Vick signs 2 year deal with The Eagles

[Brian Fein]

AWFUL?  Really?

He was much better than awful...

Fundamentally, Vick is not a pocket passer.  This does NOT make him a bad QB.  He was average to above-average at worst, with flashes of greatness at times.  He has a strong arm and can get the ball downfield on a rope.  His accuracy is sometimes suspect, but the offense which he played in, coupled with his style of play never amounted to huge passing numbers.

Of course, this is 3 years ago...

I can not understand why you people continue to bash Vick as a player.  Just cause his style is different doesn't make him worse.

[Sunstroke]

So many parts of this to object to that I must resort to the pathetic break-it-up method of response

Fundamentally, Vick is not a pocket passer.

Fundamentally, Vick is not a passer. Put that in your pocket.

He was average to above-average at worst, with flashes of greatness at times. 

As a passer, he was god-awful to bearly-bearable, with flashes of braindead at times.

He has a strong arm and can get the ball downfield on a rope.

Unfortunately, that rope was often attached to opposing free safeties, or audio guys standing next to gatorade tables.

His accuracy is sometimes suspect...

Which, combined with his suspect character and suspect decision-making, makes a complete set.

but the offense which he played in, coupled with his style of play never amounted to huge passing numbers.

And I'm sure his "sling it and pray" level of accuracy had nothing to do with Atlanta's sub-par passing numbers. Nothing at all...

I can not understand why you people continue to bash Vick as a player. 

Because, since his release, I can no longer bash him as a convict?

[fyo]

AWFUL?  Really?

He was much better than awful...

Fundamentally, Vick is not a pocket passer.  This does NOT make him a bad QB.

No, it doesn't... although he was AWFUL as a pocket passer. I seem to recall him being slightly better when flushed out of the pocket, but I don't have access to any stats that will back that up. In overall passing, however, he was truly awful.

In 2006 he ranked 20th in passer rating and 43rd in passing according to footballoutsiders' advanced metric, which discounts performance in "garbage time" (including not penalizing (much) for Hail Mary interceptions) and adjusts for opponent. Without the opponent adjustment, Vick was 39th. Clearly, a very significant chunk of his "good" passing occurred in garbage time (or on 3rd/4th down without making the down marker).

In 2005, he was 25th in passer rating and 29th in the advanced metric (32nd without opponent adjustment).

In 2004, he was 20th in passer rating and 40th in the advanced meric (29th without opponent adjustment).

2002, his first year as a starter, was by far his best. He passed for more yards and threw fewer interceptions than in any of the other years (as a starter). Managing a passer rating of 81.6 landed him 18th, while the advanced metrics scored him slightly higher at 16th (same without opponent adjustment).

Overall, it's clear that Vick was an awful passer - at least as a starting quarterback. The moment teams got a bit of tape on him, he was done. Even at his "peak", though, he never managed even a 60% completion rating.

His #1 problem as a passer was precision. No question. He had a good arm, great mobility and while he did "lock in" on receivers, it wasn't as bad as some and his ability to scramble lessened the impact of that deficit.

If, if, he had devoted himself to getting better timing with his receivers and actually taken an active interest in practice, he might have climbed out of the bottom 3rd in completion percentage (where he was EVERY year) and improved. I still believe there's a chance he could, but I doubt he'll be given the chance as a starter.

[Denver_Bronco]

Yeah, you're right...it was Aaron Brooks.

Aaron Brooks is really Martin Lawrence.

[Defense54]

I've been to Veterans Stadium.  I say Vick fits that city perfectly. A match made in heaven......Good thing the team is named the Eagles and not the Beagles. 

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I've been to Veterans Stadium.  I say Vick fits that city perfectly. A match made in heaven......Good thing the team is named the Eagles and not the Beagles. 

I've been to Veterans Stadium too.... thankfully that place doesn't exist anymore.

[Defense54]

I've been to Veterans Stadium too.... thankfully that place doesn't exist anymore.

Makes me understand the attitudes towards police here. I saw them beating the shit out of someone on the ground in a dolphins jacket and the Cops were just standing by smoking,  shaking their heads like the guy should have known better. Me? I Tossed my jacket in the trunk , bought a green eagles sweat shirt and turned it inside out. Drank a Ton of Hot Chocolate and did NOT celebrate when the Dolphins scored. Batteries were being thrown at the few Dolfans there.

I was appaled and jealous because my visits to Dolphins Stadium are like a big welcome hug to the opposing teams and fans.I think its the edge we have been missing since Joe Robbie opened and we have not been in a Superbowl since. The Orange bowl had that type of attitude the players could feel.

[BigDaddyFin]

I don't really understand why they signed him.  The guy I feel the worst for is Kevin Kolb. 

McNabb seems to have weekened over the last couple seasons and he's bordering on injury prone, Kevin Kolb is supposed to be the one they're grooming to take the reigns, and they go out and get Michael Vick.

Unless Kolb is terrible, he should demand a trade. 

Hopefully Vick can strike a cord with the fans up there.  Otherwise he'll get bashed and run out of town faster than you can say Terrell Owens.  I don't understand something he said in his 60 minutes interview that I caught about 30 seconds of, James Brown asks him if his skills are eroded, he says no, two years isn't that long blah blah blah, plus I'm training now and I've never really trained before.  Where was he training exactly?  They don't have jugs machine or standard NFL bag 'o footballs in prison do they?