NFL: Has Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick Been Exposed?

There's no dispute that Michael Vick had a magnificent 2010 season, but his final three games told a very interesting story. 

For much of the year, Vick confounded defensive coordinators. Many simply did not have the personnel available to blitz him effectively, or cover DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin one-on-one on snaps when they brought the house on a blitz.

It was a beautiful situation for the Philadelphia Eagles offense and they flourished.

What deserves mention, however, is how the Eagles were being blitzed. Nobody even succeeded in sacking Vick on a zone blitz until Week 13 when the Houston Texans did it.

But that may have been what broke the levies.

In the following weeks, more teams took notice and used the zone blitz heavily, and Vick was downright dreadful.

The Minnesota Vikings sacked Vick six times, including two by cornerback Antoine Winfield. The Green Bay Packers sacked him three times, including one by cornerback Tramon Williams.

This pattern continued into the start of this year when the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Eagles in week two of the preseason. Arguably the most notorious zone-blitzing team in the league the Steelers predictably feasted on Vick's mistakes, forcing three interceptions.

Sacks do not tell the entire story, but they are certainly chapters worth reading. What's much more noteworthy is Vick's efficiency when defensive backs pressure him in cleverly disguised blitzes.

The Vikings blitzed Vick 20 times (!) with a defensive back, and on those plays, Vick compiled a quarterback rating of just 27.4.

Additionally, the New York Giants bottled up Vick for three quarters, as he completed just 4-of-10 passes for 17 yards when they blitzed. He was also sacked three times. 

But—and this is a big "but"—we all know how that game ended. Vick torched the Giants defense for three touchdowns over its final nine blitzes.

Because of other teams' success against Vick when they blitz effectively, I have to interpret this as an outlier. Even with that classification, it does not erase the fact that the zone blitz presents a major risk when facing Vick and the Eagles' offense.

It's still a gamble, but it seems that teams will have no choice but to roll the dice often. It's just another intriguing aspect to take into consideration while watching one of the most electric players of this generation.