, once the league's highest paid player, will have one last audition for potential suitors in the final game of the season against the Giants.

Will Vick land a starting job next year?

Currently the Arizona Cardinals, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets are being touted as the most likely destinations for the former Virginia Tech product. Not exactly the ideal destinations for any football player at this point, but, they do provide Vick with the possibility of a final chance to live up to the hype that has surrounded his entire career. While there have been many highs on the field for Vick, as he as electrified fans in Philadelphia and Atlanta (Want proof? Have a look at the video below), questions about his versatility in an offensive scheme and off-field behavior have always followed him. With the felony charges of taking part in an illegal dog fighting ring and the 21 month sentence that followed now behind him, it seems that Vick has finally matured as a person. But, did it come too late?

Can Mike Vick turn back the clock this Sunday and convince NFL GMs to take one last chance on him as their starting quarterback or will he be devoured by Jason Pierre-Paul and the rest of the Giants defense? Unlike last year's NFL draft class, the 2013 class has very few legitimate quarterback prospects, which signals good news for Vick. But nothing is for certain in today's NFL. So, whether Vick gets one more shot in his NFL career may hinge on this Sunday's showdown between Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. So much for a meaningless game.