Is Michael Vick worth keeping around as a backup?
Jeff McLane, who has made his name known when he jumped on a clearly fabricated story about Donovan McNabb being traded to the Rams, is apparently breaking out more of his "sources" for another "bombshell" that has most of Philly snickering.
Apparently, according to McLane who cites "team sources," the Eagles have decided not to take any more calls for Michael Vick and intend to keep him around for 2010.
"Vick is currently third on the quarterback depth chart and is slated to earn $5.25 million in total salary," McLane writes. "That salary would be an exorbitant amount for the Eagles to pay a third-stringer. But if he were to be the backup, Vick's salary would not be significantly more than what other NFL backup quarterbacks earn."
So again, McLane is trying to say he thinks McNabb will get traded. We get it McLane, you looked stupid with your off-the-mark (to put it nicely) Rams story and now that you've got the whole country in a fervor, you've got to stick to your guns.
That's fine, but excuse me if I'm not exactly buying this report either.
Team sources may have actually said this, but he (and everyone else) has to be smart enough to see that they're clearly posturing. Vick showed last season that he still has something left, but it's not what Reid wants out of his quarterbacks and he's all-but useless to him as a backup.
Reid, regardless of what he says, sees Vick as a gadget player and not a whole lot more. If he saw him as a legitimate option in his system, he would have allowed Vick to throw the ball a whole lot more than what he did in 2009.
The Eagles are simply playing hard-to-get with Vick in the hopes that a team will lose out in the draft, not be able to grab any of the guys they want, and feel more confident tossing a third-round pick to the Birds for Vick rather than investing it in a guy like Jevan Snead or Tony Pike.
Personally, I'm a fan of Pike (not so much Snead), but it might make more sense for some teams to get a veteran if at all possible rather than gambling with a mid-round quarterback.
The team understands that enough teams are starved for quarterbacks, and that a guy with starting experience and was once the most popular athlete in the country will become more and more attractive as the days go on.
I could see the Birds having to hold onto him until after the draft, but I think that's something they're prepared to do. I also believe the talks could seriously heat up after the draft is over.
Teams will be much more willing to give up a third-round pick in 2011 rather than this season.
Giving up a pick in 2011 doesn't seem like as much of a burden because it will be a year away as opposed to giving up a pick this year and feeling the repercussions immediately.
Perhaps a surprise team, like the Jaguars, could enter the mix and bring him in to challenge a floundering David Garrard. The Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills would also make a lot of sense.
So while Vick might not get moved for another month or so, I do believe that he will eventually get moved to a team hurting for a legitimate quarterback.
Not only that, but even after being out of football for two years and playing for a season as a backup, Vick will still bring a lot of attention to a franchise that needs it and put some people in the seats.
Like, uh, the Panthers, Jaguars, and Bills.
