New York Jets Would Be Unwise to Pursue Michael Vick

With Marty Mornhinweg reportedly headed to New York to serve as the Jets' next offensive coordinator, the next logical question is whether the Jets will seek a reunion between Mornhinweg and former Philadelphia teammate, Michael Vick.

Vick is certainly an exciting player, and he would benefit from playing behind New York's offensive line, but it would still be a huge mistake for the Jets to go after him.

Recent history has shown that "making a splash" is not the most effective way for the Jets to fix the quarterback position. The Brett Favre trade didn't work, nor did moving up in the draft to select Mark Sanchez. In both cases, the Jets gave up assets (though Mike Tannenbaum admittedly did well to limit the Browns' take in the Sanchez trade) for an imperfect solution.

An imperfect solution is exactly what Vick would be. While he has experience in Mornhinweg's offense, his skill set is not all that well suited to both what the offense requires and what the Jets are looking for.

The Jets have always put an emphasis on controlling the ball and putting its defense in a position to succeed, and the west coast offense supports this approach. But it requires a quarterback who is accurate and doesn't turn the ball, and like Mark Sanchez, Vick has traditionally struggled in each of these areas.

Vick has compiled a completion percentage of less than 60 percent in each of the past two seasons, which is particularly subpar when considering that he has been playing in a west coast scheme. The Eagles were able to survive in part due to their big-play talent, but the Jets are lacking in elite playmakers and will need to focus even more on short and medium routes.

As they seek to sustain these long drives, the Jets will also require a quarterback who takes good care of the football. Vick is not that quarterback. In 23 games over the last two seasons, Vick has turned the ball 33 times. 

Michael Vick remains a very talented player, and there are certain teams who will feel his potential is worth the risk. But the Jets need to focus on finding a quarterback who is a good fit for what they want to do on offense, and Vick is not that quarterback.