NFL Football: 5 Reasons Michael Vick Will Fail in 2012

Michael Vick will be in the second year of a $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, and for the second year in a row, he will fail to live up to the expectations created by that contract.

After having a MVP-worthy season in 2010, Vick couldn't recreate his success and struggled in 2011. He was much less efficient in just about every offensive category.  Vick had a 100.2 quarterback rating in 2010 compared to an 84.9 mark in 2011, nine rushing touchdowns in 2010 against only one in 2011 and most notably, he turned the ball over eight fewer times in 2010 than 2011.

There is a possibility that with a full offseason to correct his bad habits, Vick can have a resurgence and come back as strong as he was in 2010. But for more than one reason, he will not. Read on to find out what they are.

Nobody Is Challenging Him for the Starting Job

This might act as more of an explanation of 2010 than a predictor of 2012, but it works just the same.

2009 and 2010 are the only years in Vick's career when he has had to compete for a starting job. It gave him extra motivation to improve his skills as a pocket passer and learn the Eagles' system. He did just that, and earned a $100 million contract because of it.

But then in 2011, with Kevin Kolb traded to the Arizona Cardinals and Vince Young being a comeback project himself, Vick could comfortably call himself the starter, and nobody would argue with him. A lot of his old habits returned, which included making ill-advised throws under pressure and fumbling the ball more.

His drop-off could be blamed on a weak offensive line. That certainly had something to do with his tough start, but Vick still showed his bad habits late in the season when the offensive line had progressed considerably as a group.

Now that Vick has his $100 million contract, nobody will question his place as the starter. Unfortunately, that also means nobody will push him learn and progress as a quarterback.

He Tries to Do Too Much on His Own

When Michael Vick is at the top of his game, he is unstoppable. He can bring opposing defenses in with his running ability, stretch them with his arm or simply pick them apart with his accuracy.

Vick, however, is never consistently at the top of his game. His worst habit is that he often tries to be a hero and rescue broken plays. Half the time, Vick is able to use his legs to make a play, but too often he ends up turning the ball over instead.

After throwing zero intereceptions through his first seven games in 2010, Vick struggled behind a weak offensive line in 2011, throwing eight picks through the same number of games. He was often pressured and made unwise decisions with the football.

Turnovers are and have always been Vick's biggest weakness, as he always seemed to overestimate his ability. It seemed that in 2010 he was finally learning to become more conservative, and that approach led to a career year.

If Vick doesn't return to the philosophy that made him elite in 2010, 2012 will bring him the same problems 2011 did.

His Skill Set Isn't as Exquisite as It Used to Be

When Michael Vick entered the NFL in 2001, his ability as a running quarterback was something few had seen before.

Now, with the growing popularity of spread offenses in the college game, it seems that every other team has a running quarterback.

Between Vick, Cam Newton and Tim Tebow, running quarterbacks in the NFL are no longer a rarity. Teams still have to gameplan specifically for them, but they don't have to reteach their players defense in hopes of slowing down the quarterback.

Most players have faced more than a couple mobile quarterbacks while in college and as a result can adjust better to that style than previous generations.

As I said in the previous slide, when Vick is at the top of his game, he is unstoppable. He simply has too many skills to keep track of. But Vick was hardly at the top of his game in 2011, and with defenses getting faster, his signature asset is gradually losing its effectiveness.

Inconsistent Receiving Corps

Between DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant and Brent Celek, the Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.

Or do they?

The truth is, they have one of the best big-play receiving corps in the NFL. Jackson averaged 16.6 yards per reception in 2011, and it was his least effective year as a deep threat. In 2010, he led the NFL in that category with an average of 22.5 yards per reception.

Jackson has always been at the top of the league in receiving yards, but never had the receptions count to even be a clear No. 1 receiver. He struggles with drops on occasion and shied away from routes over the middle numerous time in 2011. In other words, he isn't a consistently reliable receiver.

Maclin fits that bill better, catching almost two thirds of passes where he was the target in 2011. However, he missed time due to injury, and didn't break out as a No. 1 guy even with Jackson half-boycotting the season.

Avant has decent hands, but fumbled twice this year. That's the same amount as Jackson, Maclin and Celek combined. Celek simply isn't utilized as much as he should be.

The Philly wide receivers are top-notch, but they don't provide the consistency Vick needs to reach his ceiling.

Durability

The final and most obvious reason Michael Vick will fail in 2012 is his lack of durability.

As a controversial quarterback who was convicted of dogfighting, Vick has an extra large target on his back for every defensive player in the NFL. Add to that the fact that he often becomes a runner, and it gives those defenders a chance to rough him up.

Vick missed games before his dogfighting ordeal, and with his increasing age, things aren't going to get any better for him. Every year, fans dream of what VIck could do with a full season without injury. They always wonder if this could finally be the year he stays healthy.

But it never is.

In 2010, it was his ribs. In 2011, it was concussions and his wrist. Whatever it is in 2012, it will  keep Vick from becoming an elite quarterback.

Vick won't be a bad quarterback in 2012. But he will once again fail to meet expectations, which will be enough for everybody to label him as a failure.