Andy Reid announced Friday that Michael Vick will officially be the Eagles’ starting quarterback against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, as Kevin Kolb has been ruled out with a concussion. Kolb’s injury presents Vick with his first chance at proving he can still be an effective NFL quarterback since signing with the Eagles before the 2009 season. If he can duplicate the performance he had against the Packers last Sunday when he replaced Kolb, his phone will be ringing at season’s end.
Ignore the fact that Vick doesn’t respect animals and is still throwing parties despite constantly being under the microscope. From a strictly football standpoint, No. 7 looked like he had plenty left in the tank as he nearly led the Eagles to a comeback victory over one of the best teams in the NFC.
Prior to Sunday, Vick had been used sparingly as a wildcat option in the Eagles offense. When he got the chance to take control of a game for the first time in over three years, he completed 66.7 percent of his passes, threw for 175 yards, and rushed for another 103.
That stat line is reminiscent of Atlanta Falcons Vick. If you watched Sunday’s game or the highlights of it you know that the man who was once the most electrifying player in the NFL can still run. I never thought Vick was a top-tier quarterback and I still don’t, but at age 30 and having missed two full seasons and played very few minutes last year he’s far from worn down.
There’s plenty of teams across the NFL that have an uncertain quarterback situation. If Vick can prove himself this Sunday against the Lions and even beyond, you can expect to see him starting somewhere next season. The 49ers drafted Alex Smith because he ran and threw the ball so well at Utah. More often than not, it’s looked like he can’t do either at the NFL level. At least Vick has one of those skills covered. Hey, it’s just an example…
