Michael Vick’s long-anticipated return to the field follows up a court visit

Vick’s debut will cap a busy day

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick will start his day in bankruptcy court and end it on a football field.

All day, all eyes will be on No. 7.

Vick is scheduled to play his first NFL game since his release from prison when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Jacksonville Jaguars in a preseason matchup Thursday night.

It’ll be Vick’s first official appearance in a game since Dec. 31, 2006, with the Atlanta Falcons. He also played that one at Lincoln Financial Field against the Eagles.

This time, there likely will be protesters outside the stadium. Inside, there probably will be plenty of boos.

Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, the rest of the Eagles and all the Jaguars are merely a subplot in an otherwise meaningless game. Vick’s much-anticipated return is the talk of the town.

Vick has dominated headlines since the Eagles signed the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback two weeks ago, giving him a one-year, $1.6 million contract with a team option for $5.2 million in 2010.

Just last month, Vick’s future was uncertain. He was released from federal custody July 20 after serving 18 months of a 23-month sentence for his role in financing and participating in a major dogfighting operation.

Many NFL teams said they weren’t interested in Vick, and it appeared he might have to settle for playing in the fledgling United Football League.

But the Eagles, with McNabb’s blessing, gave Vick a chance, hoping he can be the final piece to help them win that elusive first Super Bowl. Exactly what Vick’s role will be is the biggest question, however.

McNabb is the clear-cut starter, but the Eagles didn’t bring in Vick to carry a clipboard. His skills are perfectly suited to run the wildcat offense, and it’s likely he’ll fill that role.

Coach Andy Reid has kept his plans secret, but said he won’t be reluctant to use Vick in a wildcat formation against the Jaguars. After all, he’s got to see how Vick handles it, plus it would give opposing defenses more to worry about once they see the formation on film.

McNabb and the first-team offense are slated to play three quarters against the Jags, and backup QB Kevin Kolb is penciled in for the fourth quarter. So Vick could share reps with McNabb and the two may even be on the field together in certain situations.

“I’ve just got to see how it works out,” Reid said. “I think he’s worked himself into good enough shape to where he can function in there and do OK. And then I’ve just got to see. It’s been two years since he’s been in there, so I’ve got to see. If he’s OK with the speed of it, then we can give him a couple snaps. If not, we’ll back him off and get him back to practice and work there.”

In other games Thursday night, St. Louis is at Cincinnati, and Miami visits Tampa Bay.

Vick took most of his practice snaps under center in a traditional offense. His familiarity with Philadelphia’s version of the West Coast offense — Atlanta ran a similar one — has helped speed up his learning process. He’s also put in extra time before and after practices, working on conditioning and other aspects of his game.

It’s clear the two-year layoff hasn’t affected Vick’s arm strength. He still has plenty of zip on his passes. But speed and quickness made Vick successful, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he’s lost even the slightest step.

“Hopefully, what he does, I won’t be able to see it because he’s moving too fast,” center Jamaal Jackson said.

Vick has the ideal mentor in McNabb, who’s been to five Pro Bowls, five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl.

“Right now he’s just trying to get his feet up under him and get comfortable with what we’re doing,” McNabb said. “When you get older in this game, you have to adjust your game because you’re not as fast as you used to be. Or you don’t have to run as much because you’re learning more about it.

“He will learn to go through his progressions and reads and be able to deliver the ball quicker instead of deciding to run a little bit faster than usual. But if it’s just watching me and the rest of the quarterbacks, then that’s what I’m sure he’ll do.”

Vick was once the NFL’s highest-paid player, agreeing to a $130 million, 10-year deal with the Falcons in December 2004. But he lost most of his money and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008, saying he owes between $10 million and $50 million to creditors.

Vick is due to appear at a bankruptcy court hearing in Newport News, Va., on Thursday morning and will fly back to Philadelphia to make his Eagles debut.

Everyone will be watching.

Both teams will be without starting quarterbacks. St. Louis’ Marc Bulger has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, and Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer is plagued by a sprained left ankle.

“It’s not that painful of an injury,” said Bulger, who will be replaced by Kyle Boller. “It’s one of those unfortunate things. There’s no major damage. It’s just a chipped bone.

“Any other guy would probably be out there but quarterbacks.”

Palmer is the Bengals’ biggest concern with less than three weeks left before the opener on Sept. 13 against Denver. He missed a dozen games last season because of a torn ligament and tendon in his passing elbow.

The elbow has healed on its own, allowing Palmer to participate fully in offseason workouts, minicamp and the start of training camp. He suffered a moderate high-ankle sprain when he was hit while throwing a pass during the preseason opener at New Orleans on Aug. 14. He sat out a 7-6 win at New England last week.

J.T. O’Sullivan is expected to start Thursday for Cincinnati, backed up by Carson’s younger brother, Jordan Palmer.

The final game of the Florida preseason round-robin.

Tampa Bay plans to start RB Cadillac Williams, the 2005 Offensive Rookie of the Year who has struggled with injuries since. Seven months after undergoing major knee surgery for the second time in just over a year, he’s eager to get going.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said, his words not nearly matching the excitement in his voice. “I’m sure I’m going to make the most of it.”

Miami is sorting out its receiving corps. Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess are the only receivers certain to make the roster. Rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline are competing with Brandon London and Anthony Armstrong for the other spots.

“This coaching staff is all about giving guys opportunities,” said Bess, who had 54 catches for 554 yards last season. “It’s like back in college, walk-ons get opportunities. We all have that here.”