In the course of the last two years, Vick has been too injured to play in 6 full games and significant parts of 3 others. In 2010, Vick was KO'd from a loss to Washington and then sat out three straight games with a rib cartilage injury. The Eagles were 2-2 in those four games.
This season, Vick was knocked out (concussion) of the fourth quarter when the Eagles led against Atlanta (loss) and then broke his right hand in the third quarter of the first game against the Giants with the Eagles ahead, 16-14. They lost that game in the fourth quarter as the Giants outscored them, 15-0.
Vick suffered two broken ribs in the loss to Arizona, and while he finished that game, the injury sent Vick to the sidelines on a critical third-down snap and backup Vince Young was forced to hand off to LeSean McCoy on the play. The Cardinals stopped McCoy, the Eagles were forced to kick a field goal and Arizona came back and scored a late touchdown and won the game.
Since that game, Vick has missed three straight weeks of action. The Eagles are 1-2 in that time. They are 0-2 in games (against Atlanta and New York) in which Vick was unable to finish.
Add it up, and you get the picture: Philadelphia is 3-3 in the full games Vick has missed in 2010 and 2011. The Eagles equally as significant, are 0-3 in the games Vick has not finished (Washington, 2010; Atlanta and the Giants this season) during that period of time.
As the team looks into the big, broad, unknown future, they need to look hard at the quarterback position. Vick, signed to a huge, long-term contract extension prior to this season, is the player in whom the Eagles invested at the quarterback position. Debate the move all you want, but what's done is done, and Vick is the franchise quarterback moving forward.
Understand, though, that franchise quarterbacks need to be on the field every week, and so that is one part of the discussion here. The other part is what to do in addition to Vick, because the Eagles haven't had an adequate answer in 2011.
First, Vick. His style of play invites contact. He holds onto the football and keeps plays alive with his feet and, of course, he breaks the pocket and rips off long gains on the ground. That style makes for terrific moments and scheme-busting first downs, but it also subjects Vick to punishing tackles. Vick takes on defenders, rather than sliding to avoid contact. He looks for the end zone instead of seeking the sidelines.
Vick is a brave man, a great football player, but unless he has a style makeover and buys into it completely, he is going to be an injury waiting to happen. Vick, bless his heart, is barely 6 feet tall, and while he is ripped and more conditioned than any athlete I have seen, is simply unable to withstand the punishment of defenders licking their chops at the thought of taking a free shot at Vick.
So what to do with Vick, the quarterback? When he replaced Kevin Kolb in 2010, Vick played the game as a whirling dervish at the position. He was so quick to avoid hits. He got rid of the football quickly and made great decisions. Vick went seven games, six of them starts, without throwing an interception.
But then defenses starting blitzing him like crazy and the hits piled up, as did the turnovers. The Eagles' 2010 season melted away in a last-month flurry of losses, culminating with a final-drive interception in the end zone in the playoff loss to Green Bay.
In 2011, Vick has struggled to find consistency. Vick has thrown 11 interceptions and has lost 3 fumbles in 9 starts. He has fumbled 11 times, total. To say those numbers are alarming is, certainly, an understatement.
The Eagles are married to Vick and Vick is married to the Eagles, so the chore moving ahead is to make it better for the offense. Vick's final month of the season is important and his offseason is absolutely critical. The Eagles have the makings of a fantastic offensive line that could be in place for years to come, and they have an enviable group of players at the skill positions. The running game is one of the best in the NFL spearheaded by the dynamic LeSean McCoy.
Vick doesn't have to make all the plays. He can toss the football into the stands on first down and come back and live another day on second and third downs. He can drop back and throw the football on a three-step rhythm. He doesn't have to run the football to make the offense go.
Vick can be a complete quarterback. He has the tools and he has the desire. We'll see if he makes that transition.
If he doesn't, Vick is inviting more physical punishment and the Eagles will be forced to have alternative options at the position. Young had the encouraging game to win at the Giants, but since then he has thrown 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in losses to New England at Seattle. Young is here on a one-year contract and wants to find a starting job in the NFL next year, so his time has an Eagle appears to be limited.
Second-year man Mike Kafka was up and down in his limited play against Atlanta (up) and the Giants (down), and the coaching staff seems to like him a lot. Is he capable of winning a handful of games should Vick suffer a serious injury? Could the Eagles go with Kafka for half a season, or even longer, and win the postseason with him running the show?
These are questions the Eagles must answer, because they need a franchise player at the money position. Look around and marvel at the production teams like Green Bay, New Orleans, New England and Pittsburgh have at quarterback. They have stars at the position, and they have quarterbacks who are there every week.
The Eagles don't have that with Vick. They have a quarterback who has been out almost as much as he's been in during 2011. You can't win a Super Bowl that way. You need to have a great quarterback. The Eagles have long invested in the position and have been rewarded with fine play there, first from Donovan McNabb and then from Vick, in Andy Reid's seasons here.
Of course, there are many discussions to be held for the Eagles as they prepare for the reshaping of the franchise. At 4-8, the Eagles have a lot of improvements to be made. The quarterback position, and being prepared for every scenario, and having error-free, highly productive performances, has to be right at the top of the conversation list.
