Michael Vick – he of the dog fighting, the jail term, and worst Q rating on the planet – landed his very own positive Sports of the Times profile.

The quarterback, who earned his first start since 2006 on Sunday, was thrust into the spotlight after Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion in the first game of the year. Enter Vick, who joined the Eagles in August 2009 and played in 12 games last year but only threw 13 passes while running 24 times. The former Virginia Tech star played well in the opening day loss and even better in a week two victory over the Detroit Lions.

“I’m very proud of him,” Reid told Timesman William C. Rhoden. “It’s a true testament if you work hard, you keep your nose clean, good things can happen, and he’s worked very hard at doing both those things.”

More importantly, he’s rehabilitating his image.

In a year when both Tiger Woods and LeBron James have crashed from grace, Vick is slowly winning back his critics. According to a Q Score poll released in September, he’s still the most disliked athlete on the planet, but a poll accompanying the story shows he’s well ahead of Woods and nearly even with Terrell Owens and Kobe Bryant.

Vick understands his plight.

“There’ll always be a divot in my career because of what I’ve been through,” he told the Times. “Hopefully, in 10 years, people can overlook that. I can’t say they will, I can’t say they won’t. All I can do is try to make them forgive. I know they won’t forget.”

If he keeps winning, it won’t take 10 years. Sad, but true.