A recent article at NFL.com says what so many of us Falcons faithful already know: the offense in the hands of Vick is either extremely exciting, or head to hell via a multi-million dollar hand basket. The reality is that Vick gets a bum rap because he is such an untraditional QB. I think if you put up Vick’s total statistics (passing and rushing) his numbers stack up well to the top half of NFL QBs, but it is only Vick’s rare game or two that puts him into elite company. Exciting? Yes. John Elway was also exciting and athletic, but Elway was a QB, not just a rare athlete.
Will Vick’s time come? It is pretty much now or never. I love that Vick is exciting, but I also know that his decision making is questionable, which means that he has to make up for lack of polish with that intangible known as athleticism. The NFL.com article says:
“After watching the team practice and sitting down to watch the practice tapes, there is one scenario that makes Atlanta tough to beat. If it can get an early lead on an opponent and take the pressure off Vick, the offensive questions will not get exposed. And with that lead, the defense can use its formidable pass rush against teams trying to catch up. If this team has to spend a large part of the season trying to play catch-up, it might struggle.”
Saying the Falcons will struggle if they have to play catch-up may be the understatement of the year.
I have high hopes for this year (homer and all that), but if the defense does not figure out how to stuff the run, then fans will not have much reason to worry about Vick. Predictions to come after another preseason game or two are in hand.
