Jesus H. Christ

I thought Vick threw very well from the pocket. True, the big plays came from his legs, but no real mistakes and some efficent throws.

 

Well, here's a start.

NAME PCT YDS RAT
1 C. Pennington, NYJ 68.9 3120 104.2
2 R. Gannon, OAK 67.6 4689 97.3
3 B. Johnson, TB 62.3 3049 92.9
4 T. Green, KC 61.1 3690 92.6
5 P. Manning, IND 66.3 4200 88.8
6 M. Hasselbeck, SEA 63.7 3075 87.8
7 D. McNabb, PHI 58.4 2289 86.0
8 D. Bledsoe, BUF 61.5 4359 86.0
9 Tom Brady, NE 62.1 3764 85.7
10 M. Brunell, JAC 58.9 2788 85.7
11 J. Garcia, SF 62.1 3344 85.6
12 B. Favre, GB 61.9 3658 85.6
13 B. Griese, DEN 66.7 3214 85.6
14 K. Collins, NYG 61.5 4073 85.4
15 J. Fiedler, MIA 61.3 2024 85.2
16 T. Maddox, PIT 62.1 2836 85.2
17 S. McNair, TEN 61.2 3387 84.0
18 M. Vick, ATL 54.9 2936 81.6

>>And injury prone?...He played in every game this past year.

And he did miss a game in which Doug Johnson started (I cannot remember which one off the top of my head, but I could research if necessary). But he also was injured some last year, but it was at a time after Reeves stopped his ridiculous rotating QB system, so he was only made inactive, and he missed time in both years at VT for ankle spains. So Yea, I'd say he had some injury history. None major, but his durability is a concern...especially on turf.

 

He only threw well when not pressured. He is still very erratic when he has someone in his face. I'll agree that he had no real mistakes, but it was in a very simplified offense. He was not asked to do very much. But even with a simplified gameplan, he still only managed a 55% completion percentage.

 

1) I am a Va Tech grad so I am sure I am biased. It also means I've seen this kid a lot. But I'd still take a super playmaker who can learn to be a QB over a QB who can't learn to be a super playmaker. Brees will never - and I mean NEVER - be the "playmaker" Vick will be. Never, ever, ever. DC's don't scheme to contain Drew Brees.

2) I am also patient. The kid is 22.5, in the playoffs, and just abused the shit out of a team that half of the world thought was unbeatable at home until around 11:00 last night. But like I said, I'm patient. Let's see how many times San Diego - a team with a better D than Atlanta right now - gets carried into the playoffs by Brees and Tomlinson and then we can decide. So far it's 1-0.

3) I agree Vick may get killed. I totally concede that. Young had the same problem early on. (BTW, has Vick had a concussion yet?) But getting older will help that. So will a good OC. You mention shelf life. How long of a shelf life do you think LaDanian has after Marty gets through running him 300-350 times a year for a few years. Also, Tomlinson has already missed as many games (more) as Vick I think. I'll take a bet from anyone right now that Vick will still be playing when Tomlinson is selling insurance, playing golf, and walking a little slower. And don't get me wrong - I think Tomlinson is awfully good.

4) Teams like Tampa and Philly will abuse Vick until Atlanta can get a receiver (or two) that can spread the field. That is the GM's job. But I'm pretty sure that teams like Tampa and Philly abuse most QB's in the NFL right now. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Tampa beats the hell out of every offense.

Anyway, you may be right. It may work out to be a wash. But I have thought since Day 1 that this kid is Superman. I haven't seen anything to discourage that assessment. In fact, I'm even pretty amazed at just how good he has been thus far. With that said, I still expect Philly to abuse his ass next week. Those guys are a totally diferent animal and they sure as hell won't be caught napping like GB was last night. We'll see.

P.S. Where was Brees at on that list of QB ratings?

 

You're saying you would choose 17 other QBs before you choose Vick? Lets not forget Vick is the leading rusher among all QBs with 776. Half your list missed as many games as Vick if not more. I hate to see what the kid would do with pro bowl weapons around him.

 

what'd the H stand for?

 

kshead, don't get me wrong, I like Vick. I just don't agree that he will be better than Tomlinson and Brees combined (and that's not a knock by any means). I think it was a good deal for both sides. I am also not saying he sucks, but he does still have a ways to go as a passer. No doubt he's a hell of a playmaker, but that's with his feet...he has yet to display playmaking ability with his arm. He MAY develop into a fine passer one day, but that is only speculation at this point. No doubt he is an extremely exciting player, but I just think it is premature to hype him as a great qb (as the talking heads like to do) until he has mastered the passing aspect of quarterbacking.

Nope, I'm saying that 17 other QB's proved to be better passers than Vick this year. After all, that's what this discussion is about. I never denied his playmaking ability or running skills, only his level of passing skills at this point. And the statistics bear that out. I also don't dispute that many of the other QB's on the list also missed games, but they also don't play such an aggressive running style on turf. If he doesn't learn to protect himself better, he will start having problems sooner than later (which, for the record, he has acknowledged).