Michael Vick picked a tough place for a second chance.

Philadelphia sports fans, it is said, would boo a cancer patient. They threw snowballs at Santa Claus during a game in 1968. They cheered when the Dallas Cowboys' Michael Irvin injured his neck and had to be carried off the field in 1999. They behaved so badly that a courtroom was set up at old Veterans Stadium to handle arrests.

But the City of Brotherly Love is where Vick will make his comeback attempt.

"I think everybody deserves a second chance," a somber Vick said yesterday in Philadelphia, a day after signing with the Eagles. "We all have issues, we all deal with certain things and we all have our own set of inequities. I think as long as you are willing to come back and do it the right way and do the right things and that you're committed, then I think you deserve it. But you only get one shot at a second chance, and I am conscious of that."

A three-time Pro Bowl pick during six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring and was reinstated just last month by the NFL after being out of action since 2006.

Vick said he wanted to play for a team with strong ownership, a solid coaching staff and an established starting quarterback. He signed a one-year deal for $1.6 million with a team option for a second year at $5.2 million. None of the money is guaranteed, so the Eagles face no financial risk if Vick doesn't make the team.

Dressed in a gray, pinstriped suit, Vick called his offenses "a horrible mistake" and vowed to crusade for animal rights.

Angry fans brought dogs and waited outside the team's practice facility, carrying signs and banners to display their outrage.

"How could they sign Michael Vick?" said Mark Pascetta of Ridley Township. "They are supposed to be a character team. We don't need him."

Commissioner Roger Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6.

GIANTS

QB MANNING SIGNS $97 MILLION DEAL

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is officially the NFL's highest paid player.

A little more than a week after reaching a tentative agreement, Manning signed the six-year extension that will keep him with the team through 2015 and pay him an average salary of $15.3 million starting next season.

Manning is guaranteed $35 million under terms of the $97 million extension.

"It's good to get it out of the way and not have to worry about anything else," Manning said. "Now it's time to get ready for the season."

Manning has started the last 71 games for New York, the third-longest streak among active quarterbacks at the end of last season.

Manning has led the Giants to the playoffs in each of his four full seasons as a starter. Last season, he led New York to the NFC East title and earned his first Pro Bowl berth, passing for 3,238 yards and 21 touchdowns.

ELSEWHERE

Panthers: Carolina receiver Steve Smith made a surprise return to practice yesterday morning at Spartanburg, S.C., four days after suffering a right shoulder injury. Smith participated in individual drills, but was held out of team work and avoided contact. The four-time Pro Bowl selection was injured Monday night when he hit the ground hard after a collision with cornerback Chris Gamble.

Packers: Green Bay signed first-round draft pick B.J. Raji, ending the defensive lineman's nearly two-week training camp holdout. Citing two NFL sources it did not identify, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Raji, out of Boston College, signed a five-year, $28.5 million deal that included just under $18 million in guaranteed money.

Jaguars: First-round draft pick Eugene Monroe ended a 12-day holdout yesterday by signing a five-year contract with Jacksonville. Monroe, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound left tackle taken No. 8 from Virginia, joined his teammates for practice last night. Terms weren't disclosed.

Giants: New York Giants rookie running back Andre Brown tore the Achilles' tendon in his left leg and will be lost for the season. The fourth-round draft pick from North Carolina State was running a pass route late in yesterday evening's practice at the University at Albany when the tendon ruptured as he reached for a pass from David Carr.

Broncos: A jury in Atlanta found Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall not guilty of misdemeanor battery against his former girlfriend, announcing its verdict yesterday after about an hour of deliberations. Marshall had faced two counts of simple battery stemming from a March 4, 2008, argument with then-girlfriend Rasheedah Watley at the Atlanta condominium the couple shared.