What will Michael Vick's role be in 2010?

When Donovan McNabb was traded to Washington, Kevin Kolb shifted up into the starting role. However, this wasn’t the only shift that was made on the depth chart. Michael Vick also shifted up and is listed as the Eagles backup quarterback. Since no one made a move for him and it seems very likely he will remain in Philadelphia, it’s interesting to think what his role will be like in 2010.

The guy is getting paid a lot of money to be a backup quarterback, so I do hope that the Eagles try to use him in some form. There were a few times last season that he came into the game and was able to provide a spark. He looked great in his return to Atlanta and would have done even more damage if he didn’t injure himself. His return last year was almost like a rookie season, getting used to the speed of the game (again) and getting limited reps to show what you can do.

We saw some special packages that were added to the offense last year for Vick and I expect the Eagles to keep those and add even more. They didn’t see a ton of success running the “Wildcat” but I think it may be something they work on in camp. Between the speed and shiftiness of Vick and LeSean McCoy, you would think they could make some teams pay if they get a little bit of blocking.

Vick has never been a top-notch passer but if he can set himself up by making plays with his legs, it opens up big opportunities for him to make some throws. If he can freeze the secondary by faking run, he definitely has the arm strength to throw the deep ball.

With one year of “testing” under their belts, I expect the Eagles to put Vick in more situations for success in 2010. Part of his limited reps last year may have been the Eagles being scared of pissing of McNabb, so they don’t have that problem anymore. We saw flashes of brilliance out of Vick last year and I think if he has the right attitude, he can really contribute in 2010.