It's virtually certain that quarterback Michael Vick will be named to the 2011 NFC Pro Bowl roster tonight shortly before the Eagles take on the Minnesota Vikings in a Tuesday night football game for the ages - it is the first Tuesday game since 1946 after all.
If (when) Vick is selected, it will be his fourth nomination to the all-star team. But the question is whether it will be the first of many individual honors on the horizon for Vick?
You can certainly make the case that Vick should be the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. Vick was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and one of the most electrifying players in the league with the Falcons before losing two seasons due to incarceration. Vick returned to the league as a role player in 2009 and is now back on top of his game - arguably better than he ever was while in Atlanta.
Entering this week's game, Vick is third in the league in passer rating (103.6), second in yards-per-attempt (8.4), seconds in fewest interceptions (5), second in fourth-quarter passer rating (113.8), fourth in third-down passer rating (106.1), first in rushing yards by a quarterback (613), first in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (8) and fourth in passing and rushing touchdowns combined (28).
Whew!
With all of those numbers, there should be very little debate that Vick is the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year.
The one award that is causing the biggest stir is whether Vick should be the league's MVP. Aside from the great statistical numbers, the Eagles are 10-4 and have won the NFC East division title and still have some hope for the top seed in the postseason. Vick wasn't even the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season and he did miss three games with an injury. However, he has lost just one game this season when he started and finished at quarterback - the Week 12 loss at Chicago. In fact, that's the team's only loss since the bye week.
In the Eagles' impressive 6-1 stretch since the bye, four of those games have been against playoff teams or teams that can still get in. One of the games in that stretch was the historic Monday night game in Washington where he became the first NFL player to throw for 300 yards, rush for 50, toss four touchdown passes and rush for another two all in the same game. The Eagles scored a Monday Night Football record 59 points.
Also, Vick has helped the Eagles come from behind in the fourth quarter in each of the last four wins. In the fourth quarter of those games, Vick completed 60 percent of his passes for 405 yards with four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 138.4 passer rating. He also has accumulated 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while only being sacked twice.
Vick has already earned three player of the week and a player of the month award this season.
Aside from all of the stats, Vick is the leader of a team that believes that no matter what the odds are they can win. Just look at the miraculous comeback win over the Giants. Player after player will say that as long as No. 7 is on the field, they have a chance to win. You don't think the players on the Giants defense would vote Vick for MVP if they had a say.
Vick has taken Eagles fans on an incredible ride that hopefully last all the way until the Super Bowl. But along the way, Vick should be honored for the amazing season that he has had.
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 12:00 p.m., December 28
