When the Eagles signed Vick they held the option to keep him or to cut him. This put the Eagles in a win-win situation. If they kept him they stood to benefit from his play on the field. If they cut him then the critiques could claim their scalp and go somewhere else. The pressure from the interest groups was aligned with the Eagle's interests: They would only keep Vick if he was worth keeping!

The situation with Sams is different. Here the pressure from the interest groups is not aligned with the interests of the team. The team just wants good players. Sams may prove to be a good player. But if he doesn't and he is cut or does not play then the coaches are put in the difficult position of justifying and defending the decision. For any other late round draft pick the media would not care. Players get cut all the time. But the media sees Sams as different and they will treat him differently. This is the headache Dungy said he would not want.