Inside the Eagles: Michael Vick holding onto the ball too long

If the question is, "Does Michael Vick hold onto the ball too long in the pocket?" then the simple answer is, "Yes, he most certainly does."

There are many reasons for this, not all of which are the quarterback's doing. Coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg are partly responsible, as they were Sunday, when they once again called too many pass plays and had Vick drop back 46 times.

A number of those plays took too long to develop and required Vick to hold onto the ball slightly longer than his counterpart, Kevin Kolb, did in a game plan that had the Cardinals' quarterback making quicker throws.

The battered Eagles offensive line did not help matters, although again, one could ask, what in the name of Bill Walsh were Reid/Mornhinweg thinking by putting their West Coast quarterback in that much peril? Vick, in certain circumstances, had to improvise when his protection broke down, and that contributed to the time-lapse in the pocket.

But the naked eye doesn't lie: Vick is holding onto the ball longer than most other quarterbacks.

"Everybody's got a little piece of this," Reid said Monday following his Eagles' 27-6 loss at Arizona. "To say that there's not a play here or there that he might hold the ball too long, I can't tell you 'no' on that, and he'd be the first to tell you. That's not the case every time he throws or gets hit."

Vick threw 37 passes against the Cardinals. From the snap to the throw, he took an average of 3.24 seconds, based on a re-watching of the game. Kolb, by comparison, got his 24 pass attempts out in 2.5 seconds.

Kolb and Vick are different quarterbacks, with different offensive weapons, and, on Sunday, opposed different defenses. The Cardinals were obviously dedicated to protecting Kolb from the Eagles' dangerous pass rush and had him execute many timing-based throws.

Kolb attempted only two passes longer than 20 yards and three between 10 and 19 yards. Vick, on the other hand, hurled three pass attempts longer than 20 yards and 13 between 10 and 19 yards. Those plays often took longer to develop.

"We've got explosive players," Reid said. "So, with that, you're going to take your shots. . . . That's one of our strengths and has been over the last few years. We'll continue to do that."

As they should. But Sunday called for a more balanced attack and more throws that had Vick's first read in the 0-9-yard range, especially early in the game as left tackle Demetress Bell and center Dallas Reynolds gained their footing.

Reid/Mornhinweg went to that style in the second half, and mistakes were fewer. The less Vick held onto the ball before he threw, the more successful he was on Sunday. On his 17 completions he took 3.11 seconds per throw; on the 20 incompletions he took 3.35 seconds.

The numbers don't take into account when Vick really holds onto the football. And that is when, for various reasons, he scrambles in the pocket until he's either tackled or makes some athletically freakish play to avoid a sack.

It used to be charming. It's become unproductive. Vick can't make 'em miss like he used to, and the hits are piling up more than ever for the 32-year-old. Whether the pressure is coming because of poor blocking or because he's holding onto the ball too long, Vick has to make quicker decisions and throw the ball away.

"I'm not concerned at all," Vick disconcertingly said about the unnecessary hits he's been dealt.

If he does run, he has to do it sooner. Vick scrambled four times for 28 yards, and on average it took five seconds before he left the pocket. Kolb ran four times for 16 yards and left on average after three seconds.

Kolb has an internal clock that tells him when he's gone through his progressions; when the three-second bell rings, it's time to go. Vick has more leeway because he can turn nothing into something. But those days appear to be dwindling.

"I'll tell you, he's getting hit way too much. That's what I can tell you," Reid said. "At this point, it's way too much, so that part's got to end. We've got to limit that."

Vick did make some strong throws Sunday, often when his first option wasn't open. But Reid can help his quarterback with a more conservative approach. He intimated that may be possible. He balanced his play-calling in 2003 when Donovan McNabb got off to a wretched start.

Ultimately, there's only so much that Reid can do. Vick takes the air out of the football for good and for bad, and at this point there doesn't appear to be any going back.