Maddening QB or crazy-good RB? Vick's pick should be obvious
Michael Vick is the most physically gifted player in the NFL, but I'm starting to think he's an idiot.
This isn't about the middle finger -- sorry, middle fingers -- Vick aimed at Atlanta fans last week, though that was horrendous. It's not about that whole "Ron Mexico" thing, either, although it's pretty damn sad that an NFL quarterback would (A) need to settle a lawsuit in April after being accused of giving a woman herpes and (B) choose something as cheesy as "Ron Mexico" for an alias, as disclosed in that lawsuit.
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| Michael Vick's running style could be Canton-worthy. (US PRESSWIRE) |
Vick can stay at quarterback and be just effective enough to keep his starting job.
Or he can move to running back and become one of the best NFL players of all time.
On Sunday, Vick ran for 166 of the Falcons' 281 yards against New Orleans. There is an NFL adage that says, "The team that runs for 281 yards is going to win every ... single ... time." But the Falcons lost, and lost big, because that NFL adage bears an assumption: The NFL team that runs for 281 yards has a quarterback good enough to capitalize.
The Falcons don't have that quarterback. They have a guy with a strong arm and beautiful throwing motion, but they also have a 5-6 record and four-game losing streak. Yes, his receivers could be better -- an argument you'll hear Friday from CBS SportsLine.com's official Michael Vick apologist, Mike Freeman -- but if anyone tries to tell you that Ron Mexico can become Don Meredith, laugh and turn out the lights. Because that party's over.
Hell, if Atlanta's Jeff Foxworthy were a football critic and not a comedian, he'd tell Vick: You might be a tailback if ...
• You have a game with more yards rushing than passing -- twice. In addition to New Orleans (166 rushing, 84 passing), he ran for 127 against Tampa Bay and threw for 92.
• You average a lot more yards per rush (9.2) than pass (6.1). Nor is this a one-season fluke. For his career, Vick has averaged 7.4 yards per carry, 6.6 per pass.
• Your passer rating is 25th in the NFL but your rushing average leads the league by more than 10 feet. San Francisco's Frank Gore is next at 5.6 yards per carry.
• You are in your sixth NFL season and completing barely half your passes. In the past three years, Vick's accuracy has fallen from 56.4 percent (2004) to 55.3 percent (2005) to 51.2 percent this season. His passer rating also has dropped each year.
And finally, you might be a tailback if ... you are on pace to run for 1,250 yards and your idea of leadership and decision-making is to flip off your fans and call out your receivers, both of which Vick has done this season.
