Comparing Vick now to Vick in Atlanta
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Comparing Vick now to Vick in Atlanta
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Michael Vick has spoken at length about how he didn't work as hard as he should have when he was with the Falcons.
In an NFL Network interview, he told his former coach, Jim Mora, that he didn't pay much attention to the playbook when he was away from the team's facilities.
He's even gone so far as to say he wishes Andy Reid would have been the one who drafted him right out of college. Maybe his career would have turned out differently.
Vick's issues last year have been well-documented. Many have jumped to the conclusion that he's "reverted" back to the player he was with the Falcons. But looking at his numbers, that really has not been the case.
PASSING EFFICIENCY
A couple simple stats to look at here: completion percentage and yards per attempt.
| Completion Percentage | Yards Per Attempt | |
| Falcons (2001-06) | 53.8% | 6.7 |
| Eagles (2010) | 62.6% | 8.1 |
| Eagles (2011) | 59.8% | 7.8 |
Even last year, Vick's completion percentage was a full six points higher than it was during his Falcons days. And his yards per attempt more closely resembled the 2010 number than the 6.7 number from his time in Atlanta.
Part of that is the offense and the weapons around him. But the other part is that he's clearly a better passer now than he was earlier in his career.
TURNOVERS
This one's a bit trickier. In 2010, Vick was intercepted just once every 62 attempts, an unsustainable rate.
But in 2011, that number moved significantly to once every 30.2 attempts, a mark that was even worse than the one he posted in Atlanta - once every 33.3 attempts.
The point's been made before that not all of Vick's interceptions were his fault, and that's true. By my count, three can be blamed on wide receivers (Jason Avant, DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith). And one was a Hail Mary.
That leaves 10. Three were tipped at the line of scrimmage, and while luck is involved, those are still on Vick. They are not in the bad decision/bad read category, but rather the execution category, meaning finding the right passing lanes.
Overall, though Vick still needs to improve his decision-making. And the luck factor goes both ways. Per Football Outsiders, defenders dropped six potential interceptions against Vick in 2011.
Fumbles, meanwhile, have been an issue for Vick his entire career. He led the league with 16 fumbles back in 2004, and in 2010, while he played well overall, he led the league with 11, according to Pro Football Reference. Last year, he fumbled 10 times.
In 111 career games, Vick has fumbled 76 times. Over the course of a 16-game season, that translates to 10.95 fumbles. He has fumbled at least nine times in each of the six seasons in which he's started at least 11 games.
That's a long way of saying it'd be surprising if Vick suddenly cut down on the fumbles at this point in his career.
VICK THE RUNNER
Vick will turn 32 later this month, but he doesn't appear to have lost a step as a runner. He averaged 7.8 yards per attempt last year, which is higher than his career average of 7.2.
In terms of attempts, Vick averaged 5.8 per game last season, compared to 8.3 in 2010. He averaged 7.1 attempts per game with the Falcons.
Overall, Vick has been a far better passer with the Eagles than he was with the Falcons, even when you take into account the struggles from a year ago. He has plenty to improve on if he wants to lead the Eagles deep into the playoffs, but to say Vick has reverted to being the player he was in Atlanta is inaccurate. Some of those bad habits may still surface, but overall, Vick 2.0 is a better quarterback.
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Oh wait, where are the Vick bashers and trash talkers? Not so much to say now on the Vick is reverting back to the Vick in Atlanta. Shut all you up on this one. LOL
God that was such a great post TN. lol— Lambo1- Good work Sheil, this is great information. I'm with the Eagles and believe they well finish the season no worse than 12-4, and a NFC Championship Game appearance! I think the rebuilding has been pretty successful and adds plenty of depth. I would like to see Offensive Line studs added and, or developed in training camp.
If there is a weakness I've have yet to see where it may exist on the roster and within the back ups.
— Dexter - @Lambo1, no need to take the Lord's name in vain but yes, the haters are misteriously quiet on this post. Not for long I'll wager since the mention of The GREAT Mike Vick pulls the roaches out of the gutters on these Eagles stories. GO MIKE VICK GO!— Panthro2011
- Sheil, I'd be interested to see his 2010 numbers and the 2011 numbers stacked up against the best season in each stat category at Atlanta...I think that would better compare who he was and who he is now.
Further to that, I don't think that we really know who he is, this season will determine that...Here's hoping he's 2010 Vick, because if he is we really have a shot this year.
Either way: GO BIRDS!— JTR - WOW,all that and he was still a fantastic 8-8.lollollol.LOSER.— sewell guy
- Oh,I forgot he wasn't 8-8 the team was because he can't complete a full season which is a requirement,pretty much,to win a championship.Which he will never do.LOSER.— sewell guy
- Vick's stats, much like the McNabb's overblown stats, mean very little if he can't win the games! I'd like to see the stat that shows how many games were lost because of Vick's fumbles and INTs!— gdibig
- Sometimes better still isn't good.— 2ndNlong
- What can you say. Some people just don't want to own up to being wrong.— p-diddy
- Mike a different person than when he was at Atlanta. He was just young and not matrure. Now he probably the smartest QB in the NFL, this is his year. MVP and Super Bowl trophy.— Tyrone7
- Great information Sheil... for me Vick passed the Eye Test... an exciting talent to watch. I expect Mike to step it up this season, and Mike sounds like he expects to take it to another level. I'am just loving the VIBE of this team Training Camp is nexx.— trinieagle
- Dexter - the weakness is in 2 min drill/time management and play calling by Reid and most importantly the d coordinator
why juan?— frustrated1 - hopefully MV stays healthy and builds on these numbers, and limits turnovers. he's an incredible player who is fun to watch. I'm not optimistic since we have an Offensive Line coach as D-Coordinator.— chocolatethunder
- I wish Reid drafted him first too..... By now they'd both be gone.— Geno D
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