Michael Vick: 10 Reasons He's the NFL MVP After Three Weeks
Another start for Michael Vick for the Philadelphia Eagles and yet another victory when it's all said and done as the Eagles went on the road to Jacksonville and dominated the Jaguars on Sunday.
Vick has stepped into a tough situation and done a great job of justifying the coaching staff's faith in him and has won over the Eagles' fanbase along the way. While Vick has beaten Detroit and Jacksonville, they were still impressive performances and ones a good quarterback should put up against lesser foes.
Inside you'll find 10 reason why Michael Vick is the MVP of the league in this small sample size to start the year.
No. 10: Career-Best Start
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Vick's 250 yards passing per game after three games is shocking but what stands out about it is how he's never even sniffed that before.
The highest Vick's yards per game were for a whole season was 195.7 in 2002. Since then he never even came close to the total he's currently at. Vick has had a career renaissance this year in Philadelphia and it shows on the field and in the stat sheet after the game.
This is more than hype in terms of Vick's play. It's by far the best stretch of his entire career.
No. 9: NFC East Leaders
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If I asked you before the season who would lead the NFC East after three games, where would the Eagles be in terms of your picks?
I'm guessing somewhere around third or fourth, with third possibly being generous for the Eagles. With the Cowboys being the favorite to win the division, the Giants and Redskins usually fell somewhere after as people had no idea what to make of Philadelphia without Donovan McNabb under center. Now, after Kevin Kolb's injury, Michael Vick has them atop the division.
In fact, Vick was a few plays away from possibly having the Eagles at 3-0. I'm not sure that Philly would be here with Kolb under center.
No. 8: Dual Threat
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Not only is Vick beating teams with his arm, he's killing them with his legs in the ground game.
Vick has rushed for 170 yards and leads the Eagles in yards per rush with 7.1. Vick's biggest game on the ground came in the opener with 103 yards against the Packers and that was more of a product of Green Bay not being ready for Vick on the ground.
But since then, Vick has used his legs as a way to keep the defense off balanced instead as a crutch and it has killed opposing defenses.
No. 7: Awareness
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One thing that I noticed in watching Vick play this year as opposed to his time in Atlanta is this extra feel for the game that he's had.
When Vick was a member of the Falcons, he would make poor throws or just abandon the pass all together to try and make plays with his feet. Now, Vick allows the play to develop down field and let his wideouts gets open before hitting them with a solid pass.
Running is more of a secondary option and Vick has started to keep his eyes down the field, set his feet and make a play with his arm. It's what people always hoped for Vick when he came into the league and it's scary for opposing defenses.
No. 6: Playmaking Ability
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One thing Vick has done that Kevin Kolb just simply isn't able to do is make something out of nothing.
The Eagles' offensive line is just brutal this year and if Vick has been sacked 11 times this year, how many would it be with Kolb under center? Eagles fans are shuddering at the thought. While Kolb's benching may have been detrimental to his career, it may have benefited his health exponentially.
Vick has turned broken plays into positive ones for Philly and that's something that the Eagles need to succeed with the state of their line.
No. 5: Winning on The Road
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The mark of a good quarterback is the ability to win on the road, no matter who the opponent is and Vick has done that the last two weeks.
Sure, it was Detroit and Jacksonville but it's two games on the road and Vick walked away with two victories. After a tough loss against Green Bay, Vick really steadied the table for Philadelphia and led his team to two wins.
Teams have to win on the road during the course of the season to help control their own destiny and Vick has done that so far.
No. 4: No Mistakes
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If you had to guess how many interceptions Michael Vick has this season, what would it be?
One? Two? Perhaps three? Well all of those guesses are wrong. Vick hasn't thrown an interception all year. Not only that, but he hasn't fumbled the ball away to the other team either.
That's a pretty impressive stat seeing as Vick was a player that notched at least 12 interceptions a year from 2004 to 2006. Vick hasn't hurt his team with a stupid mistake this season and that's the mark of a leader.
No. 3: Efficiency
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Michael Vick's quarterback rating right now is 110.2. Let that sink in. Michael Vick, the man known more for his legs than his arm, has a quarterback rating of 110.2.
That rating is the third best in the league behind Jay Cutler and Peyton Manning and it just shows how good Vick has been for the Eagles this year. I never, ever thought I'd be hearing Vick's name next to Manning and Cutler's in terms of a passing statistic, but we're here.
Vick has quite the relationship with his wideouts, especially DeSean Jackson and it has shown out on the field.
No. 2: Statistical Success
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Not only has Vick not committed a turnover and the aforementioned quarterback rating but the quarterback is 10th in the league in passing yards—that's better than Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, Jay Cutler, and Brett Favre.
Vick is also tied for fourth in passing touchdowns with six on the season. Vick has had an incredibly hot start to the season and if he can keep it up, it's going to be the best year of his career. It's already the best stretch of his career and the hype and talk has been worth the performance on the field this year.
While the situation has been mismanaged, it has worked out for the Eagles.
No. 1: Team Turnaround
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Before the season started, not many people said that this year with Kevin Kolb under center, the Eagles were going places. Maybe down the line perhaps, but not this year.
All of a sudden, Kolb goes down in week one and Vick steps in and now the Eagles are 2-1 and lead the division after three weeks and to be honest, a lot of that is all on the shoulders of Vick. The offensive line is brutal and the defense isn't much better for Philadelphia this year.
Vick has brought new life into the Eagles and it has been impressive to say the least.
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