I am happy for Michael Vick. Everyone loves a “Redemption Song”. From a limited vantage point, he seems humbled, joyful, reinvigorated, and most importantly, eager to really LEARN the game of football, as opposed to depending on his RAW, UNBELIEVABLE athleticism to wow spectators, make games exciting, endanger his career, livelihood, and life.
I think Andy [Reid]; having endured the heartache and pain of watching his own sons reap some of the same ills Vick did from sowing bad decisions into the most fertile soil of bad intentions, saw the potential in him. He knew it was worth the risk to put him in a nurturing environment which would grow him amongst a brotherhood of men. And now, we get to the fork in the road…a bad managerial decision that could potentially negatively impact the Eagles. But Vick himself, I hope above all, Michael Vick the man is ready for the return to financial excess. I hope he can manage the excess to create wealth for his grandkids’ grandkids.
But more than that, here are the obstacles and the reasons this contract isn’t the wisest decision for the Philadelphia Eagles:
1) Currently, the Eagles’ offensive line is in need of a SERIOUS upgrade. I think we’d all agree that Vick is in the top 5 or 10 athletes to EVER play the game. And even at 31, having lost a half step, he’s still elite speed, athleticism, and talent personified. And if HE can’t avoid getting PUMMELED in the pocket, you need to invest SERIOUS $$$ in your fat guys, otherwise you risk sledge hammers and boulders smashing up the pretty race car you paid all the money for.
2) Besides the eagles O-line being in shambles, Vick’s style of play is “balls to the wall”, “hell or high water”, “win or die”, and oftentimes outside of that pocket, Vick is engaged in near-death experiences. Because he is able to get on the edge and extend plays and make plays with his legs, the risk of injury is raised exponentially. Vick is RARELY (if ever) going to be able to complete a full season, and at what point do the aches and pains become permanent injuries that don’t heal? At 31, playing as a fleet-footed athlete puts your career in jeopardy more and more with every play. So, as management, ask yourself if you’re going to get enough out of him to get you SB wins?
3) Has he developed enough over the last 2 seasons to warrant top 3-5 QB money? This is open to debate, but for me I’d say absolutely not. a) He is 10x’s better with reading defenses, understanding coverage, and going through his progressions, instead of scampering like a scared deer or a neutered cheetah. However, he isn’t ELITE at these things after only one season of improvement. He still holds the ball too long, he still forces things a little (I know, who doesn’t?), but most alarming…MOST ALARMING…and the biggest issue I have; b) He cannot identify the blitzes. When blitzed from the right, into his left, he folds like a deck of cards with a picture of Donovan in the Superbowl on them. GREAT…even just GOOD QBs LOVE the blitz. They want you to blitz. They identify it pre-snap and even when they don’t, they can quickly see it coming, adjust, and either hit the hot read, or they are in sync with their slot guy, who also sees the coverage and the blitz, runs the appropriate option route, and the QB hits them instantly. The Eagles don’t run option routes with their slot men (to my knowledge) and while we [the Eagles] have “hot” routes, Vick is wrapped up in thinking about the pressure rather than seeing it and making the quick read and throw. During the last 3 or 4 games of the 2010/2011 season, Vick was EXPOSED…not as a fraud, but as a 2nd tier QB. He is and always will be a tier 1 athlete, a tier 1 talent, and a tier 1 FOOTBALL PLAYER. But he is NOT a tier 1, $100 Million ($40 Million guaranteed) QB…yet (If? When? Maybe? Could he? Will He?).
I’m sure the Black protectionist, fans, and “stans” will be hounding me for not celebrating my Philadelphia Eagles for frivolously and prematurely throwing Manning & Brady money at Vick. But forgive me. I want to see more. I’m a fan and supporter. I have to be. But I haven’t seen enough, and the difference between you and I, is that I know if you don’t spend your money on the O-line and D-Line (which we did…but just not enough), it doesn’t matter how many great skill players you have.
Bradley “B. Austin” Anderson of The War Room, for War Room Sports
