It seems like decades ago that Michael Vick was supposed to change the way the quarterback position was played forever. That was before Ron Mexcio, trick Aquafina bottles and dog-fighting investigations.
Vick has one more year left on his current contract with the Eagles, but he reportedly wants to be a starter again. Scout.com’s Adam Caplan speculates that Vick could be had via trade for a conditional fourth or fifth round pick, but even at that asking price, is the former Falcon worth it?
In two plays on Saturday night, Vick showed exactly what he could bring to the field. Early in the second quarter, he did a great job selling a run fake and then throwing a bullet to Jeremy Maclin for a 76-yard touchdown pass. But during the same quarter, he also fumbled a snap and somehow couldn’t recover the ball when it was lying right in front of him.
That’s the good and bad with Vick. One moment he’s throwing a seed to a receiver for a long gain, and the next he’s costing his team with his carelessness. Nothing has changed with him since he came into the league in 2001; Falcon fans know all too well the highs and lows of watching Vick run an offense.
I don’t think Vick would be a bad option for the Bills or Raiders – two teams that have little to no direction and that could use an upgrade at quarterback. But the expectations on him should be tempered. At 29, he has lost a lot of his explosion as a runner and don’t forget that he really hasn’t played in three seasons. He only attempted 13 passes this year and most of his completions were of the short-yardage variety.
Should a team take a chance on Vick as a starter? Yeah, depending on what team it is. If a team is a quarterback away from making the playoffs then no, because I think Vick would fail to live up to expectations. But if a team wants an upgrade at QB and a stopgap for one or two years, then I think Vick would be worth a fourth or fifth round pick. (Although, they’d also have to stomach paying him over $5 million in 2010.)
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