Why I Don't Favor 'Exfolesiating' the Eagles
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Why I Don't Favor 'Exfolesiating' the Eagles
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
I've gotten a few emails protesting that the furor over the Eagles bringing back Michael Vick for a year is overblown, that behind a horrible offensive line in 2012, Vick really wasn't all that terrible.
True, sure, as far as it goes. There are two reasons for the widespread dismay: Vick's concussion-marred, turnover-plagued 2012 followed a very similar 2011, behind a much better offensive line (the excuse then was the lockout), so most of us figured we had seen pretty much all we needed to see of the soon-to-be-33-year-old QB, and, maybe more significant, bringing back Vick means Chip Kelly can't be all that enthused about giving Nick Foles a year to see what he can do.
It's easy to say, "well, Foles doesn't move well, so he can't run Kelly's offense," and consign Foles to the dustbin. It sure looks like that is what is happening, although offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur talked Monday about an approach flexible enough to encompass the talents of both Vick and Foles.
A few weeks ago, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com crunched some numbers on Foles' rookie season. Roob found that Foles' 60.8 percent completion percentage is fifth in NFL history among rookie QBs, behind some pretty notable figures -- Ben Roethlisberger, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan. Foles' average of 243 yards passing a game ranks third all-time, behind Andrew Luck and Cam Newton, neither of whom completed 60 percent of their passes as a rookie. Thus, Foles is the only NFL rookie, ever, to average more than 240 yards while completing at least 60 percent of his passes. (You could argue that Marc Bulger did this with the Rams in 2002, but he was not technically a rookie, having been on the roster behind Kurt Warner for two years, not playing.)
Foles threw an interception once every 53 attempts. In NFL history, only one rookie QB has had a better ratio, RGIII last season, one every 78.6 atempts.
So, since last time I looked, no quarterback ever won the Super Bowl with his feet, I was kinda looking forward to seeing what Foles could do this season. Am I certain he is a franchise QB? No. That's where the "this season" part comes in. I don't think the Eagles are winning the Super Bowl this year, whether Foles, Vick, Norm Van Brocklin or Peyton Manning is the QB. If Vick somehow manages to play, say, 14 games (you know he isn't playing 16), maybe they can go 8-8, if lots of other stuff falls into place.
Big whoop. Say you go 8-8, then what? Are you positioned to draft a franchise QB in 2014? Almost certainly not. Have you built anything for the future with Vick at the helm? Absolutely not.
I don't know Kelly well, obviously, but many of the "competitions" for a starting positiion I've seen that involved a guy making at least $7.5 million a year and a guy making $500,000 have been suspiciously weighted in one direction. The Eagles aren't paying Vick a $3.5 million signing bonus this April to trade him, or even to have him watch Foles from the sideline.
But if the Eagles don't trade Foles, and don't draft a franchise QB, maybe all Foles has to do is wait for Vick to eventually get hurt to get the chance Foles should be getting, right from the get-go, to show he is the guy.
Trading Foles at this point could be a huge mistake, unless you were getting back, say, a high second-round pick. I would guess there will be teams asking; plenty of people in the NFL understand that Super Bowls tend to be won with a quarterback's arm and head, not with his feet.
- This comment is just bizarre in its overestimation of Nick Foles. The idea that Foles at QB makes this team more competitive is obnoxious because while this team was disappointing before he stood under center last year, they were downright uncompetitive after he stepped in. Like everyone else I thought that Vick's Eagle career was over when he went down and Foles got the start. So I was looking hard to see if he had the goods to be there in the future. But despite Bowen's misleading stats, Foles didn't really show much. He's stiff inside the pocket, and totally immobile outside it. When he does have time, he showed mediocre accuracy -- terrible on throws down the field. When he feels pressure, he shuffles backward and throws floaters off his back foot. He has a better chance of winning the Hawaii Pipeline Surfing Championship than he does of taking this team where it needs to go. He's a poor man's Brandon Weedon, for the love of God!
— auntesther - those crunched numbers are BS and COMPLETELY MISLEADING. foles is garbage and the only people who can't see it are the vick haters. vick is not the longg term answer for this team by any chance but i would rather have him behind the line than some trash bag from this crappy draft class or baby arm foles— AlexSp
- 1. Please stop with "A Mobile QB will never win the Super Bowl." Steve Young already did, twice. In NFL history, there haven't been many QBs more mobile than Young. By the way, Colin Kaepernick, a 2nd year QB with only 10 starts to his name (including 3 post-season games) was NOT playing special teams when the 49ers gave up the critical KR touchdown. That guy almost brought his team all of the way back... with only 10 full games of experience (total, including the Super Bowl). Are you seriously going to bet against him leading the 49ers to an eventual Super Bowl victory? Are you betting against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks?
2. Michael Vick is NOT the mobile QB who will win the Eagles a Super Bowl. Sure, Steve Young did, Colin Kaepernick almost did, and RGIII or Russell Wilson might win one in the future - they are all better passers than Michael Vick. Michael Vick is to Chip Kelly what Doug Pederson was to Andy Reid - a stopgap. You don't take a 33 year-old QB with a long history of injury (whose play has been on the decline for the last two years) and decide that he's your future franchise QB. Chip Kelly and the Eagles will do with Mike Vick what Mike Shanahan and the Redskins did with Donovan McNabb - see what they can get out of him and dump him after one season if he's not working out (or if they can get the QB that they really want).
3. Just because Vick is PROJECTED to win the starting job doesn't mean that he will... or that he will keep it. Kevin Kolb was projected to be the starter for the Eagles in 2010 - with the signing bonus alone of over $10 million. Vick, who was paid as a backup at the time ended up winning the job. Ultimately, head coaches like playing winning football more than they like playing the guy with the highest salary.— knighn - Um, yeah you are completely ignorant. Steve Young won one Super Bowl, not two. And to say that Steve Young was a mobile QB is ignorant to the labeling. Steve Young was a pocket passer who could also use his feet; like Elway. Vick is not that nor was Cunningham,etc. RGIII and Kaepernick have the ability to maybe someday transcend the label mobile QB label. Mobile QB is a term used for someone who uses their legs more than their arm to make plays. Young and Elway were not even close to that. Get a clue... — greenblood4200
- The fact that Steve Young had some mobility did not make people think of him as a "running" quarterback. A QB that has an innate sense and feel for what is going on around him and can sidestep pressure and lengthen the play, and occasionally make a first down with his feet, still doesn't make him a "running" QB. These are qualities that Young did have. And again, qualities that Vick, who does not have a sense of what's going on around him, doesn't have.— StevenDavid
- "Say you go 8-8, then what? Are you positioned to draft a franchise QB in 2014? Almost certainly not."
This year, 8-8 teams will draft 17 and 18. Flacco - 18th overall. Rodgers - 24th overall. Kaepernick - 45th overall. Brady - 199th overall.
Will you guys ever tire of being wrong?
— Section 730 - The knock on Vick in the first paragraph of this article is that he was hindered by the O-line.......he is hindered by his inability to read a defense and get the ball out quickly. Ability is a must, but intelligence is as well. Vick will never win anything because he is a moron. He can not make a decision in time to throw the ball before the receiver turns around and it be there on the numbers. Watch the good Qb's, they all do this. Manning, Rodgers, Brady, Brees. True, I just named the best qb's in the league, but they are guys that carry the team no matter what. Vick cannot and will not win anything, unless he is holding the clipboard. The End.— kozykoz26
- i never saw steve young in the vick mold as a "running qb" i dont think he was thinking about running first every play more like pass first run if he had to. vick just thinks about running. lights out people hardcore football coming to us in 2013 vick will tear it up and prove us all wrong. lights out baby! hopefully not lights out on a stretcher or lights out like when he couldn't see in that dallas game due to the concusion due i think to sliding head first... head first... lights out...— defroe
- I hate the O-Line excuse for Vick... He stinks.. Period!! ... Kelce, Mathis, Herrimans and Peters were all at least alternates for the Pro Bowl in 2011 & Vick was still horrible..— FetchDixon
- It has been said on here many many times. A white QB will never be given a serious opportunity as long as Lurie owns the team. Decades of Philly black QBs is by design not coincidence. Prejudice is wrong from both directions.— Kioto
- I'm in favor of Exfolesiating— dmac6419
- I don't want Vick back either but look at the bright side. No more Andy Reid. Yippee— MWW-54
- Vick should not be here. He is not intelligent enough to make quick decisions. Good article - Foles should be here as starting quarterback. Vick is a waste of time and money.— Foundry Guy
- No where in the article did you fail to mention that he can't throw the ball downfield! Look, I was excited that Foles got to start the last 6 games, but was horrified when he tried to throw the ball downfield. There were times when he had time to throw downfield and the ball was horribly short. He is a cerebral short to mid range passer at best...— Philliefan75inAZ
- Time to boycott this garbage of a team.— donjuango
