Michael Vick re-signs with the Eagles — good move?
Former Hokies quarterback Michael Vick restructured his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, agreeing to what amounts to a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $10 million.
The deal replaces the six-year, $100 million contract he had signed but no doubt would not have finished without being cut for salary cap purposes. He’ll be a free agent after next season.
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Vick’s return to Philadelphia opens some intriguing possibilities in the up-tempo offense new coach Chip Kelly is bringing with him from Oregon (and one that he’ll be operating under former Virginia offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who is the Eagles’ new quarterbacks coach).
Vick, who will turn 33 before the season, threw for 2,362 yards and 12 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 10 games last season, getting knocked out with a concussion for several weeks before losing his job to rookie Nick Foles. The Eagles went 4-12.
In the last two seasons, Vick is 10-13 as a starter. He’s missed 11 games the last three seasons with injuries. Still, with Monday’s news, you figure he’ll have a good shot to earn the starting job in an open competition with Foles this offseason.
I’ll throw it to the blog for discussion: is this a good fit for Vick? Are you intrigued about the possibilities of an athletic quarterback like Vick playing in Kelly’s system, which should involve a good deal of option plays? Or do you think he would have had more success — and a clear-cut shot at starting — somewhere else in the league?
February 12, 2013 - 12:19 AM
Per Chris Coleman @ TSL: “Jamil Kamara is the top wide receiver in the state of Virginia, and early in his recruitment he was a Virginia Tech lean. However, the current 7-on-7 influence in the Tidewaters has taken the Hokies out of the running, and they are on the outside looking in.”
I just don’t get this.
CERTAINLY BETTER THAN GOING TO THE GAG-U-ARS! KIND OF INTRIGUED BY THE POSSIBILITIES AS KELLY MUST BE, SHOULD BE INTERESTING TO WATCH…
Vick under Chip Kelly?! Sounds like a match made in heaven. Maybe 10 years too late.
You can talk about RG 3 and Cam Newton and Kaepernick and the “athletic QB”, but MV ran through that door years ago. A 20 year old MV at VT running the pistol, read option and spread? We’d have that BCS trophy.
I think that with 10 interceptions in 10 games…this was a lucky break for Vick. He’s getting old (hate to say it), and more and more injury prone as the years go by. If I’m an owner, I would consider Vick’s next couple of years to be sort of a long-shot. And…there’s the whole cumulative effect of concussions thing…if he’s unfortunate in, say, the first game, he might be permanently out and the owners have paid $10 million for less than one game of performance. I do think the up-tempo offense will be a good match for Vick’s playing style…IF Vick can somehow become a little bit better at hitting the ground a little sooner…he isn’t going to get many after-hit yards against these huge and fast linebackers that are around now….
Not sure either side had any better option. There aren’t a lot of free agent options out there for the Eagles and there’s no franchise QB’s in the draft. There may not have been a lot of demand for Vick. Kelly’s style of offense may be his best chance to show his talent.
It’s an intriguing fit, that’s for sure. Kelly’s offense certainly needs an athletic QB. The question is – are Vick’s decision making skills in reading defenses & passing, his focus tight enough to run the quick offense? Probably, but you never know until you get into the deal when Mike is involved. The last element is Vick’s frequent injuries. That means Kelly needs a capable backup if Michael is the starter.
In other words, we probably won’t know until September. Or November.
The new offense will be a good fit for him.
Well it just so happens I’m from Philly and am excited about the coaching change. I always imagined how well MV would do in a spread O. I’m excited to find out and think he/they will flourish.
Andy, I believe this will be a great “fit” for Michael. Chip Kelly and Vick can make the Eagles into winners if the team can find some quality
O-Linemen. Hope this works our for Michael. GFB-VT`63
Philly is the best fit for Vick. With Kelly’s offense he has a chance to make a comeback. The Eagles line, however, is terrible, Kelly will have to make changes there for any QB to have a chance at survival.
Vick is Kelly’s best chance to win this upcoming season.
That is all this is about and nothing more. Unless they can draft some linemen to protect and some receivers who can get open and catch, it will be a tough year in Philly for all of the Eagles.
Unless Philadelphia has fixed their Oline issues this is a bad move. He should have let them cut him and then he would have been able to pick from several better options. The QB need this year is as high in the NFL as it has ever been. Teams have very very few options and fewer still that will put butts in seats.
There are some communities that might not embrace him due to his history, but I think most football fans are over that. You’ll still get the ladies with hairy underarms protesting, but the fans want to win.
Michael Vick is still very physically gifted. I know how fans are all over RGIII and Coepernick, but let’s see how they do next year – ask Charlotte.
Also I don’t think MV (or any other NFL QB) can hold up in a Kelly style offense in the NFL. 16 games (not 12). The DT’s are built like very fast college Olinemen, the Linebackers are built like very fast college DT’s and the Safeties are built like very fast college Linebackers. Simply put they are bone crushers.
It is intriguing, all right, but given Vick’s injury history since being drafted and his poor decision making, I think he may not last that long operating a high tempo offense of Kelly.
While Kelly’s offense is chock full of options and counters to attack the defense, it takes almost three years for the system to become fully ingrained, and I don’t know if Vick is able to absorb all that information.
Also, it is pretty clear the Eagles are giving Vick one more chance to prove his worth or he may very well be out of a job.
I think this is a great fit for Vick. Vick does better when he is moving around. When he rolls out he becomes very dangerous. I will be excited to watch the Eagles this season if Vick starts
I think Kelly’s hurry up, no huddle offense might be a good strategy for Vick. Keeps him mobile, which he is good at, and may cut down on so many sacks. The kid doesn’t need any more sacks. Although a good strategy, not sure it is a good thing for him, personally, to come back after a concussion. He could wind up like Mohammad Ali if he is not careful.
Chip Kelly is not going to be limited to just Michael Vick, I’m sure. He might turn to the draft and get maybe West Virginia’s Geno Smith, whose familiarity with the Air Raid offense may help win the starting job, or Kansas State’s Colin Klein, although many draft gurus seem to think he’s better off moving to tight end. Another possibility is for the Eagles to make a trade for either Tim Tebow, from his days of running Urban Meyer’s spread, or Tyrod Taylor from Baltimore, given his natural speed. I am sure the Eagles are exploring every possibilities so they are not stuck with injury- and turnover-prone Vick.
Imagine if he had returned for a third year.
Andy,
What is the deal with the ‘seven-on-seven’ situation in Tidewater? I get the sense that reporters know a lot more than they are saying, and they are afraid to surface what is going on.
Michael Vick either never learned to, or won’t slide. And, the NFL let him get the crap knocked out of him. I’m surprised he lasted this long.
Here is the big challenge: If he can get his head on straight when he’s out on the field and avoid taking brutal shots from opposing defenders, Vick could be a serious threat in 2013 and may just be what Coach Kelly needs to make the playoffs in his first season with the franchise.
Vick still has a lot left to give, he needs good, dedicated players around him. With a little luck and freedom from serious injuries, Philly could be a serious contender for the Super Bowl.
Concerning the 7 on 7 statement referenced earlier, if that has become a strong influence in the 757, as was inevitable, the answer is probably more about offensive mindset than anything else. 7on7 is all about the passing game, spread, flood the zones, high octane. It is not about power running games. Frank Beamer loves power running games, as he reiterated in his last press conference. While it may be effective football on certain levels, it is not what attracts the skill offensive players, except some RB’s. WR’s want to go where they can catch the ball 6-8 times a game, not 2-3 times. QB’s want to go where they can pass for lots of yards with lots of attempts.
That was why I voiced hope in December that Beamer would evolve his offensive strategy and go with more passing influence. That was why I said then that HS recruits want more explosive offenses, not clock killing offenses.
Look at Logan’s numbers, they’re the highest two year totals in VT history, maybe excepting Don Strock. Yet Logan’s numbers are the minimum of what 7on7 QB’s want. He’s barely throwing it 30 times a game over the last two seasons. Even with that, he threw it a half dozen times a game more than anyone else under Beamer. Modern offenses throw way more than that. Modern QB’s typically want to throw more, not hand off more.
As for the WR’s? Look how many catches Marcus Davis had – about 4 a game, just like Boykin & Coale before him. Those three were the most prolific WR’s we’ve had under Beamer. And then, only in their senior seasons. HS WR’s want lots of catches.
Now you can see why we get lots of interest from good RB’s. They know Frank will get them the ball a lot. But… it will hurt us more & more in trying to get mobile QBs and WRs.
CR. That’s a reasonable explanation of why WRs like the 7on7, and maybe why Tech might have some difficulties in WR recruiting. I buy what you are saying. However, it has been implied by Chis Coleman of TSL and others that there is more at play here than just a ‘natural market selection’ by WRs from the 757 area. The question to Andy is, ‘is there more to this than is currently being reported?’ And, if so, what’s this all about?
If Kamara has NFL talent and wants to go the NFL VT can get him there. We have Royal, Morgan and Boykin on active rosters now and Coale on the practice squad. Davis may make it and I believe Fuller will. Andre’ Davis had a long career and Freeman was a star. All of our best WRs in recent years have either made it or had a darn good look (Wilford, Clowney). If Kamara has the talent he will get his chance coming out of Tech, even at 4 catches a game.
I may be wrong but just who are the WRs in Alabama’s West Coast Style, Run and Shoot, Pistol, Read Option offense? Oh right. They don;t run that kind of offense. They are a run strong team. I forgot……
How about the previous Champions, LSU. Nope.
Florida. Well they had Teblow. We see how his NFL career is.
Can you name the best recievers in NFL history? Jerry Rice. He played for that great national power Lower Slobvolia State. How about Moss? Marshall. How about MEGATRON? GT wasn’t it? Crabtree. A fun offense at TTU.
If the kid wants 12 touches a game he needs to go to another school, no doubt. If he wants to be the #1 star of his team he needs to go to Div III. If he wants to play in the NFL VT is just fine and can prove it thank you. At 4 catches a game he may have less wear and tear and be better able to have a good NFL career.
Touches hurt Cyrus Lawrence, Ryan Williams, Lee Suggs, Ken Oxendine and may be a really good reason Wilson went early. The average NFL RB lasts less than 5 years. WEAR AND TEAR.
Whoever advises the kid needs to wake up to the fact that an NFL hit is the same as running full speed into your garage door. Try that 25 times on a saturday and 100 times during the week.
Going over the middle is like being struck by a car at 25 mph. Try that.
7 on 7 is a joke compared to the reality of what is ahead.
The best player I knew who never played a regular season NFL down ran for 240+ in a pre-season game. Last guy cut from the Jets in ’84. He says that a practice hit from Gastineau and Klecko split his helmet in two and he woke up the next day. That killed his desire. Randy palyed at about 240 and could run 4.5 he could bench 500 …… “naturally” (direct quote). Think he had a chance if he had the desire? Kamara needs to think about this. And if he can;t the people around him ought to.
If Vick can’t perfrom in this offense he is done. Best natural fit ever. If Vick doesn’t make it, get Tyrod from Baltimore.
#21 Desert, if the TSL guys are talking about ‘something else’ mysterious, then my guess is they’re referencing the similarities between the offseason 7on7 teams and AAU basketball. In other words, you also have to develop a relationship with the 7on7 coach, as well as the HS coach. Frank’s old school approach must have been ignoring that necessity. That doesn’t mean Stinespring can’t evolve the Hokie mindset to begin developing those relationships, now that he’s in his new role.
Zman, your ramblings against modern football revealed something. The NFL greats you mentioned above? Rice, Moss, Johnson, Crabtree? All played in high octane offenses. Rice caught over 300 passes in college, Moss caught 174 in two seasons, Johnson 178 in three seasons, & Crabtree caught 134 in his freshman year alone. In Crabtree’s two years of playing at Texas Tech, he caught over 200 passes.
Using your rant, and my facts, you’ve proven my earlier assertion absolutely correct. Thanks for making it easy for me.
Some of us(you) may pine for the sentimental ‘good ole days’, but like it or not, HS recruits all want to be stars, and nearly all think they WILL be stars in the pros. WR’s want lots of passes thrown their way. They want to go where they’ll get a lot of passes thrown to them. That doesn’t mean a WR from a power running offense can’t make it in the NFL, it just means the HS star has to be willing to be ignored for four years. We all should know they’re not eager to do that. That’s just common sense.
TSL was talking about how a certain 7on7 team is coached by a group of guys who are hugely pro-UVA and anti-VT. Not about the nature of the 7on7 game favoring wide open offenses, or whether VT coaches reach out to 7on7 coaches.
Zman, great comments.
#24 hg, if so, and that’s entirely likely, where’s the confusion? Does anyone know if Kamara is on that team? I’d guess he is, but is he?
VT has the same kind of relationship with certain 757 coaches. London’s got his guys down there, too. I don’t think AlGroh ever did, but a main reason for hiring London was because of his connections. It would be great to get Kamara, but it would be even better for us to stop losing so many 4+ star recruits to out of state schools. We don’t have to score 100% on instate elite players, but if we can get over the 50% mark, that would be great. I’ll be interested to see how we do in recruiting in the next 3-4 years.
#14 – You are so right. Kelly will take the shackles off Vick for sure. He’s not the runner he once was but he is still right there at the top. You don’t leave him in the pocket all game
Thanks HokieGrad, sounds about right. Just wondering why…
I have NO IDEA what I am saying, but I will say it for five paragraphs. Those are the facts.
And Zman, YOU are rambling! So stop rambling!
Damn you hypocrisy!