Michael Vick Vs. Tom Brady: Who’s The Better Quarterback This Year?
Tom Brady and Michael Vick are two quarterbacks everyone in the league is watching right now. Both quarterbacks are capturing headlines for all the right reasons, and both quarterbacks are playing at a high level.
Where's Peyton Manning? Three weeks of garbage play takes him out of the current conversation. But don't worry, he'll be back at some point. He's too good to stay out of this conversation for long.
Back to the matter at hand. When Vick or Brady take the field, there's the unmissable feeling that something is going to happen. What that something is could just be a touchdown, a spectacular throw for a touchdown, a great play-action that results in big yards or just something that takes your breath away.
So let's get the debate over who is better going. First up, the quarterback from Philadelphia . . .
5. Vick Has Better Weapons
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DeSean Jackson may be arrogant, he may do some dumb things on the field that create penalties, but Jackson catches the ball and gets touchdowns.
When you do that, a lot of your flaws get overlooked. But beyond Jackson is LeSean McCoy, who is such a good runner it allows Vick to open up the field with his throws.
Vick also has this guy named Jeremy Maclin, you might have heard of him. Not to mention tight end Brent Celek is pretty reliable as well.
When you have guys like that, it makes a quarterback look good.
5. Brady Turns The Average Player Into A Weapon
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Does Rob Gronkowski have 342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for his rookie year if Tom Brady isn't his quarterback?
The answer is: probably not.
Brady is the kind of quarterback who finds the open receivers, no matter who they are, no matter how good or bad they are, and turns them into stars.
4. Vick Is More Mobile
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This is one of those points that's hard to argue because it's Vick's mobility that makes him such a threat on the field.
You just never know when Vick is going to tuck the ball in and take off for a 15-yard gain.
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4. Brady Doesn't Need To Be Michael Vick
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If Brady needs to scramble, he can. Even post-ACL reconstruction, Brady has proved he's mobile when he needs to be.
But Brady rarely has to be as mobile as Vick because of Brady's ability to read the defense and find the seams leading him to the open receiver.
While Vick has become a more patient passer, Brady is the king at dissecting defenses, eliminating the need to tuck the ball and run in most situations.
3. Vick Is A Threat To Run And Throw
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One of the reasons Vick is so good is that as a coach, fan, or front office guy, you can feel comfortable that whatever decision Vick makes on the field, be it pass or run, it's going to have a positive result.
Vick has become a more patient passer, meaning his runs aren't as frequent as they were in Atlanta. But that doesn't mean that if he doesn't see a huge gap in front of him, he's not going to take the ball and run it for a 20-yard gain.
Because of that threat, defenses have to play him different.
3. Brady's Arm Must Be Respected At All Times
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Not only can Brady read defenses, he has one of the best arms in the league at any range. His touch on the ball means his passes go where he wants them to with exactly as much velocity as they need.
He's not going to blow his receiver out of the water with a 90 mile per hour, five-yard pass. Likewise, you rarely see Brady underthrow a ball and, if he does, chances are the receiver got ahead of the route.
2. Vick Has First Strike Capability
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In two games this season, Vick and the Eagles have gone for the end zone on the first play from scrimmage.
It's worked out both times.
If the Eagles want to go deep, Vick can deliver and his receivers have shown they can break away from coverage and have the necessary speed to take that deep ball into the end zone for a touchdown.
2. Tom Brady Can Strike Anywhere, Anytime
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It doesn't matter what the defense is, what the field conditions are, or even if there is a blizzard in progress, Tom Brady can throw the ball deep and score at any given time.
Just ask the Chicago Bears, a team that has one of the best defenses in the league this year.
1. Vick Is Strong, Smart, And Can Do Things Other Quarterbacks Can't Do
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Michael Vick looks like Superman on the field some days. He'll throw the ball deep one series, run it for 40 yards the next series, put the ball into his running back's hands the series after that and then put together a classic 80-yard drive for a touchdown.
Vick can fill whatever role the Eagles need him to fill and he's impossible to cover 100 percent of the time. Vick is just too versatile to be contained and the few teams who have often aren't quite sure how they did it.
1. Brady Is The Most Pure Version Of A Passer On The Field
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When you line up all the classic skills and and intangibles that make up a great quarterback, Tom Brady pretty much gets the check mark in every category.
He's good at everything a quarterback needs to be good at and he's about as reliable as you want a quarterback to be.
Conclusion: Tom Brady Edges Out Michael Vick
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This is not an easy call, but Tom Brady ends up with the slight edge. While Vick definitely has shown he's the more versatile quarterback, Brady is just flat out better.
Vick can be shut down just by continually punishing him while Brady has to be contained the old-fashioned way, by out-scheming him.
Out-scheming Brady is easier said than done and with Bill Belichick on the sidelines, it's created one of the best quarterback-coach duos in the history of the league.
Vick is a great quarterback and he might even win a Super Bowl, but the Patriots have been to four Super Bowls and won three of them because Brady is so hard to shut down. He reads the defenses and makes the play.
You can't ask for anything more than that.
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