Michael David Smith is obviously smoking the same crack rock as Ricky Williams, because he’s actually suggesting in one of his recent blogs for AOL Fan House that Joey Harrington is better than Michael Vick.
That Harrington is a better passer than Vick is indisputable: Harrington’s completion percentage is 11 points higher this year than Vick’s was last year, Harrington averages more yards per pass and throws interceptions less frequently. If you like more advanced stats, check out the quarterback stats at Football Outsiders from this year and from last year. It’s not even close. Harrington is well above average; Vick was well below average.
And there you have it. Stats don’t lie kids, they just provide a safety blanket for some writers who are clearly delusional. Better accuracy? Better human being? Better public speaker? Yeah, Harrington has all of that over Vick. Better overall? There’s no way in hell and Harrington’s atrocious record as a starter supports that.
Harrington doesn’t have the cherries to make plays on a consistent basis. He holds the ball too long, looks for the check down instead of going through all his reads, won’t take shots down field, has poor pocket discipline, often resembles a deer in the headlights, remarkably throws short of the first down marker (it’s not always the receivers cutting off their routes), has poor arm strength and overall, is highly ineffective.
Harrington doesn’t beat the Packers in the playoffs at Lambeau Field in 2002. He’ll never lead a team to the playoffs (nevertheless to a championship game), rush for 1,000 yards, keep defensive coordinators up at night (in fact, he probably insures them a good night of sleep), and will a team to victory on his own. There’s a reason why every offense he’s been in has had similar problems and despite what Smith says, Harrington does deserve a ton of the blame. He’s a backup, period.
Vick is a scumbag and was overrated, but he’s better than Joey Harrington.
