Scout: Vick no longer special
Teams' unwillingness to part with draft picks to acquire Michael Vick has less to do with the whole dogfighting ordeal than it does his diminished athletic ability.
Scout: Vick no longer special
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
As we mentioned yesterday, the Eagles' QB situation is the NFL topic most likely to be discussed around the nation between now and draft time.
Yesterday, we pointed you to Peter King's MMQB column on SI.com in which he questioned why more teams weren't making aggressive plays for Donovan McNabb.
And today, a similar question pertaining to Michael Vick.
Per Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com, the reason is simple: teams don't think Vick is a special player anymore.
In other words, their unwillingness to part with draft picks to acquire Vick has less to do with the whole dogfighting ordeal than it does his diminished athletic ability.
Marvez spoke to a scout who watched all of Vick's snaps last season.
"He can’t throw," the scout said. "A guy could be open 20 yards downfield and he’ll throw it 25. He never could throw, but he was fast before. It’s not like he’s slow now but he doesn’t stick out like, 'Wow, this guy is faster than everybody.'"
To be fair to Vick, I'm not sure it's right to judge him on those 64 snaps. We all watched how the Eagles shuffled him in and out all season. It's a situation that most NFL quarterbacks would likely have trouble with, especially one who was coming off a two-year stint in prison.
But then again, what other evidence is there to go by? It's not like he's a draft prospect who can hold private workouts for teams. It's not like teams had scouts at practice to see if he was picking up the offense. They really can only go by those 64 snaps and people they talk to.
Marvez asked an NFL personnel director whether the lack of interest in Vick was because he's no longer a "special athletic talent" and the guy responded via text: Right on.
Vick completed six of 13 passes last season for 86 yards and a touchdown. He carried 24 times for 95 yards and a pair of scores.
I'll try to post our Year in Review on Vick later this week.
Anyone happen to have all of last year's games on DVD? I'm going to need a special DVR with more space next season so I don't have to clear these out...
As both the Inquirer and Daily News have reported, running back Mike Bell is in town for a free-agent visit. The good news on Bell is that he has just 348 career carries in four seasons, and will only be 27 when next season starts. Click here for his career stats.
Good piece by Les Bowen today, which updates the QB situation.
And finally, Paul Domowitch takes your questions in an Eagles chat at 11 a.m.
Become a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
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Jamarcus Russel, Jake Delhomme, Trent Edwards, David Garrard, Marc Bulger, Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, and Brady Quinn were all starters last year. They ARE special?????? Do not tell me that Mike Vick wouldn't be an upgrade somewhere or at least excite some fans somewhere. Thats a joke.— adzack3441- Comment removed.
- Most of these personnel Guys can't throw, run, or pick talent. Look at all the players never drafted that make the pros and all the 1st 2nd round can't miss picks that flop.— jockojohnson
- Comment removed.
vick may be no joe montana, but he is definitely better then half of the starting qb's in this league. lets be serious. i understand if you dont like him for the dog fighting stuff, but to say that vick cant throw and the man is a professional qb is silly. i'll tell you this, vick throws a better ball then mcnabb.- I've never been a Vick fan but I don't think he looked much different last year than he did before. He was never a good passer. He has always had a strong arm and still does, but he was never a pocket passer. He seemed to have more of his speed, quickness and athleticism back by the end of the season once he was in better football shape.— JimG
- Saying Vick was never a good passer is ridiculous. He was never a great passer. Neither were 60% of the guys playing QB in the league over the past 10 years. He was a good passer. He can make all the throws. Most QBs can't. What he can't do is throw with great accuracy and quickly read defenses. This is still an upgrade over most QBs in the NFL. Last I checked he's 1 of only 2 QBs to go to Lambeau and win in the playoffs.— adzack3441
- I agree, Vick's speed needs to be at that extra notch to make him special and he didn't seem to have it. He was scary fast before, now he's just seems to be "fast," which isn't enough to really set him apart. He may just be a very good Wildcat option. True he didn't get many snaps yet, either, but he did seem to lack something.— Jim C.
- Haha. I think you are both wrong. It was a deep out and Maclin broke it down the sideline the last 50 yards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-MLkDA1PFU— Jim C.
- Tremo12, that was no screen pass, that was actually a bullet he threw. But it was the only good throw he made all season.— Tough* Juice*
- Sal Pal was on Missanelli about 2 weeks ago and said the market for Vick had dried up, and that teams were looking to go elsewhere to fill their QB needs, and from the look of the transactions since then (Delhomme, Feely, Carr, among others), he looks to be right. But of course the Eagles are most likely asking to much, so that further complicates the issue.— watsonmr
- Are these the same personnel guys who a few years and a couple of Super Bowls ago said that Kurt Warner was washed up? Or that Farve was finished when he left Green Bay? I'm not the biggest Vick fan I never did think that he had much in the way of QB skills as he could get by simply on his abiities without having to work hard at tactics. It's the Eagles coaches who have given him extra training and time this year who know what he is capable of, not experts who see a few isolated film clips.— atp2007
- he may not be what he was, but he's won games in the league, a lot of games. He's still a better option than some of the guys penciled in as starters. he'll also sell tickets. all reasons why he has value.— sore richard
- They could do worse than just having him as the #3 QB next season. But I am sure his ego will take a hit if NO ONE wants him to be their starter. If he is serious about being a player (for SOMEbody!) next year, I hope that he is having a very good off-season conditioning program.— TBear
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