Michael Vick: Comparing Every Aspect of His Game to Philadelphia Eagle Greats

The decision to sign Michael Vick out of prison was a huge shock to the entire country. Naming Vick the new starter over Kevin Kolb after just one full quarter was another.

It seemed clear that Vick needed to be the signal-caller for the Eagles in 2010 because he gave the team the best chance to win. How could an immobile Kevin Kolb possibly survive behind an atrocious offensive line?

Michael Vick seemed to carry this offense to new heights last season, and his play has a direct correlation to all the free agency talk that is clamoring around the City of Philadelphia. Fans realize that this team is absolutely loaded on offense, and a few key additions on defense could finally give Philadelphia the Lombardi Trophy that they have always wanted.

There is no doubt that Vick is one of the most gifted athletes of all time, but how do his tools rank against two of the greatest Philadelphia Eagle's QB's ever?

We are going to break down every aspect needed of a QB in the NFL, and we are going to compare Michael Vick's skill-set against Donovan McNabb's and Randall Cunningham's.

Who has the strongest arm? Who was the best runner? All of those questions will be answered here.

This is a complete comparison of every aspect of Michael Vick's game to Donovan McNabb and Randall Cunningham.

Arm Strength

Arm Strength Ranking:

1. Michael Vick

2. Randall Cunningham

3. Donovan McNabb

Philadelphia Eagle fans have gotten to watch Donovan McNabb's cannon for an arm for 11 years up-close and personal.

They also had the privilege of watching Randall Cunningham air the ball out in Eagle green for 11 years as well.

Both McNabb and Randall have/had the arm strength to make any throw on the field, and Randall completely changed the way a QB played the game.

Many people have claimed to see Cunningham throw the ball across an entire football field, but those rumors have never been confirmed.

There is little doubt that both McNabb and Cunningham had rocket's for arms, but how do they compare to Michael Vick's?

Quite simply, they don't.

Not only does Vick have one of the strongest arms in the game today, but he also has one of the strongest arms of all time.What other QB in NFL history can flick their wrist and throw a perfect spiral (on a line) 50 yards down the field?

There was a Powerade commercial from almost 10 years ago (2001) that had Michael Vick taking one step and launching a football a full 100 yards across a field. SI.com investigated the video to confirm it's authenticity, but they received no definitive answer.

What we do know is that Vick's arm strength is feared by all opposing coaches and defenses. Take head coach Gary Kubiak's word for it in his SI.com interview:

"Anything over 50 yards is rare in a game, but I did see film of Vick throwing a ball 75 yards. Not many can do that."

When comparing the arm strength of Michael Vick to almost anyone, No. 7 for the Eagles will almost always emerge victorious.

There's no difference in this comparison either.

Accuracy

Accuracy Ranking:

1. Donovan McNabb

2. Michael Vick

3. Randall Cunningham

This is a category that could change in the very near future with Michael Vick on top. None of these QB's were known for their accuracy, and their career numbers are strikingly similar.

Cunningham obviously spent the majority of his career (11 years) in Philadelphia, where he averaged a 55.7 completion percentage.

McNabb was more accurate in his 11 years as an Eagle, evidenced by a 59 percent completion percentage.

Michael Vick was always considered to be a running quarterback with a cannon for an arm, but lacked the accuracy to ever be an elite QB.

Vick's completion percentage with the Atlanta Falcons during his six year tenure was an abysmal 53.8 percent, but his time with Andy Reid and Marty Morningwheg has obviously paid off.

Vick completed 62.6 percent of his passes in 2010, nearly nine percentage points higher than his career average. He showed the poise needed to stand in the pocket and deliver a strike, and he hasn't lost his ability to roll out to his left and throw accurately.

If Reid and Morningwheg can continue to coach Vick to throw on the run to his right, his completion percentage will continue to rise.

Completing 62 percent of your passes with an awful offensive line and your first full season of work in nearly four years is pretty impressive.

An improved offensive line and more maturity will vault Michael Vick to the top of this list, but for right now, that honor belongs to Donovan McNabb.

Running Ability

Running Ability Ranking:

1. Michael Vick

2. Randall Cunningham

3. Donovan McNabb

Randall Cunningham gets bonus points for being the guy that revolutionized the QB position, but there is no other quarterback in league history that is a bigger running threat than Michael Vick.

Vick ran a blistering 4.33 at the NFL Scouting combine in 2001, and he showed in 2010 that he hasn't lost a step (just ask the New York Giants). His running ability puts so much pressure on opposing defenses that he makes everyone on offense exponentially better.

LeSean McCoy is clearly a talented running back, but he obtained his first 1,000 yard rushing season with Vick in the huddle and an atrocious offensive line. Michael Vick's presence on the field keeps the opposition honest at all times, and opens up natural throwing and passing lanes for the Eagles skill players.

Vick has rushed for over 4,600 yards in his career while averaging over seven yards per carry. Absolutely insane numbers in their own right. He has played nine less seasons than Cunningham, and he almost has as many yards rushing.

Cunningham compiled 4,928 rushing yards over his 16 year career while averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

McNabb has clearly taken the "you're a running QB" talk to heart and has thrown out the most dangerous weapon in his arsenal: his running ability. He has rushed for 3,400 yards at 5.6 yards per carry.

The Philadelphia Eagles finished second in the NFL in yards per game with 389.4 and second in scoring per game with 27.4 in Vick's first full season as their QB.

Look for the Eagles offense to reach new heights in 2011.

Poise Under Pressure

Poise Under Pressure Ranking:

1. Michael Vick

2. Donovan McNabb

3. Randall Cunningham

Some may have a problem with this ranking due to the fact that Donovan McNabb led the Philadelphia Eagles to five NFC Championships in 10 seasons, which is also more than any other team from 2000-2010.

I'd like to point to Donovan McNabb's 1-4 record in those NFC Championship games, four of which his team was favored to win. Also, when a few of McNabb's teammates (T.O, Hank Fraley) stated that Donovan was vomiting on the sidelines and couldn't catch his breath in the Super Bowl against the Patriots, that doesn't help your cause either.

Whether the McNabb "choke" talk is fair or not, there is no denying that the Eagles should have won at least one Super Bowl during their terrific run of NFC Championships. Warranted or not, the blame always goes to the head coach and the quarterback.

The head coach and the QB get all of the acclaim when they win games, and they need to deal with the criticism when they come up short. McNabb came up short too often on the biggest of stages.

Vick, on the other hand, took what many considered to be a .500 team to the brink of beating the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. He also carried the Atlanta Falcons during his tenure there, as the team was completely void of talent.

Vick showed Philadelphia in 2010 that they finally have their quarterback they can believe in when the game is on the line.

Leadership Qualities

Leadership Ranking:

1. Randall Cunningham

2. Michael Vick

3. Donovan McNabb

I'm still amazed that playing an awesome air-guitar before the biggest game of the season (rival Dallas Cowboys) didn't inspire the Philadelphia Eagles. Donovan McNabb had an uncanny ability of throwing his teammates under the bus and coming out of the wreckage crystal-clean (according to the national media anyways.)

The laughter after another thrown ball into the dirt, the joking on the sidelines when his favored team was losing in a playoff game and his complete lack of understanding of the "most loyal fans in football" according to Forbes magazine are all things that will forever be remembered about McNabb.

Randall Cunningham, on the other hand, was a three-time MVP who took it upon himself to carry his team to victory on numerous occasions. He may not have been the vocal leader that Michael Vick is, but he led by example with his play on the field.

From 1987-'90, Cunningham literally was the offense for the Eagles. He hardly had any weapons at wide receiver or running back, yet still managed to throw for 20 touchdowns every season while averaging over 3,000 passing yards per year.

Oh, he also managed to lead the Eagles in rushing those four seasons as well.

Vick has shown that he has gained the trust of the young Eagles locker room with his work-ethic in practice and toughness during games. He wants the ball in his hands when the game matters the most, and that will always earn you the respect of your teammates.

Vick may be at the top of this list as well when his career is over.

Final Verdict

We compared five different things that are required of all QB's to be elite. Clearly Donovan McNabb and Randall Cunningham are two of the finest quarterbacks to ever play for the Philadelphia Eagles, but Michael Vick has all of the tools required to be better than both of them.

Arm Strength Ranking:

1. Michael Vick

2. Randall Cunningham

3. Donovan McNabb

Accuracy Ranking:

1. Donovan McNabb

2. Michael Vick

3. Randall Cunningham

Running Ability Ranking:

1. Michael Vick

2. Randall Cunningham

3. Donovan McNabb

Leadership Ranking:

1. Randall Cunningham

2. Michael Vick

3. Donovan McNabb

Poise Under Pressure Ranking:

1. Michael Vick

2. Donovan McNabb

3. Randall Cunningham

Let's give the top ranking player of each list a three, a two for second and one for third. The final scores would look like this:

Final Ranking

1. Michael Vick: 13 points

2. Randall Cunningham: Nine points

3. Donovan McNabb: Eight points

Michael Vick has all of the necessary tools to the be one of the greatest Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks of all time if he stays healthy. Only time will tell.