“Honestly, I feel better than I ever did in my career, physically and mentally,” Vick said, adding later: “It’s a surreal moment. Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to happen this early. As a backup, you kind of a get into a mode of thinking that you’re not going to play.”
Michael Vick is 30 years old.
Michael Vick’s most dangerous weapon are his legs.
Michael Vick is one misstep from being banished from the NFL.
Michael Vick has one chance for redemption.
The reason no one was interested in trading for Michael Vick this off season, was because during the 2009 season he was never able to get on the field consistently to show he could play quarterback in the NFL.
The Wildcat was never the proper way to show off Michael Vick skills. Michael Vick is a freelance quarterback. They tried to use him like a reliever in baseball, but he has and always will be a starter who needs innings to get warmed up and systematically wear down a defense.
No one wanted to trade for a quarterback who hasn’t played a lot, that if he had one sniff of a problem could be suspended for life. No one was willing to take that risk. I personally thought a team should, considering some of the quarterbacks in the NFL, but I understood why.
People have been saying all week, that it is a no brainer that Michael Vick is a better quarterback than Kevin Kolb. I understand why they are saying that because they remember the Michael Vick of old. Michael Vick was the #1 pick in the draft and for the most part lived up to the expectations. There were things he could have done better, but regardless of what you thought about his play you couldn’t argue that when he was on the field he won.
So when Vick flashed he skills of old against the Packers, all those memories flooded back into people’s mind. These are the same people who called for Vick to be cut during his All White Parties incidents during the summer and his awful preseason. They have hopped in the bandwagon now.
Here are the facts.
Michael Vick hasn’t started a NFL game since 2006, that is almost four full years, so we really don’t know what to expect out of him. We saw a flash, in a relief performance against a team who wasn’t prepared for him. Vick didn’t have time to think and his natural instincts took over. With an entire week and a lot of pressure on him how will he perform? How will he perform, now that the opposing team had a week to game plan for him?
He has a lot at stake.
Even if Andy Reid is dead set on putting Kevin Kolb back in at quarterback when he is healthy, let me explain how this one start can dictate the rest of Vick’s career.
If he plays well the court of public opinion and more importantly the media become squarely in his corner. The Philadelphia media can make or break you as athlete. If Vick has them in his pocket, Kolb whenever he comes back, can’t just be average he has to be great.
Secondly other teams will be paying attention. After watching the Jake Delhommes, Matt Moores and Alex Smiths of the world stink it up, they won’t be regretting not at least kicking Vick’s tires? Even if he doesn’t play another down for the year, an impressive performance in this game sets him up nicely to be a unrestricted free agent with plenty of suitors in the off season.
Lastly in the immortal words of Randy Moss:
STRAIGHT CASH HOMIE
One great performance or a year where he leads the Eagles, puts him in a position to be a prime quarterback free agent at the realively early age, meaning he can start to recoup some of all that money he lost while he was playing the Longest Yard. That is why his creditors well be on their knees at church tomorrow morning praying for Vick to have the game of his life.
If he plays poorly, it makes it easier to insert Kolb back in the lineup. Public opinion and media attention quickly turns on him. In essence he is right back in the position he was in before the season started. Teams that might have been interested will back off and everyone will say last week performance was just an anomaly.
Vick is playing against the Lions. While they are better, they are still the Lions, they are the type of team that a Young Vick would have a field day with running and passing, so there are no excuses.
Michael Vick you have the rest of your career in the palm of your hands on Sunday are you going reach out and take it or are you going to let the dogs get out of the yard?