Today, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Michael Vick would be reinstated and would be available to play in Week 3 of the NFL season. Many NFL teams must be kicking themselves for not picking up Vick, because it now looks like the Eagles got a steal.

When Vick was released on June 20th after serving an 18-month sentence, rumors were rampant about where he would wind up. Well, actually rumors were rampant well before his release, but didn't really heat up until he became available to meet with teams.

Many teams were rumored to have been interested in Vick, including Buffalo (hey, they already got T.O!), Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, Oakland, St. Louis, Dallas, and there can't be a big name free agent without some talk of the Redskins signing them. Interestingly enough, the Eagles were fairly far off the radar. But teams were skittish about expressing interest, especially because it seemed Vick would miss most of training camp, if he were even allowed to participate. Many thought he wouldn't be reinstated until 2010. On a Fox Sports panel prior to his release, three of their seven columnists thought Vick would not be allowed to return until 2010. Remember all the talk about Vick playing in the United Football League? But then Goodell announced Vick would "be considered for full reinstatement and to play in regular season games by Week 6 (October 18-19) based on the progress he makes in his transition plan," and the prevailing opinion was he would be reinstated after the fourth regular season game.

The thought of a four-game ban, missing time in training camp, and all of the negative press and distractions that would come with signing Vick scared teams away. The negatives seemed to far outweigh the positives, but the Eagles stepped in and aside from the slightest bit of controversy when Vick was spotted sipping an alcoholic beverage (pineapple and vodka), everything has gone better than almost anyone would have expected.

Just two days after signing with the Eagles, Vick was interviewed by James Brown on 60 Minutes. In the interview he was completely contrite with no caveats. He won over many critics that night and has done everything right since. He has teamed up with the Humane Society to spread an anti-dog fighting message to the youth, has been humble in press conferences, and has overall just kept a low tprofile. But what might be the biggest factor in his reinstatement was the mentoring of Tony Dungy.

The Colts former head coach was recruited by Roger Goodell to reach out to Vick while he was in prison. The two have formed a close relationship and his opinion that Vick has reformed assuredly contributed to Goodell's decision of an early reinstatement.

When Vick arrived in Philadelphia the fans fully embraced him. Sure, there were a couple dozen protesters at his first game back and a spattering of boos, but it became clear that most Eagles' fans were willing to forgive and move on. It will be more hostile with Vick on the road but it hasn't quite been the circus most had predicted.

The timing of Goodell's ruling on Thursday is also extremely beneficial to the Eagles and Vick. By reinstating him after just two games and announcing his ruling before final cuts take place by Saturday, chances are the Eagles will start with Vick on the roster. If Goodell had waited or if the reinstatement was delayed, the Eagles most likely would not have rostered Vick, and he would not have been able to participate in practice.

Only Vick's actions over time will tell if he is truly sorry. Remember that when the dog-fighting allegations first came up, he lied to the police, the owner of the Falcons, Arthur Blank, and Goodell. Maybe he doesn't realize what he did was wrong but he is now well aware of the consequences and that should be enough to keep him on the straight and narrow.

In the Eagles last preseason game, Vick was very rusty. He did fairly well in gadget formations (in which he will mainly be used), but is nowhere near as explosive as he was a couple of years ago, and it's clear he needs a lot of work to get the timing back. He showed both what he needs to work on, and what he can bring, on the same play early in the 3rd quarter. On 3rd-and-8 at the Eagles 26-yard line, Vick dropped back to pass, slipped out of what would've been a sack but then scrambled too long instead of throwing it away, and wound up fumbling the ball on the 4-yard line. He showed some of that athleticism we remember but now it's all about improving his decision making and timing, and that should come with practice.

Despite his erratic play in the final preseason game, everything seems to be working out for Vick. He will be able to return when the Eagles host the Chiefs on September 27th and it looks as though the majority of fans in Philly will be rooting for him. The Eagles took a gamble on Vick while others were hesitant, and now that gamble is paying off.