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BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/15/2010
As the Philadelphia Eagles headed into the offseason following last weekend's wild-card loss to Dallas, quarterback Michael Vick made it clear what he wanted in his future.
"Everybody wants to be a starter in this league, and everybody wants to play," Vick told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "That should be your goal. The ambition you should have is to want to be great. ... I know I can still play at a high level."
All of which is no surprise to Eagles coach Andy Reid.
"That kid, the changes that he made this year in his life, I was impressed with," Reid told Philadelphia reporters. "And his desire to be a No. 1 guy in this league, I'd be disappointed if he didn't feel that way."
As long as Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb are in Philly, Vick won't get a chance to start for the Eagles. But what about St. Louis?
What seemed totally far-fetched last summer, as Vick was about to get out of prison, no longer seems like such a longshot in St. Louis. Because Vick remains under contract with Philadelphia, Rams general manager Billy Devaney can't speak publicly on the topic.
But Devaney has consistently said the team will explore all options to improve the club. He has made it a point in interviews to note that the "four pillars" approach is being softened this offseason. In other words, the Rams are more likely to take a chance on a so-called "character-risk" player than last year at this time.
Devaney worked for the Atlanta Falcons before coming to St. Louis, so he's very familiar with Vick. In fact, Devaney visited Vick in prison while Vick was serving 18 months for running a dogfighting operation.
Reid has been one of the major career influences for Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo. So when Reid talks about how he was impressed with Vick, and the "changes" he made in his life, that will resonate with Spagnuolo.
So it will come as no surprise if Vick's name comes up next week when Devaney, Spagnuolo and executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff meet with Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom at the organization's annual postseason summit.
By all accounts, Vick has said and done the right things in Philadelphia, where he was given a second chance by Reid. If not the Rams, it seems likely someone now will give Vick a chance to compete for a starting job in a league where top-flight quarterbacks remain a rare commodity.
But even if it comes down to a pure football decision, does Vick still have what it takes to be a difference-maker in the NFL? That's what the Rams, or any other team, must decide.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft by Atlanta, Vick made three Pro Bowls in six seasons with the Falcons. He isn't a pure passer in terms of accuracy. His completion percentage with the Falcons was only 54 percent; his passer rating only 75.7. But he has very good arm strength, and always threw a good deep ball.
And the guy wins. The Falcons were a different team with him in the lineup. His regular-season won-lost record of 38-28-1 through the 2006 season was the 11th-best winning percentage (.575) among active quarterbacks at the time.
Vick was truly electrifying in beating teams with his legs. He set an NFL rushing record for a quarterback in 2006, his last season before prison, with 1,039 yards — averaging a staggering 8.4 yards per carry.
The question the Rams or any other team must answer is this: Can Vick still be a game-changer as a runner? He turns 30 in June, missed the '07 and '08 seasons entirely, and was limited to a cameo role in '09 with the Eagles.
Vick threw only 13 passes for Philly in the regular season — completing six for 86 yards and a touchdown. He ran 24 times for 95 yards and two TDs, averaging 4.0 yards per carry.
That's not nearly a big enough sample size to draw firm conclusions on Vick's current skill level. But his 76-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin last week against Dallas showed he still has zip in his arm.
"Being away from the game for two years didn't help me," Vick told the Philadelphia Daily News. "I see that I had to come back and get into a rhythm."
Mentally, Vick thinks he's better than ever. He made the most of his time with McNabb in learning how to study and prepare for games.
One reason Vick might not be an Eagle in 2010 is the size of the option year on his contract. He's scheduled to make $3.75 million in base salary, as well as a $1.5 million roster bonus — for a total of $5.25 million. That's a lot of money for a role player.
The $1.5 million roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the "league year." That's NFL-speak for the start of the free agency/trading period, which is March 5. So there's a chance the Eagles might want to simply release Vick rather than paying the $1.5 million by March 10.
But if it looks like multiple suitors develop for Vick, it's not inconceivable that the Eagles would pay the roster bonus and then work out a trade.
In St. Louis, Vick could bring sizzle to an offense that was among the league's worst in '09. As one long-time NFL coach told the Post-Dispatch: "That team lacks perimeter players. They can't play straight up (on offense) and win. They need to create explosiveness where it's not."
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/15/2010
As the Philadelphia Eagles headed into the offseason following last weekend's wild-card loss to Dallas, quarterback Michael Vick made it clear what he wanted in his future.
"Everybody wants to be a starter in this league, and everybody wants to play," Vick told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "That should be your goal. The ambition you should have is to want to be great. ... I know I can still play at a high level."
All of which is no surprise to Eagles coach Andy Reid.
"That kid, the changes that he made this year in his life, I was impressed with," Reid told Philadelphia reporters. "And his desire to be a No. 1 guy in this league, I'd be disappointed if he didn't feel that way."
As long as Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb are in Philly, Vick won't get a chance to start for the Eagles. But what about St. Louis?
What seemed totally far-fetched last summer, as Vick was about to get out of prison, no longer seems like such a longshot in St. Louis. Because Vick remains under contract with Philadelphia, Rams general manager Billy Devaney can't speak publicly on the topic.
But Devaney has consistently said the team will explore all options to improve the club. He has made it a point in interviews to note that the "four pillars" approach is being softened this offseason. In other words, the Rams are more likely to take a chance on a so-called "character-risk" player than last year at this time.
Devaney worked for the Atlanta Falcons before coming to St. Louis, so he's very familiar with Vick. In fact, Devaney visited Vick in prison while Vick was serving 18 months for running a dogfighting operation.
Reid has been one of the major career influences for Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo. So when Reid talks about how he was impressed with Vick, and the "changes" he made in his life, that will resonate with Spagnuolo.
So it will come as no surprise if Vick's name comes up next week when Devaney, Spagnuolo and executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff meet with Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom at the organization's annual postseason summit.
By all accounts, Vick has said and done the right things in Philadelphia, where he was given a second chance by Reid. If not the Rams, it seems likely someone now will give Vick a chance to compete for a starting job in a league where top-flight quarterbacks remain a rare commodity.
But even if it comes down to a pure football decision, does Vick still have what it takes to be a difference-maker in the NFL? That's what the Rams, or any other team, must decide.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft by Atlanta, Vick made three Pro Bowls in six seasons with the Falcons. He isn't a pure passer in terms of accuracy. His completion percentage with the Falcons was only 54 percent; his passer rating only 75.7. But he has very good arm strength, and always threw a good deep ball.
And the guy wins. The Falcons were a different team with him in the lineup. His regular-season won-lost record of 38-28-1 through the 2006 season was the 11th-best winning percentage (.575) among active quarterbacks at the time.
Vick was truly electrifying in beating teams with his legs. He set an NFL rushing record for a quarterback in 2006, his last season before prison, with 1,039 yards — averaging a staggering 8.4 yards per carry.
The question the Rams or any other team must answer is this: Can Vick still be a game-changer as a runner? He turns 30 in June, missed the '07 and '08 seasons entirely, and was limited to a cameo role in '09 with the Eagles.
Vick threw only 13 passes for Philly in the regular season — completing six for 86 yards and a touchdown. He ran 24 times for 95 yards and two TDs, averaging 4.0 yards per carry.
That's not nearly a big enough sample size to draw firm conclusions on Vick's current skill level. But his 76-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin last week against Dallas showed he still has zip in his arm.
"Being away from the game for two years didn't help me," Vick told the Philadelphia Daily News. "I see that I had to come back and get into a rhythm."
Mentally, Vick thinks he's better than ever. He made the most of his time with McNabb in learning how to study and prepare for games.
One reason Vick might not be an Eagle in 2010 is the size of the option year on his contract. He's scheduled to make $3.75 million in base salary, as well as a $1.5 million roster bonus — for a total of $5.25 million. That's a lot of money for a role player.
The $1.5 million roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the "league year." That's NFL-speak for the start of the free agency/trading period, which is March 5. So there's a chance the Eagles might want to simply release Vick rather than paying the $1.5 million by March 10.
But if it looks like multiple suitors develop for Vick, it's not inconceivable that the Eagles would pay the roster bonus and then work out a trade.
In St. Louis, Vick could bring sizzle to an offense that was among the league's worst in '09. As one long-time NFL coach told the Post-Dispatch: "That team lacks perimeter players. They can't play straight up (on offense) and win. They need to create explosiveness where it's not."
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