Jaws: Vick can be top-5 passer
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Jaws: Vick can be top-5 passer
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Ron Jaworski continued his QB countdown today, naming Michael Vick his 12th-ranked signal-caller in the NFL.
Vick landed ahead of guys like Matt Schaub (13), Matthew Stafford (14) and Cam Newton (15).
During the segment on ESPN's SportsCenter, Jaworski discussed Vick's running ability and how it hurts him at times as a passer.
"The issue I have always had with Vick has been his willingness to run, to play the position outside of the pocket, outside of the structure of the offense," Jaworski said. "There’s no question he’ll always make plays, but he also leaves throws on the field."
Jaws then showed a play against the Buffalo Bills where Vick took off to run, despite having a clean pocket from which to throw the football. He was tackled after a short gain, while the film showed he had Jason Avant wide open in the middle of the field.
As I've written about at length here, deciding when to run will be something Vick continuously works on until his career is over. The official stats show that Vick ran 76 times for 589 yards last season. That averages out to 5.8 runs per game and 7.8 yards per attempt.
But I dug deeper into the numbers this offseason and found that 53 of those runs were improvised, meaning they occurred on plays that were originally designed for Vick to pass. So he took off to run on pass plays about 4.1 times per game. He averaged 10.2 yards per carry on those improvised runs, which is a huge number, but it's important to remember he was also sacked 23 times.
According to Jaws, Vick was hit more than 11 times per game.
"Vick always reminds me of something my former coach Dick Vermeil says: The problem with quarterbacks who can run is they run," he said.
Jaws also brought up a point that we probably don't discuss often enough: Vick has shown that he can make plays from the pocket.
"Vick has shown he is capable of throwing the ball exceptionally well from the pocket," Jaworski said. "His overall throwing skill set can be top five in the league. His objective in 2012 must be to play that way more often. It becomes an availability issue. You can’t be an elite NFL quarterback if you can’t be counted on every single week."
Earlier this week, I wrote about how Vick performed last year against different kinds of pressure. Many readers probably focused on his numbers against the blitz, but take a look at Vick's numbers when teams only rushed three: 31-for-40 for 470 yards. He was deadly (77.5 percent completions, 11.8 yards per attempt) when he felt comfortable sitting in the pocket and was not worried at all about the pass rush. Even though teams had eight defenders in coverage, Vick effectively found targets and delivered the ball accurately.
Jaws seemed confident that Vick can take another step in his development this offseason and lead the Eagles to big things in 2012.
"A more disciplined player will result in fewer turnovers," he said. "I would not be surprised if we’re getting ready to see the best year of Vick’s 10-year career."
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Comment removed.- I would like to make a public apology to Sheil Kapadia. I posted several very negative messages in response to his article, "What They're Saying About the Eagles," dated June 27, 2012.
I mistook Mike Freeman's words for those of Sheil.
I have already asked Sheil for his forgiveness. It was a horrible mistake and I am truly sorry.
Well, there's goes my record of perfection. Prior to now, I had always been right. Actually, I thought I was wrong once a long time ago, but I was mistaken.
Tpizza, thanks for the heads up. 
Vick looks like he's ready for a great season with his head in the right place after i read this article and saw this interview..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Uop794hiM&feature=relmfu (HTML deleted)— jchlarue- Vick looks like he's ready for a great season with his head in the right place after i read this article and saw this interview..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Uop794hiM&feature=relmfu— jchlarue - I'm waiting— charmaine
- Jaworski rated Vick as the 12th qb in NFL...well that's very average...plus Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford are even better than the over rated Vick...Vick is a very average middle of the pack qb, who is a $100 million bust...LOL.— phil500
- LOL, I knew it would just take a moment before the freaks come out, and then people want to question why they (the freaks) get bashed.— charmaine
- Isn't this the same Ron Jaworski that infamously got excited about Chiefs quarterback Tyler Palko?— Trashcan_Man
- Can't wait to watch Vick and crew tear it up this year.— gho_matt
- Maybe they should tie him to a pole during training camp and don't let him run. Give him 3 - 5 yards of rope to move around. Who knows maybe he'll get used to staying in the pocket or throwing it away instead of running or taking a sack!— gdibig
- Hey, that actually may not be a bad idea that the Eagles could use as a disciplinary tool to force him to go through his reads and look for the open receiver. — essell
- I think that's a great idea too,and I don't mean that in a treat him like a dog way. It seriously it might force him back into the good habits when he was making good reads and keeping his eyes down field in 2010.
- MVP year for Vick. This is the most excited I have been about a eagles qb my entire lifetime as a fan of the team. Andy Reid has never had a player who could play the game from the pocket the way Vick can. Never had a player as accurate as Vick is. And never had the lead by example no frills leader Vick is set by his example. If they can keep Vick from the ground we will go deep into the playoffs. Vick is deadly accurate. He just has to be convinced his line doesnt require him to play street ball to survive. I think Reid has more control over the outcome of this team than he has ever had at any point of his career. If Reid calls the right plays the superbowl is there. Cant wait to see it.— Zeru
- Cam Newton was a flash in the pan....If he is so great why did his team SUCK.....The league is on to him....Lets see what he does this year.....— number4not5
- This comment has been deleted. — Bobski5000
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