Vick is more effective than your average backup QB.


Through the first 11 weeks (or so) of the season, the Michael Vick experiment conducted by Andy Reid and Jeff Lurie was considered to be an absolute failure. About half-way into the season Vick accounted for less than 100 total yards, so calling it a failure -- to that point -- wasn't exactly a stretch.

However, it was the people calling it a failure for the entire season that deserved to get hit on either side of their head. Vick hadn't played football in two and a half years, so naturally there was going to be an adjustment period.

Most people expected that period to be about four games or so, but that just wasn't realistic. The NFL is far too fast of a game to be gone for two seasons worth of play and not miss a beat.

But the question now is, with two games worth of valuable production, has Vick hit his stride within his role and within this offense?

Personally, I believe he has. He scored two touchdowns against his old team, the Atlanta Falcons, but that still wasn't enough for a lot of people. Many writers and fans alike believed it was just a blip of adrenaline as a result of facing his former team and wanting to show something to the city of Atlanta, so coming back and scoring a touchdown against the Giants was phenomenal.

That touchdown and the impact he had in limited time, I believe, validates the signing. It validates his position on this team and means that the signing was not a failure.

I can already hear the questions you're shouting at the computer screen. How in the world does one game against the Giants validate his position? He hasn't done anything up to this point so why do two weeks erase the first 11?

In short, it's just about putting it into perspective. He's a backup quarterback and a gadget player. Yes, he's Michael Vick, but let's forget that for a second. If his name was not Vick and he was just another 29-year-old backup quarterback/gadget player, would people be saying that his season was a failure?

Of course not. They'd be saying, "Wow, good for that backup quarterback getting the chance to come in and make an impact. Kid looks good."

That's what he is. He's a backup quarterback who's making an impact. He's a guy who's touchdown, you could argue, was the difference between the Eagles going to 9-4 and taking over control of the NFC East, or falling to 8-5 and dropping to third place.

He's finally adjusted to the speed of the NFL, has become comfortable in his role, and will continue to be a weapon for the Eagles into January and, hopefully, into early February.