Michael Vick: Be Careful What You Wish For, Philly Fans

Added on Sep 13, 2010 by Jason Kearney in

NFL

Ever since Philadelphia Eagles’ starter Kevin Kolb was knocked out of Sunday’s game against Philadelphia with a concussion there’s been something of a debate (though much is the manufactured pseudo debate that fuels much of the drivel that passes for sports media circa 2010) over who should start if Kolb can’t go next week. From a football standpoint, its a good argument–do you go with Michael Vick who in theory at least gives you a better chance to win now or do you give talented young Mike Kafka some playing time? My hunch is that Vick will get to start if Kolb can’t play (and really this early in the season there’s not a good reason to rush him back from a concussion) but were I a Philly fan I’d be screaming for Kafka to get the opportunity.

I’m going to keep this discussion focused on football, but I’ll give this disclaimer. Michael Vick is one of the more reprehensible human beings walking the face of the earth. He was never exactly a ‘character guy’ before his conviction for running a dog fighting ring–does ‘Ron Mexico’ ring a bell?–but all you have to do is read the evidence in that case to figure out that Vick makes Pacman Jones look like Vince Lombardi. Before we turn our attention to Vick the football player, let’s not forget what this scumbag is capable of doing to a helpless living creature (Warning: this is an extremely graphic image of one of the dogs Vick tortured and abused).

If you’ve read the fine work of the sports handicapping specialists on this site, you know they’re of the opinion that this is going to be a rough year for the Philadelphia Eagles due in large part to the quarterback situation on the team. This time last year, the Eagles’ starting quarterback was Donovan McNabb who in addition to being the team’s all time leader in every significant passing catagory is also the least intercepted quarterback per pass attempt in NFL history. On a personal level, you won’t find a classier dude in the league. The entire turn of events that led to McNabb being traded to Washington is hard to figure–there was a rap on his team leadership but its not like having a pair of young quarterbacks and Michael Vick is an upgrade in that department.

In the space of a year, the Eagles have gone from Donovan McNabb to, presumably, Michael Vick. That’s not only a downgrade in terms of their personal character, but their ability level as NFL quarterbacks. Michael Vick has never learned to play quarterback in the NFL. He’s a player who has relied on his speed and athleticism for his entire career, and at age 30 he’s not getting any faster. Vick has never learned how to do even the rudimentary things that NFL quarterbacks need to do–read defenses and coverage, hit the open man, throw the ball how and where your receivers want to catch it and most importantly when *not* to throw the ball and risk interception.

The argument for Vick as starter is pretty flimsy–he put up some good numbers in ‘garbage time’ against a Green Bay Packers team that thought they already had the game won. The Packers were up 20-3 when Vick started his ‘comeback’, and held a 27-10 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Furthermore, he was facing a defense that had prepared for a dropback passer in Kolb and ended up facing a guy who does whatever it is that Vick does. Aaron Rodgers didn’t look particularly sharp (he said after the game he played ‘as bad as he can possibly play’) yet Green Bay led by 17 after three quarters. And let’s not forget that on the most important play of the game, facing 4th and 1 on a potential game tying drive Vick got stuffed for no gain. The takeaway from this game is less that Michael Vick is ‘back’ and more that the Packers’ secondary is vulnerable and at the very least needs to play all sixty minutes.

In all fairness, there’s at least one area where Vick is definitely the best player for the job at the moment–he’ll be better able to run for his life playing behind the Eagles porous offensive line which gave up five sacks against the Packers. They’ve looked horrible on pass protection this preseason and they’re not going to get any better now that starting center Jamaal Jackson is likely gone for the year with a torn bicep. The center is essentially the ‘quarterback’ of the offensive line, and while Jackson’s injury might not get hysterical ESPN coverage its huge. The Eagles also lost Pro Bowl fullback Leonard Weaver for the season with a torn knee ligament.

In the short term, the best thing Philadelphia has in their favor is a schedule that sends them to Detroit to play the woeful Lions next week. Detroit’s big weakness on defense is their secondary so in theory that works in the Eagles’ favor, but its a two way street–the Lions are building a solid defensive front and should be able to get pressure on whomever is under center for Philly. And while ‘in theory’ a struggling Lions’ secondary could help the Eagles’ offense, facing a team with so little experience and the interception prone Vick at quarterback could be just what the doctor ordered to give the Detroit coverage players some much needed confidence. Win or lose, however, after Detroit there’s not an easy game on the schedule. The ‘easiest’ game after next week is a November game against the Bears at Solider Field.

The reality of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense is now becoming apparent–its going to be a rebuilding year and that won’t change with K0lb, Vick or Kafka at quarterback. Best case scenario for the Eagles is that Kolb gets back in the lineup ASAP and starts to get a handle on the tough job of being a starting quarterback in the NFL. There is light at the end of the tunnel with some talented young players at running back and wide receiver, but there’s no short cut to getting there–they just need to get experience. Vick may have some value to the team in gimmick formations, but big picture the team is better served trying to develop offensive continuity around a more traditional quarterback whether its Kolb or Kafka. Ultimately, none of the quarterbacks on the roster are going to be able to change the reality that the Eagles’ offense is in transition and will likely struggle for much of the season.

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