NFL: On-field issues for Michael Vick

The return of disgraced American Football quarterback Michael Vick to the NFL has been grabbing headlines, with his release from prison followed by his reinstatement to the league, and finally by his signing for the Philadelphia Eagles. Rather than debating the moral issues surrounding the return of a man guilty of horrific crimes, I want to look at how he fits in with the Eagles, who seemed possibly the least likely team to sign him.

Despite his credentials, Vick needed a team where he was unlikely to get a shot at the starting job. With his last game in the NFL being in 2006, going to a side like Minnesota, with a lack of quality quarterbacks, would have led to pressure on the coaches to throw him in from the start. Instead he needed a team where he could showcase his professionalism, fitness and new-found discipline to the rest of the league at his own pace.

Vick once threatened to revolutionise the league. He played a position occupied primarily by large, immobile men who focused on passing the ball and nothing else. Often the fastest man on the field, in previous eras he would played wide receiver, but instead he became the first quarterback to rush 1000 yards in a season. The spectacular way he played the game delighted fans and advertisers, but purists questioned his ability to do the basics and win games through his arm, despite playoff successes. Now approaching 30, and with 18 months in prison behind him, he has to prove that he still has that electrifying pace, and enough all-round game to prosper once it fades.

With the latest NFL fad being the “wildcat” formation that switches quarterbacks with wide receivers and running backs, he could bring his unique pace and athletic ability off the bench a couple of times a game. Then with a year back in the league behind him, he could look for a new team where he might get a start. There were strong rumours about a place at the New England Patriots, even in his prime he would not have unseated future hall of famer Tom Brady, but offering something different to the fairly immobile Superbowl winner might have given him a specialist role.

The reason Philadelphia seemed unlikely was that in Donovan McNabb, they have a quarterback who was the prototype for Vick. Although slowed by injuries and a reluctance to run in recent years, McNabb is one of the few who offers something similar to prime-era Vick. Vick therefore offers less of a contrast than elsewhere. However, head coach Andy Reid is an offensive genius, and the opportunity to design new plays must have appealed, especially as the side was only one game from the Superbowl last season.

Vick is unlikely to be an Eagle in the long run. Assuming he performs, he will move on to a Jacksonville, Carolina or Minnesota (assuming that Bret Favre retires again), where he could win the starting job. For now, if the Eagles’ gamble succeeds, theirs and Vick’s first Superbowl titles could follow. What a story of redemption that would be.