Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Michael Vick isn't a good quarterback

That's what I think every time I see Vick play. Last night he completed less than 50% of his passes, threw no touchdowns, and tossed up three interceptions. He is an amazing runner and his team wins.

However, is an amazing runner what a team should look for in a quarterback? Great scramblers have come and gone, but only the ones who know how to throw to an open receiver and run an offense are any good. Until Vick can learn to do these things, he's a glorified running back.

So how have the Falcons been successful without a quality quarterback? They have a good running back, a good offensive line, a good defense, and the NFC has been weak As the NFC improves, Vick will be exposed more and more.

Some Vick defenders claim he doesn't have any good receivers. Quarterbacks have a lot to do with the success of receiver. Bledsoe defenders said the same thing about the Patriots' receiving corp before Brady came along. Vick has All-Pro caliber players at running back and tight end. He also has a good offensive line and some serviceable receivers. A good quarterback completes more than 50% of his passes with this team.

Finally, to pile on Vick a little bit more there's some character issues too. This summer he whined about all of his critics (despite some of the best press I've ever seen for a player who has never won anything). Then there was the way he was posing and flexing as he was introduced last night. You don't see Brady, Favre, Manning, Roethlisberger and other quarterbacks doing this type of nonsense. Seeing that display makes me wonder about Vick's focus.

Then there was the advice Michael Vick gave during an interview on Monday Night Football: "When you're dating two women, have two cell phones." Good advice, but I'm not sure we should be hearing it from the supposed face of a franchise and league.

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