Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick recently agreed to a
one-year deal to remain in The City of Brotherly Love, but this season
might be the last one for Vick in the spotlight. Vick will enter his
fifth season with The Eagles, but with a new head coach in the form of
Chip Kelly, is Vick really in the future plans of the team?
Kelly
comes to The National Football League from The University of Oregon
where his offenses put a prolific numbers in the spread offense. The
Eagles have the players at the skill positions on offense to run Kelly’s
system in the form of Vick, running back LeSean McCoy, and wide
receiver DeSean Jackson. It isn’t a matter of if, but when Vick will get
injured.
In Vick’s 10-year NFL career he has only made all 16
starts in one season. As good an athlete that Vick is, at 6’0″, 215
lbs., soaking wet he is not built to take the hits of a prototypical
pocket passer more less of a scrambling quarterback. In 2006 Vick became
the first and only quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a
season while he was a member of The Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons record
that year was only 7-9.
Kelly’s quarterbacks typically run in his
system. Last year Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota rushed for 752
yards while passing for 2,677 yards. As a team, Oregon nearly averaged
6.0 yards per carry.
A running game is a quarterback’s best
friend and Vick hasn’t had a good friendship in Philadelphia as he has
been sacked 85 times in 47 games. Last season Vick was sacked 28 times
in just 10 games. Aside from being sacked so frequently, Vick had 11
fumbles and he threw 10 interceptions. His record as a starter last
season was 3-7. Vick’s overall record as Eagles starting quarterback is 18-16.
Kelly’s
job is not only to provide better protection for Vick the passer, but
to get Vick’s confidence back. In former Eagles head coach Andy Reid’s
West-Coast offense, Vick appeared to be a a deer in the headlights as he
appeared to be thinking more than reacting which is critical to a
football player. Vick’s ability and his reactions on the football field
is what gave us “The Michael Vick Experience”. At 33-years of age with a
career completion percentage of only 56.3, this is it for Vick. The
Falcons gave Vick the keys to the franchise and he was never able to get
them over the hump. Reid tried to refine Vick into a quarterback and it
never worked fully because Vick is an athlete at the quarterback
position.
Kelly will give Vick a chance this season because he
is not fully attached to Vick or The Eagles other quarterback Nick
Foles. More than likely there won’t be anymore chances for Vick after
this upcoming season as some people might continue to ponder about him
as a football player.
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