According to a report by the Washington Post, the Redskins made a “quick and unanimous” decision to pass on signing suspended quarterback Michael Vick if he were released by the Falcons (which is inevitable).
Some figured that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder would consider making a move for Vick because well, Snyder usually makes decisions without completely thinking them through and signing the troubled QB would certainly play into his consistently clueless thought process. But Vick would have been a horrible fit for Washington for a couple of reasons.
Outside of the obvious reasons not to pursue Vick (i.e. he could be suspended by the league, he’s nowhere near in NFL game shape, and the little fact that he used to breed dogs in order to fight them in his spare time), he simply isn’t a good fit for the West Coast Offense.
When he became head coach of the Falcons in 2004, Jim Mora naively hired buddy Greg Knapp as offensive coordinator because he thought Knapp could teach Vick the WCO. The problem was, Vick’s main struggles surrounded around his inability to set his feet properly, making quick reads and getting the ball out of his hand in a timely manner – skill sets that are imperative for a quarterback to have in order to be successful in the WCO.
Vick not being an ideal fit to run the WCO would have been reason enough for the Redskins not to pursue him – pissing off Jason Campbell would have been another. Snyder has done a horrible job instilling confidence in Campbell this past offseason and if Washington actively pursued Vick, it might have sent Campbell off the deep end. I realize Campbell doesn’t have massive upside, but he does have potential and with a little support, he might even become a reliable QB for the Skins in the near future.
Either way, don’t look for the Skins to pursue Vick – Snyder be damned. It just doesn’t seem like an ideal fit when you look at the situation realistically.
