Mike check: Evaluating Vick
This weekly feature takes an in-depth look at how Michael Vick is performing as the Eagles' starting quarterback.
Mike check: Evaluating Vick
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Well, I can officially announce that What About Kolb? is dead - for now, at least.
The plan was to write an in-depth feature on the Eagles' first-year starter as he led the franchise into the next era.
But things don't always go according to plan, so now the feature is Mike Check: Evaluating Vick.
Each week, I'll break down his performance beyond the basic stats.
On Sunday against the Jaguars, Vick completed 17-of-31 passes (55 percent) for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a score.
The completion percentage really should have been higher. Vick spiked the ball during the 2-minute drill at the end of the first half. Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin each had drops. And DeSean Jackson got careless on one play, failing to get his feet in-bounds on a fairly routine pattern near the sideline. Vick completed 55 percent of his passes, but that could have been up around 66 percent if he had gotten some help.
In fact, it could have been even higher had Vick not missed throws himself. By my count, there were at least three throws - one each to Jackson, Maclin and Jason Avant - that Vick missed. In other words, those were plays where he had an open receiver, but the throw was off-target.
I wrote at length about pass distribution, specifically as it pertains to Jackson and Celek, in a post yesterday, but here's a look at how it broke down against Jacksonville.
| Targets | Catches | Yards | YAC | Drops | |
| DeSean Jackson | 8 | 5 | 153 | 68 | 0 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 7 | 4 | 83 | 14 | 1 |
| Brent Celek | 6 | 4 | 42 | 22 | 1 |
| LeSean McCoy | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Owen Schmitt | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Garrett Mills | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Avant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riley Cooper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 29 | 17 | 291 | 114 | 2 |
One target is in question. There was a play where Jackson and Celek ran into each other, and Vick threw it in their direction. The box scores I found online gave the target to Jackson so I went with that, but you could argue it belonged to Celek.
In terms of YAC, the Eagles' total (114) was slightly higher than last week's (107). Jackson has 111 yards after the catch on the season, which is third in the NFL among receivers, behind only Denver's Eddie Royal and Indy's Austin Collie.
STATS.com has Celek down for three drops. I have him down for two. Two for Maclin on the season also.
Against Detroit, eight different receivers had at least one catch. Against Jacksonville, only five. Avant and Cooper were shut out, and each was targeted once.
THE BLITZ, PRESSURE, SHOTGUN, ETC.
During the week, Marty Mornhinweg talked about the Eagles being feast or famine against the blitz, but that wasn't really true since the big plays they hit against the Lions weren't against the blitz.
Against Jacksonville, though, Vick made the defense pay for sending extra defenders.
The Jaguars blitzed Vick on 23 of 37 dropbacks (62.2 percent). Detroit blitzed him 48.8 percent of the time. Vick was outstanding against the blitz, completing 12 of 19 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the Eagles had four passing plays of 25 yards or more. Three of those were against the blitz. The 61-yard touchdown to Jackson came against a zone blitz, where the Jaguars only rushed four, but tried to disguise their pressure.
The numbers could have been even better. Maclin dropped a well-placed bomb that would have picked up at least 35 yards. Maclin also drew a 27-yard pass interference penalty against the blitz.
Jackson was the most-targeted receiver against the blitz. Vick completed four of five passes to him for 128 yards against the blitz.
Vick was sacked three times and forced to scramble three times. Of those six plays, three were against the blitz. Two of the three sacks were against the blitz. But so was the 17-yard touchdown run.
Vick stayed in the pocket for 25 of 30 pass attempts and was 13-for-25 for 259 yards on those throws. Out of the pocket, he was 4-for-5 for 32 yards. In the last two weeks, he is 12-for-14 for 182 yards on throws outside the pocket.
From the shotgun, he was 10-for-19 for 154 yards. Under center, Vick was 7-for-11 for 137 yards.
THIRD DOWN, RED ZONE
As a team, the Eagles converted five of 13 third-down opportunities. Vick was 7-for-11 for 123 yards on third down. The Eagles hit on some big plays on third down. The 61-yard completion to Jackson was on 3rd-and-17. The 27-yard pass interference call on Maclin was on 3rd-and-19, and Celek had catches of 21 and 15 on 3rd-and-8 and 3rd-and-14, respectively.
According to STATS.com, Vick has converted eight of 14 chances on 3rd-and-8 or longer. That's the best percentage of any QB in the league under those circumstances.
Those numbers could be even better. The Eagles had a 3rd-and-15 where Vick hit Jackson, but instead of getting the first down, he ran backwards, and the Eagles had to punt.
The Eagles converted both their red-zone chances into touchdowns. They have now found the end zone on seven of eight red-zone opportunities this year. Vick only threw one pass attempt in the red zone (not counting a spike) - the 16-yard touchdown to Maclin. His 17-yard TD run was also in the red zone. On the season, LeSean McCoy has three TD runs in the red zone. Vick-to-Maclin has accounted for three more TDs. And the Vick run was the seventh score.
SUCCESS BY DISTANCE
Here's a chart of Vick's throws by distance. I used the same ranges that Football Outsiders uses so we'd have a point of reference. Short is 5 yards or less. Mid is 6 to 15 yards. Deep is 16 to 25 yards. And Bomb is more than 25 yards. These are measured from the line of scrimmage to the point where the ball is touched, hits the ground or goes out of bounds.
| Completions | Attempts | Yards | |
| Short | 8 | 14 | 59 |
| Mid | 4 | 7 | 47 |
| Deep | 2 | 4 | 37 |
| Bomb | 3 | 5 | 148 |
The numbers on Short throws were very similar to last week.
The big differences against Jacksonville were the Mid and Bomb throws. Last week, Vick was 9-for-13 for 139 yards on Mid throws. Six fewer attempts, five fewer completions and 92 fewer yards this week.
And those yards went to the Bomb throws. Vick completed two of four for 82 yards against Detroit. He completed one more this week, but had 66 more yards. Vick attempted two bombs to Jackson, and both were complete.
OVERALL
There is plenty to like about how Vick is playing. He's staying in the pocket and getting the ball to Eagles playmakers in spots where they can do damage. He's hitting on deep balls consistently. And he's being efficient with his legs. Consider that he escaped the pocket to run three times against the Jaguars. One of those yielded a touchdown. And another a first down.
Is there room for improvement? Yes. Vick misfired on some intermediate throws over the middle. He's also taking too many hits, like the time he tried to fight through defenders on a run instead of just going down.
As Vick faces tougher defenses that have seen more of him on film, he'll continue to be tested. But through 10 quarters, against three different teams, defenses have not found a way to stop him.
the idea that Vick has played well against "BAD" teams does not hold water if you consider that he plays for a BAD team. NO one expected the Eagles to do anything this year and their d is still a work in progress.
Vick seems to have single handedly lifted the Birds out of the category of a bad team into first place,,, (so far),, so stop downgrading his play as being a byproduct of lack of competition.
NFL teams are NFL teams,, just ask last years Eagles. (there are ties in the NFL???)— phillyroni- Don gave it 100% more early in his career than later. Today he plays more for the money than a championship. He is a winner. Not a champion nor does he have the heart of a champion. As for Andy and the Eagles, AR will soon choose Cleveland, far away from the bacj stabber brothers, Joe and Howie.— oldBird
- iamkingdunlap you are most likely to lose YOUR job before the end of the year than reid as long a eagles make money reid will be here like it or not.— only 9
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- My problem with the Vick situation is not his potential success or refound skills; it's his contract. No one is mentioning this is his last year under contract with the Eagles, and unless he gets to a Superbowl, there is no way they are going to give a 30 year old a contract extension when there is going to be a lockout next year. It doesn't make sense. Besides the fact that you gave Kolb, what, a $10 million signing bonus already, he can afford to miss a year due to a lockout because he's 25. Vick cant because he is 30. We went through this with McNabb. If you sign Vick to a long term deal, which is all he is going to accept as a 30 year old QB because he knows he only has one big contract left and $130 million to make up for, that means he comes back under center for you at 32. Where will his speed be then? You just don't know. Kolb is obviously going to take some shots, but that's the way it has to be because you annointed him your next QB. Don't give me the arguement "we need to play the best QB possible," because that philosophy went out the window when you traded McNabb (better than both of them, no arrests, countless playoff appearances) to a division rival. It's called rebuilding, and with the threat of no 2011 season, now is the time to do it.— Ship_Of_Fools
- ONCE AGAIN, the Chiefs and Saints had the worst defenses when Kolb played them, not to mention no team had game film to even prepare on how to defend against him. They basically played a prevent defense the whole game! I've read on here people saying basically that the 2 games Vick played the opponents were "bad teams". How are Vick's wins lesser than Kolb's when the teams he played weren't any better? Jeez welcome to bizarro world where up is down and down is up!— Ghostface
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bill20 -- i really feel bad for you man. all you can do is post article on a qb, for a team, that you dont follow. yet you are on here more then me. go phillies!! hahaha. idiot- Red is the only color that matters as in "7 Touchdowns in 8 trips to the Red Zone". Apparently it wasn't Andy keeping them from scoring.— lostInPhilly
- GO PHILLIES....the real champions, with players with character and morals...not like the low life Vick and his low life scum supporters like Phil Me Nuggetts...Vick and the Eagles will exposed as losers when they finally start playing the good teams with good defenses in Nov. and Dec....Eagles will NOT even make the playoffs, book it...GO PHILLIES. HA HA HA— Bill20
- Fans won't appriciate Vick until he actually wins the Super Bowl, and even then, there will still be that small group of 50 people who will scream at the top of their lungs that Kevin Kolb should've been the QB to lead the city. Some people, I swear.— papabear702
- Professor, wonderfully worded. Couldn't say it any better. Vick is more like Randal Cunningham than anyone else. Went his whole career as a espn Highlight waiting to happen, and after a year off and time to realize where he wants to be and what he wants his goal to be, comeback with the greatest season he could ever have imagined. let's start compairing those 2 to each other, granted one is a Pastor( in my HOME town, and probably the best in the city of Sin) and the other is a conVICKted felon. Clearly that's where the comparison ends, however, career wise, those two are in lock step. Eagles WILL end the year 13-3 or better, TAKE IT TO THE BANK!!!— papabear702
- papabear702 -- bill20 is the definition of idiotic. he cant see how good vick is playing because of the hate in his heart. and because of that hate, he cant even enjoy his home town team. must suck for him. lol.
- While everyone wants to make excuses up, like, well Vick played bad teams( uh, the Lions really beat the Bears, no thanks to the worst call of the ENTIRE year, who just beat the Packers last night, and the Jags, well they're the Jags) Vick will continue to prove all the doubters wrong, and all the fans who give credit where credit is due right. Bill20, your post sound like the ramblings of an elderly no-nothing who thinks his opinion matters to everyone, when in reality, his rediculous claims have no merrit whatsoever— papabear702
- psv...are you comparing Bobby Hoying to Michael Vick? Hoying had NO success in this league, ever. Vick has had success in the past and has matured his game like a bottle of vintage wine. Do not let his past ruin this great ride we EAGLES fans are on; I wish you and everyone else would enjoy the ride and stop nitpicking on every defense we play against becasue Vick is our QB? It was just the Lions, Jags and now it's only the Skins even before the game starts. Remember, the Lions and Jags were at home and teams always play better @ home, and the Skins are a division rival and no gimme...Real fans rise up and enjoy the ride...— The Professor
- *300— papabear702
- Wow Bill20, holding on to the past I see huh. #00 yards in his 1st 2 starts and only 5 picks thrown to 4 tds. How many INT's does Vick have so far? How bout tds? How many td's did Kolb throw this year? How many completions as a matter of fact. People complain about a set-up, of course it was a set-up. AR knew all along if he could get Vick to actually play QB instead of Wildcat, he would get to hi ultimate prize and that is THE SUPERBOWL!!!— papabear702
- I think the other players are getting fired up just being on the field with Vick. He raises everyone's confidence level. Anything is possible with Vick under center. This is truly exciting.— vegetine
- Thanks, Sheil. Your hard work is appreciated (and hopefully not unnoticed by your bosses).
- mcnubb and skins are going to get smoked this week. cant wait.— djack10
- Philly Mike is right...Vick played against two very AWFUL teams, and they now call hm great..Kolb was FANTASTIC against the Super Bowl Champions Saints when he threw for nearly 400 yards, and the now undefeated 3-0 Chiefs, when Koln threw for 327 yards and won 34-14...Kolb was the only QB in NFL HISTORY to throw for over 300 yards in his first two starts..then on his third start against Green Bay he plays less than one half of a game, and Reid gives Kolb's job to Vick...if that don't smell of a fixed set-up, you don't have a clue....anyway, starting in Nov Vick will be forced to play against some real teams with real defenses, then you will see why the Falcons fans booed Vick out of Atlanta, and Vick gave the finger to Falcon fans on the sideline...maybe Vick will give the Eagles fans that will be booing the finger also.— Bill20
- *are
- DonovanwitaRealTeamNow -- you're a straight up clown dude. saying that the eagles will go 2-14 and that the redskins would win last sunday. you are a joke and so our your last place redskins chump
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- I am so excited I'm having a bithday party and I'm inviting Michael Vick.— tommy_the_k
- So King, would you prefer that AR keep Kolb starting until the Eagles were mathmatically eliminated from the play-offs, or just until he compiled 4 losses in 4 games. Don't be fools guys, AR made the best and most cunning QB swap ever when he went from Mac5 to Vick. We went from the team that can't ever get it donw, to a team that will hoist up the Super Bowl crown this year, TAKE IT TO THE BANK!!!— papabear702
- Yes of course King, let's hand the keys back to Kolb again so everyone in here can complain about how he doesn't get his chance to get into rythme. Stupid Vick always having to bail out the Golden Boy Kolb on 3rd downs and in the redzone. yes fans, we finally got what we wanted in a team that can actually perform in the Red-Zone and on 3rd downs, but we would rather start the guy who hasn't scored 1 TD yet this season, pre-season included. What a joke of a fan base.— papabear702
- The reason I feel Vick will be tough all season is the same things we teach our kids, good work ethic and preparation equals success. He is now doing what he never did before and it has to make a difference. He's at the NovaCare center all the time, he's seeing the rewards for the time he's putting in. Is he going to have rough days, of course but he is growing into a real QB right before our eyes. It's what he is doing off the field that is impressing me the most. PLAYCALLING STILL FRUSTRATES ME, but that's beating a dead horse. GO EAGLES AND STAY FOCUSED MICHAEL VICK!!!— Gee Money
- Gotta love some people's blatent ignorance. Philly_Mike, Kevin Kolb never once beat the Super Bowl champs. He beat up on a sorry Chiefs team and had a so-so game against the Saints. Get your facts strait. And please stay off the band-wagon. We don't need you on it.— papabear702
- I also agree that the verdict should still be out on Vick. Not enough of a sampling to make a determination either way. I still do not agree with the decision to go with Vick over Kolb so hastily for exactly the same reason. Right now Vick is playing with a "team-first" mentality and is doing the work necessary to show that he is a reformed citizen. For that I applaud him and I hope it continues, otherwise Andy will be losing his job by season end.— iamkingdunlap
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- It is not just Vick that you should evaluate, and you did a good job, but whether the O line will hold up against good teams.— Koons
- Eagles, who cares anymore? What a poorly run team, top to bottom. They really know how to make football fans, non-fans.— neddyflanders
- Sadly, some of Sheil's colleagues appear to be emotionally invested in their prior opinions. I just want to see the Eagles succeed more than I want my prior opinions to be proven correct. Vick is a huge part of the Eagles early success and he truly has the look of a transformed player. I don't need to jump on or off any bandwagons. As an Eagles fan, I am on the wagon for better or worse. So far, thanks to Vick and maybe just a bit of Andy's judgement, it has been for the better. What's not to like? Let's just hope it continues.
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- Philly_Mike -- stay off the bandwagon please. with all that vick hating you did, dont jump on now. just keep hating. it makes it funner to laugh at you when vick does well.
- Thanks Sheil. I'm with Philly_Mike - Bobby Hoying had a few good games too. These aren't good teams the Eagles are beating. The first good litmus test may very well be the Falcons. I wish we could've seen Vick against the Packers for the whole game.— psv
- Vick4MVP— brmorgen81
- @JLB, couldn't agree MORE— Number Nine
- Philly_Mike, or should I say Silly_Mike. So basically you want to wait until the band wagon is 90% full before you jump on the back of it. Is that so you won't have to run to the back when it's time for you to jump off?— The Manager
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- Sheil, I can't say enough what a refreshing change of pace this is - simple, fact-based analysis of what actually happened in the game. Thank you for giving us an alternative to the regurgitated soap-opera nonsense so many of your colleagues seem to be fixated on. Thanks!— JLB
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