Michael Vick mostly a decoy in Eagles debut

by JasonB on Sep 27, 2009 5:48 PM EDT in Philadelphia Eagles News

In his much publicized re-debut in the NFL, Michael Vick served mostly as a decoy as the Eagles offense rolled over Kansas CIty.

Vick was on the field for a total of 11 plays. On 8 of the 11 plays Vick either handed the ball off or was simply a decoy and never touched the ball. He threw two incompletions, one of which was a ball he threw away under pressure. He ran the ball one time for 7 yards.

The amount of snaps he took was more than I had anticipated, but the amount plays he had any meaningful role in(3) is just about what I expected. I'm not sure what else anyone could have or would have expected from Vick in his first action after sitting out the past two years. As a part time player his opportunities were always going to be limited, and as a guy who joined the team late and hasn't played in two years it was always going to take some time.

The questions going forward with Vick are pretty clear. Does he continue to take steps toward being the athletic weapon he one was? How many more or less snaps will he play when McNabb returns? And finally, how much longer can the Eagles get away with him being simply a decoy?

In the coming weeks, Vick needs to make plays if defenses are going to respect him as a decoy. If all he ever does is hand the ball off, defenses aren't going to be concerned with him. This first game is what I expected and I'm fine with how Vick was used and how he performed. Going forward, I fully expect him to run and probably pass more as well. He has to, or else there's no point in having him out there.

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Sounds likeVick isn't all there yet

Apparently he’s still not fully in shape. I heard in the pre-game he’s lost several pounds in just the past few weeks and feels he’s got a few more to go for his conditioning.

As well that first drive where he called the time-out showed maybe he’s still not all there for regularly running the offense.

by Smallbugger on Sep 27, 2009 7:26 PM EDT reply actions

Cunningham?

Off topic but does anyone have a link to some pics of Cunningham’s halftime ring of honor induction?

by bdptcob on Sep 27, 2009 9:05 PM EDT reply actions

Let's give him some time

He hasnt played a game since ‘06 , he’s definitely rusty. He may come up big in weeks 12 thru 16

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

by Joe_D on Sep 27, 2009 9:25 PM EDT reply actions

Let's give him at least 6-8 weeks before we can pass judgement

Hes rusty, big time. But he could come up huge later on

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

by Joe_D on Sep 27, 2009 9:29 PM EDT reply actions

I would give him a couple of weeks to get his feet under him.

"It ain't over till it's over." - Yogi Berra

by 49er16 on Sep 27, 2009 10:28 PM EDT reply actions

QB Question

Giants fan and following up a question Bye Dawk answered on the BBV site for me.

What happens when McNabb returns – will Vick still be the back up so he can run the Wildcat and Kolb the 3rd QB?

If so, who do the Eagle keep after the season Kolb or Vick?

Given Kolb’s performances he has the better trade value and would likely start for a lot of teams in the NFL, but won’t that leave you needing a QB to replace McNabb in a couple of years as Vick will not be the answer.

Week 8 will be a real battle!

by G Fan in England on Sep 28, 2009 8:42 AM EDT reply actions

will Vick still be the back up so he can run the Wildcat and Kolb the 3rd QB?

Vick doesn’t have to be the backup to run the “wildcat” he just has to be a part of the 45 man active roster. I expect Kolb to stay the backup.

If so, who do the Eagle keep after the season Kolb or Vick?

If Vick proves valuable they could keep both of them but they will most certainly retain Kolb for another year. They are both under contract so why would they need to get rid of either? Unless the Vick experiment fails then he won’t be worth the cash. The could trade Vick if the right price came along.

Jim Johnson 1941-2009

"The 0-2 pitch, swing and a miss! STRUCK HIM OUT! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! And let the city celebrate! " - Harry Kalas 1936-2009

by Whodie126 on Sep 28, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

So in essence you don’t name a 3rd QB as it will be Vick taking up a roster spot.

When is McNabb under contract too. The point on Kolb is that he has showed he can play so how long will he sit on the sidelines waiting? Will the Eagles be able to resign him after the 2010 season or will he leave as a FA?

by G Fan in England on Sep 28, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions

McNabb is signed through 2010, same with Kolb, Vick, Garcia. I expect Garcia to be cut the minute the Eagles feel McNabb is healthy.

The point on Kolb is that he has showed he can play so how long will he sit on the sidelines waiting?

The situation is almost identical to Green Bay with Rodgers and Favre. And at some point the Eagles will have to make a decision and we will probably have to watch McNabb play somewhere else unfortunately. It’s tough but they can still extend Kolb and McNabb if they needed to because when it comes down to it all these guys really want is money. Sure Kolb wants to play but he wants to get paid too.

Lot of good players on this team with contracts that end in 2010 (uncapped year?) who knows what will go down. No one saw us signing Vick, or letting Dawk walk, or a lot of the things the FO has done in the past.

Jim Johnson 1941-2009

"The 0-2 pitch, swing and a miss! STRUCK HIM OUT! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! And let the city celebrate! " - Harry Kalas 1936-2009

by Whodie126 on Sep 28, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions