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This Is a Terrible Idea

Yesterday the Philadelphia Eagles announced they were re-signing Michael Vick to a one-year contract worth up to $10 million. Or maybe it's a three-year deal with a bunch of the money pushed into the second two years, structured so that the Eagles can pretty much shove the contract into a shredder after the first 12 months. A lot of the money is tied up in performance incentives — for instance it's been reported that Vick will make $900,000 if he participates in 70 percent of the snaps — which should make Vick and upstart second-year Napoleon Dynamite look-alike Nick Foles practically inseparable bowling buddies 4 life off the field.

The decision to bring Vick back seems to be all Chip Kelly's. The new head coach had a chance to part ways with the veteran quarterback/tackling dummy. And Vick's recent performances gave him all the reasons he needed: Vick has gone 10-13 in his last two seasons, with 30 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions. The organization had a chance to start fresh — be it with Foles or someone else — by cutting Vick before February 6, and decided not to. Kelly must have come to the conclusion that they'd rather have Vick, with the flexibility of trading him or releasing him down the line, rather than no Vick at all. "You have to look at the landscape for other quarterbacks," Kelly said on Monday. Hi, Alex Smith. Bye, Alex Smith. For Eagles fans, it doesn't exactly make your heart sing with hope.

The drive to Pasadena from UCLA's Westwood campus is about 20 miles, just far enough to show off the fast-changing topography of greater Los Angeles. The stadium is less than 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean, but aside from a few scattered palm trees, the large park that surrounds it feels more like a setting from somewhere further north and west. Finally, there’s the view to the north of the stadium, a mountain backdrop that I can only assume makes for one of the more idyllic scenes in college football.

The stadium itself is in a state of transition on its way to joining its ideal setting. The east sideline is home to a set of half-finished luxury suites with a price tag nearing $180 million. As Jonathan Franklin scored the game-sealing touchdown in UCLA’s 36-30 win over no. 16 Nebraska on Saturday night, and as chants of “U-C-L-A” filled the air, the contingent of Big Red near the north end zone shuffled toward the exit under an unlit tri-level collection of ladders and scaffolding.

Jim Mora was quick to dismiss the notion that a win over the 16th-ranked Huskers was in any way his program’s version of a similar transition. “What does this win mean?” he was asked in the Rose Bowl’s sparkling new interview room. “It means we’re 2-0.”