So Long, Mr. Vick

Posted: March 23rd, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 63 Comments »

Michael Vick is now a New York Jet. Going there will give him a chance to start, which is what he wants more than anything. I don’t blame Vick one bit. He is still a talented player and wants to be on the field. He watched Nick Foles from the sideline for parts of the previous 2 seasons. Vick played the part of the good teammate, but it was frustrating. He wanted to get back on the field.

The Jets have a young QB in Geno Smith, but obviously they want a serious QB competition. Their offense was 29th in scoring and 25th in yards last year. The fact they went 8-8 is a minor miracle.

Vick is the kind of playmaker that the Jets need. Vick threw 141 passes. 5 of them covered 40 or more yards. Smith threw 443 passes. 6 of them covered 40 or more yards. Obviously the Eagles had much better weapons, but that doesn’t change the fact that Vick is more likely to create big plays. The Jets should certainly be more entertaining to watch this fall.

It will be interesting to see if Vick can overcome his 2 biggest issues as an Eagle: injuries and turnovers. The Jets provide him with an interesting situation. He’s reunited with Marty Mornhinweg, but the offense is built around the running game. The Jets don’t have great skill players, nor a great O-line. It is possible that playing in a more conservative offense will bring out the best in Vick. The Falcons did a lot of that early in his career.

It is also possible that Vick will feel the pressure of having to carry the offense on his back and that will lead to him taking risks. That’s when turnovers can become an issue.

I hope Vick does well. He is an exciting player to watch when he’s got his A-game. I’ve got no reason to be angry at him and the Jets aren’t a team that I actively cheer against.

Vick’s time in Philly was all over the place. I still remember back in August of 2009 when Vick was allowed to talk to teams. I wrote a post on how the Eagles would have no interest. Donovan McNabb was in place as the starter. Kevin Kolb was the QB of the future. AJ Feeley was the veteran backup and arguably the best #3 QB in the league. Why on Earth would the Eagles want to add someone like Michael Vick?

Less than 24 hours after I wrote that, Vick was an Eagle.

2009 was an odd year. Vick got on the field a bit, but was more of a novelty than anything else. 2010 was a magical ride. Vick, or Starship 7 as Jon Gruden nicknamed him, had moments when he looked like the best QB in the league. He was electric. It looked like Vick was re-born as an Eagle and that things would be good for a long time. The next 3 years were uneven. Vick still had his spectacular moments, but his flaws were also regularly apparent.

You can argue about whether Vick’s time as an Eagle was a success on the field. There is no question that off the field he was a major success. The Eagles provided the stable environment that Vick needed and he bought in. Ron Mexico never showed up in Philly. Vick truly was, and is, a changed man. His teammates loved him. The coaches never had any issues with him. Vick never complained when things didn’t go his way. He easily could have griped about sitting while Foles played, but that never happened. Vick was supportive of the other QBs around him, even though he was battling them for playing time.

Life was never boring during the Vick era, that’s for sure. Good luck to him in the future.

_


63 Comments on “So Long, Mr. Vick”

  1. 1 Jamie Parker said at 2:06 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    If the Jets trade for D-Jax and pair him with Decker, that could be an AFC East title contender with their defense. Maybe the Eagles throw in B Brown and they could have a very good offense. Add some O-linemen in the draft and they could significantly better this coming year.

  2. 2 GermanEagle said at 2:08 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    B Brown is not. Going. Anywhere.

  3. 3 ACViking said at 4:39 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Is there a sourced story that he is? Or just fact-free speculation?

  4. 4 SteveH said at 6:37 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Dear god, let it be a sourced story and not fact free speculation. We all know what happens when fact free speculation begins.

  5. 5 GermanEagle said at 6:56 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    No matter what happens, you can blame Jimmy and the media for all of this. Lol

  6. 6 Anders said at 7:26 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Bryce Brown trade rumors is pure fan based.
    It usually something like this:
    “I like Polk more than Brown, so lets trade Brown for a 2nd round pick”.
    What people fail to realize is, if Polk is better than Brown, how are you getting a 2nd for Brown?
    I would on the other hand trade Brown for a 2nd right now and I think Brown is much better than Polk

  7. 7 Joseph Dubyk said at 2:25 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Vick is a mediocre QB whos injury prone and turnover prone. He also lacks the quick decision making skills to be consistent in the red zone. Only way they contend for the title is if NE finally has an off year.

  8. 8 Jamie Parker said at 2:33 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    We all know he’s injury and turnover prone. However, the Jets actually run the ball, or at least try to. That will set him up for better success. You can’t tell me the Jets are not better with him. And you can’t disregard their defense.

  9. 9 Joseph Dubyk said at 8:31 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    It doesn’t matter if you run the ball well or not (jets actually don’t). If youre a bad passer youre a bad passer. Everyone thouhht McNabb was going to have success when he left bc of a running game but obviously that was proven to be false. Jets are better / him but thats more of a testament to how bad Smith is not ho good he is… Yeah the defense will help

  10. 10 GermanEagle said at 2:08 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I predicted Vick 2 the Jets all along and I’m pretty sure that he will be the starting QB on opening gameday.

  11. 11 Dominik said at 8:25 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    On opening gameday is absolutely possible. Week 7 is another story.

  12. 12 phillychuck said at 2:23 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Vick also helped to unify the locker room after Riley Cooper’s incident last year, and, without his support, the team might have unraveled and never come close to the playoffs.

    Good luck to him in NY. Just talk the Jets into 2 second rounders for DeSean… 🙂

  13. 13 Joseph Dubyk said at 2:23 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Why people still think Vick is a good Q (or ever was ) Ill never know. His only saving grace is a good Jets defense. Otherwise he stinks in the red zone, turns the ball over and gets injured.. This will absolutely be his last year as a starter and hell take back up roles from here

  14. 14 BobSmith77 said at 1:32 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    He did improve here as a QB but his impact on the field here was vastly overrated. Even in ’10, his numbers started to really lag as he took more hits/punishment and his numbers from the Chicago game to the playoff home vs Packers weren’t great.

  15. 15 Joseph Dubyk said at 10:27 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    agreed. didnt win a single playoff game but we keep hearing how he’s going to go to the Jets and make them a contender lol. He just simply isn’t good. He’s exciting, which doesnt mean good

  16. 16 nopain23 said at 2:26 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    We’ll with Dax gone it looks like Iggles are going to take WR at 22.Guess safety and rush OLB will have to wait until the later rounds

  17. 17 Jamie Parker said at 2:51 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Brandin Cooks, baby!!!

  18. 18 Patrick said at 4:21 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Personally I’m more of a Beckham Jr guy, but I still feel you bro. Looking at the WRs in the draft, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to select one. Kelvin Benjamin or Jordan Matthews if you prefer a bigger body out there. I still don’t like the idea of trading DeSean for terrible value, but i do like the WR class.

  19. 19 Mitchell said at 7:28 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I really don’t see why we wouldn’t end up taking 2 WR’s in this draft. I like OBJ early and a big, fast guy later on like Bryant.

  20. 20 Patrick said at 4:20 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    I agree, I think now that Chip Kelly is the Head Coach and once we get our defense settled, that we will spend a lot of later picks on offensive skill players with a lot of potential, kinda like Andy always took QBs and linemen late.

  21. 21 holeplug said at 3:02 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    They still go defense IMO unless like Mike Evans somehow drops

  22. 22 mksp said at 5:38 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    ODB and Brandin Cooks are better talents than any of the safeties, and any of the OLBs that would be available at #22.

    Taking Haha Clinton-Dix over ODB or Cooks would be a mistake IMO.

  23. 23 nopain23 said at 7:29 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Ford at 22 if he’s still ont he board no?

  24. 24 mksp said at 7:40 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Nah. Still like ODB/Cooks better, think they will have more of an impact in their careers.

  25. 25 Anders said at 7:24 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    There is no OLB worth taking at 22 any way unless Ealy (I think he can play OLB) or Barr drops. I really like Ford, but he is not 1st round material and I doubt the Eagles like him.

  26. 26 Dave said at 2:43 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Although I’m happy he is gone, it is truly amazing the transformation he has made in the past 5 years.

  27. 27 xeynon said at 2:55 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I was not happy when the Eagles signed Vick because of his ugly past, and I’ve never been the biggest fan of him as a player. But as you say, he’s clearly a changed man, and he conducted himself with class, dignity, and professionalism during his tenure with the Eagles. He won my respect and allegiance, something I wouldn’t have thought possible after the dogfighting conviction, and I wish him nothing but the best with the Jets.

  28. 28 shah8 said at 6:33 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I do think, at this point, that the Jets will be very competitive this coming year. Had Geno Smith not swooned or came out of it even one game sooner, the Jets probably would have made noise in the playoffs.

    They are short at RB, CB/S, outside rusher.

  29. 29 SteveH said at 6:37 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    The strong D always gives them a shot, but I feel like they run very hot and cold. They can pull out big wins at any moment but sometimes they fail spectacularly. I think Vick is an instant upgrade at QB tho.

  30. 30 Toby_yboT said at 6:35 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I have actually come to like Mike Vick but I’m not sad to see him go. Good luck in NY Vick and be smart with your money.

  31. 31 A_T_G said at 6:50 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Vick certainly won me over with his reformation. I am glad we are in a situation to allow him to leave, but I wish him success.

  32. 32 Mac said at 7:02 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Best reformation since Luther.

  33. 33 barneygoogle said at 7:15 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Vick made a smart move. He won’t play very well with that crew, even if he can stay healthy, but being in New York, his endorsement deals will make him more money now, than his salary. I do think by November though, the media will be all over him.
    Jets want DeSean to help Vick, and named him. What pick do we get for tampering? I hope 10 teams talk about him. Can we then get 10 picks–and give Howie a shopping cart?

  34. 34 ACViking said at 8:05 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Re: The Departures of Vick v. McNabb

    In Vick’s five years, he never did nearly as much as McNabb for the Eagles’ won-loss column and playoff hunt.

    But he seems to be leaving with lots more good will.

    Is that the perception around here? If so, what are the reasons?

    Just curious as to people’s thoughts on this.

  35. 35 Cafone said at 9:33 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    a) We had to endure McNabb for longer.

    b) McNabb was drafted to be a franchise quarterback and his failure was frustrating. Vick was picked up for nothing as a free agent backup and his success was pleasantly surprising.

    c) Regardless of talent, Vick took the game more seriously, and was a natural leader that commanded the respect of his teammates. Even if McNabb was probably smarter in a conventional sense, Vick was more of a student of the game, at least during his second incarnation in Philadelphia.

  36. 36 Flyin said at 9:43 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    The difference for me is that I embraced McNabb as an Eagle, however, after the Superbowl, my doubts really started. My feelings for McNabb started to roll downhill quick. I was one that wanted him gone well before the majority. That Easter day when he was traded was the best Easter of my life.

    Vick on the other hand, I never embraced him as an Eagle. I didn’t like the signing because I never liked him in Atlanta. A great athlete, yes, great QB, hell no. In 2010 Vick made me rethink, he was on another planet for most of the season… then he came back to Earth.

    Vick did all the right things off the field, and his comments seemed true and sincere. Really a great teammate, tough as nails on the field and gave everything he had.

    McNabb seemed to always think he was owed something and took things personal. He made me sick to my stomach.

    I wish Vick success in the future.

    I enjoyed watching the rest of McNabb’s career. It was even better than smelling him 3000 miles away, rotting away in Oakland.

  37. 37 Insomniac said at 9:57 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Vick didn’t take us deep into the playoffs like McNabb did but he gave the team a new kick and personality that we really needed. That defense minded team became offense minded (didn’t have a choice really). He gave us some magical moments that were sadly not at Superbowl games.

    McNabb? The words “just good enough” keeps coming to mind. He may be the best QB this franchise had but you don’t demand respect in Philly without backlash. Dirtballs and timely interceptions were probably more infuriating than watching Vick turn the ball off.

    All in all, I had no qualms about Vick leaving but McNabb? About time.

  38. 38 D3FB said at 10:17 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I think part of it is the underdog and redemption narrative. Despite being incredibly talented Vick had nothing when he arrived in Philly. He put in alot of work and became a better version of himself both on and off the field. He always left the field having giving it everything and that showed in his style of play (for better and worse). McNabb on the other hand came in to be the white knight to save the franchise. While he had a great deal of success he never completely delivered the franchise to the promise land. By the time he was traded many in the fanbase had tired of his personality and the flaws in his game.

  39. 39 SteveH said at 1:00 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    For Donovan, I don’t think it has anything to do with his on the field play, its a combination of his personality, which has always had an irritating passive aggressive tone, and the fallout from the T.O. situation. It still amazes me to this day there are people who are “on T.O.’s side” about the whole thing. I don’t think it can be understated how much havoc T.O. managed to wreak on not just Donovan, but the team as a whole in that 2005 season, and the fallout for Donovan has dogged him ever since.

    Vick I think gets more love because he exceeded expectations and because he handled his demotion this past year extremely well.

  40. 40 anon said at 1:58 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Personality. Vick was a way better person, and more importantly better team leader than McNabb ever was — even in the face of all the adversity he faced here in philly (both from poor play and prior bad acts).

    Looking at the way Vick handled the Riley Cooper situation, getting Desean / Shady to buy into Chip (before they started winning), handling getting benched. Can’t imagine how McNabb would have acted if presented same circumstances – we do know how he acted wrt to TO and others.

  41. 41 Anders said at 7:22 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Looking at the comments here tell the picture. People for some reason forgot how great McNabb even at his worst.
    Simply McNabb’s tenure was always filled with haters and unfair critizme and people also project current McNabb TV guy into McNabb great QB.
    Also because McNabb wasnt a rah-rah guy like Dawkins and always smiling, people hated him.

  42. 42 ICDogg said at 8:19 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    It’s an interesting question.

    For one thing, the fans got behind Vick because he was under constant attack by national media and activist groups, and Philly fans tend to rise to the defense when one of their own is attacked. They got behind McNabb once or twice in a similar fashion, notably when Limbaugh went off on him.

    I think Vick has appeared much more as a mature leader than McNabb ever did. He avoided doing anything that seemed petulant or saying anything that appeared to be whining. He has been well liked and respected by his teammates, from what we hear. He’s been one of Foles’ most vocal supporters. So, there are lots of reasons that he leaves here with good will.

  43. 43 Vick or Nick said at 9:02 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    We will all wonder what if that Vikings game had been played as scheduled instead of delayed. Things went downhill after that game.

  44. 44 Flyin said at 10:33 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    The wussification of the NFL is what we learned.

  45. 45 shah8 said at 11:45 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    I would prefer to think two things: What if Reid and MM was able to incorporate a better offensive strategy against the blitzing we were seeing.

    Also, what if we had signed a credible right guard in the offseason after ’10. That would have mattered far more than any of the other signings.

  46. 46 Flyin said at 11:48 PM on March 23rd, 2014:

    Check out DeSean hanging out at this party… love they way he try’s to cover when he tokes up… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csta1hjFggo

  47. 47 RC5000 said at 12:50 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    http://youtu.be/EPMn7Trv8H4

  48. 48 troy412 said at 1:11 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    I say again I’m a true live and die fan but eagles brainwash the fans every year with cheap signings and below average players everyone knows our faults is on defense and only thing u do with all the good players u bring in Malcolm Jenkins and that’s it how did u improve your defense everyone talking about building what can u build now with free agency and salary cap this ain’t old day where u keep same team every year your roster changesfront office could care less about winning along as the brainwashed fans keep filling the stands and believe the cheap bull they selling defense is gona be horrible again and now you ready to get rid of Jackson keep buying what the eagles is selling you be disappointed

  49. 49 D3FB said at 1:54 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Would using punctuation kill you?

  50. 50 Baloophi said at 3:44 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    That sounds like an excellent Jason Statham movie. “Comma.”

  51. 51 ICDogg said at 8:41 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    “When Commas and Periods Attack…”
    THE SEMICOLON

    in 3D

  52. 52 A_T_G said at 6:18 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    it might it just might u never kno and im not willing to take that chance so tough and now that I think about it spaces are a risk not work taking either soiamgoingtostoprollingthediceonthemaswell

  53. 53 BobSmith77 said at 1:21 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Good to see Vick redeem himself here and graciously thank people.

    Glad to see he’ll get another chance to start & a nice payday but he is an injury-prone, turnover-producing machine at this point. Just a matter of when/not if he loses the job in New York if he manages to win it in camp.

  54. 54 shah8 said at 4:42 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Allbright got to talking about how Jameis Winston has a long release like Byron Leftwich, and I was like…so I started watching some draft breakdown videos…

    Jameis Winston *does* have a marked cock to his motion, but it’s not actually a long release. Virtually every QB with a true cannon does that. Guys like Marino or Vick are very rare to have flicks *and* arm strength. Winston’s release is faster than Geno Smith or Nick Foles. Noted that Kaepernick has shortened his release since he got into the NFL, and isn’t so whippy. Leftwich’s release was long because he brought the arm all the way back and whipped it forward.

    I moved on to Blake Bortles. He’s a good runner with good vision, is not trivial to bring down. He’s okay with the arm strength, but I think there’s going to have to be a de-Tedfordization (or de-Urbanization, whathaveyou) on his mechanics. People talk about his feet, but the dude has two separate arm motions, one for the screens and other short stuff, and one for the harder passes. The release for the longer passes are not tight. Ok results, though, but I wonder about his consistency in the NFL. I still think Bortles would be one of the weakest no1 QB picks ever and definitely since Alex Smith. He has a ton to work on, and I don’t think he’ll be very ready for the NFL day one.

    Logan Thomas has an abomination of a bowl game against UCLA. I was pretty full of WTF, though he did have a nice BeastMode run. I decided to give it another shot and watched him against Georgia Tech, which was much, much, better. I can see the point of trying to fix him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes much higher than we expect. Extremely strong and punishing runner. Throws bullets, not exactly naturally accurate, but much more so than, say T. Pryor.

    Bryce Petty wasn’t really worth my time. His team, like Logan Thomas’, is sufficiently awful that you can’t tell how good he is from tape. Throws a lot of short passes with zip, which is what I saw before I moved on.

    Christian Hackenburg was interesting. Very smooth and polished. Willing to make windows throws like Winston. I don’t see awesome arm strength like I’ve been told, and he is not exactly consistently very accurate when he throws more than about 15 yards. When he lofts the ball and throws to a spot like Foles does, he’s obviously had some success. Not exactly very capable of rescuing himself from sticky situations. Some people, like Allbright I suppose, will say that he has more upside than Winston. I find that dubious. Winston is on a better team with better receivers, but he’s procedurally handling a more sophisticated offense and is routinely attempting more sophisticated pass plays. He’s also far more reliable to all areas of the field. Hackenburg looked very much like Chad Penington when he was at Marshall.

  55. 55 Anders said at 7:19 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    How was Baylor terrible?
    Also what are your view on Pryor as a potential development QB?

  56. 56 shah8 said at 2:32 PM on March 24th, 2014:

    The way GEAGLE goes? I doubt the Eagles would want T Pryor. If they did, they’d want Joe Webb. Maybe they did and Joe turned them down. I wouldn’t be surprised–he definitely is a homebody and may have wanted to play close to home in Alabama.

    T. Pryor has much more serious mechanics problems, in that he’s constantly shotputting passes, in what seems to be ingrained bad habit rather than not enough refinement. Never had any real zip to his passes despite having a strong enough arm. Sort of like Brady Quinn.

  57. 57 shah8 said at 2:33 PM on March 24th, 2014:

    As a runner, T. Pryor is not as agile as Webb, but runs similarly to a heavier Kaepernick.

  58. 58 ICDogg said at 8:37 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    I kind of like Zach Mettenberger.

  59. 59 shah8 said at 2:33 PM on March 24th, 2014:

    Mettenberger is not a viable starting prospect, let’s leave it at that.

  60. 60 eagleyankfan said at 7:31 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Vick was, well, a disappointment. I don’t know if his play or the fact that Chip started him last year bugs me the most. Glad he’s cleaned up his act and I hope he stays clean. Best of luck.

  61. 61 eagleyankfan said at 7:44 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    This whole DJ thing. I still don’t believe it and won’t believe it until is/isn’t done. I think he does help the Eagles especially the WR’s because DJ demands respect. DJ though, is not elite. He’s not the WR you can look to on 3rd downs all the time. He’s just not that guy. But that’s kind of conflicting(if that’s what the Eagles are saying) because this offense doesn’t revolve around 1 player like Detroit does. That’s where you’d think DJ is the perfect fit. I think DJ would be an ELITE number 2, if that makes any sense.
    I know a lot of people are spouting off stats. There is no way DJ does those numbers again. With Mac and Sproles in the mix, those numbers will be divided up.

  62. 62 anon said at 7:57 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Wholeheartedly agree with what you are staying but you can’t pay a wr2 10+ million a year.

  63. 63 eagleyankfan said at 8:03 AM on March 24th, 2014:

    Agreed.

    “Philly is trading him or cutting him,” the source told the Daily News. “That’s a fact. They don’t want him.”

    Just wow. That’s a fact? I applauded Chip for stepping in and tell DJ that he’s a punt return guy. I always thought he should be as he’d be best return guy in the entire league. Then the season started and DJ was only back there 1/2 the time. When he was back there, he didn’t do anything. I wonder if that bugged Chip that on punts DJ appeared(to my eyes) not relish that role. I could be reaching. Just trying to find the “why” to all of this…