Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and NFL Films senior producer (and Eagles' Film Room co-host) Greg Cosell have produced an outstanding series for ESPN ranking the NFL's quarterbacks.
On Friday, Jaws unveiled that Michael Vick is his No. 12 quarterback in the NFL. While many Eagles fans argue this is too low for the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Jaworski's biggest criticism of Vick is his "willingness to run."
"I charted all of Vick's snaps last season. He was taken to the ground more than 11 times per game. You can't play 16 games that way," Jaworski said. "Vick always reminds me of something my former coach Dick Vermeil says: 'The problem with quarterbacks who can run is they run!'"
Last year, when the NFL was in lockout mode, Jaworski believed that Vick was going to be one of the players most affected. In some ways, Jaworski was right. Vick had 10 turnovers in the first five games of the 2011 season and the Eagles struggled out of the gate with a 1-4 record. Later in the season, Vick missed three games with a rib injury that, ironically, he incurred while throwing in the pocket.
Jaworski noted that this offseason is the "most important" of Vick's career. It has been mentioned several times that this is his first offseason as a team's starting quarterback since 2006 in Atlanta. Even though a number of years have passed since then, Jaworski still believes that there is "not another quarterback in the NFL with Vick's dynamic combination of passing skills and explosive running ability."
"There are some plays only Vick can make," Jaworski added.
That is exactly why Jaworski "would not be surprised" if this was Vick's best season. Vick improved his performance in the final four games of 2011, which were all wins for the Eagles. Vick had seven touchdown passes, one touchdown run and just four total turnovers in those wins. He also had a quarterback rating of 100-or-more in the final three games, a first for Vick in his entire career as a starter.
"Vick has shown he is capable of throwing the ball exceptionally well from the pocket," Jaworski said. "His overall throwing skillset can be top five in the league. His objective in 2012 must be to play that way more often."
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