Michael Vick: 5 Reasons His Contract Was the Right Decision for the Eagles

There has been a heated debate, whether the Eagles made the right decision in re-signing Michael Vick to such a lucrative contract.

The naysayers contend that Michael Vick is too old; they’ll contend that he isn’t durable and isn’t worth the risk.

I am here to tell you otherwise, and prove to the naysayers that re-signing Michael Vick was one of the best decisions of this offseason in the NFL.

Reason No. 1: Health

The knock on Michael Vick’s career has always been that he isn’t durable enough to last an entire season, since he has done it only once in his career.

Below, I have a list of franchise quarterbacks with their total percentage of all the games they have played. This list is not based on the top 10 quarterbacks in the league, although a few of them are on this list, but based on franchise quarterbacks who have top-dollar contracts. To remove extreme outliers, I have excluded years they were not starters and/or freak accidents occurred that were more happenstance than a result of their play. 

1. Peyton Manning: 100 percent
2. Phillip Rivers: 100 percent
3. Tom Brady: 99.3 percent
4. Aaron Rodgers: 97.9 percent
5. Carson Palmer: 96.8 percent
6. Tony Romo: 95.3 percent
7. Drew Brees: 95.1 percent
8. Mick Vick - 91.2 percent
9. Ben Roethlisberger: 88.4 percent
10. Donovan McNabb: 85 percent
11. Matt Schuab: 84 percent

Yes, Michael Vick may be eighth on this list, but he is still in the 90th percentile of franchise quarterbacks.Those who question his durability are sometimes misguided by the 2003 season, but with that extreme outlier eliminated, Michael Vick is just as durable as any other quarterback in the league. Of course, there are risks with Michael Vick's aggressive play style, but the Eagles were not misplaced in their investment in him.

Reason No. 2: Scheme

Reason No. 2: The Eagles' offensive scheme is best suited to Michael Vick’s skill set.

Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg's offensive mindset has been touchdown or bust for a number of years. They are known for their deep routes and speedy receivers that stretch the field and get deep-field position to optimize scoring opportunities. 

Last season, 17.5 percent of Michael Vick’s pass attempts were considered deep passes, which are passes of 16-to-25 yards. This percentage made him the fifth-highest quarterback in deep-pass attempts in the NFL. Of those deep passes, he completed 27-of-65 pass attempts and had the sixth highest completion rate (41.5 percent) in the NFL.

In comparison, Peyton Manning was 22nd overall with a 30.5-percent completion rate on deep throws and was only ahead of quarterbacks of minuscule talent. These quarterbacks were Jay Cutler, Chad Henne and Alex Smith, just to name a few.

In no way is this statement saying Michael Vick is a better quarterback than Peyton Manning, but it is saying that Michael Vick was worth the investment when you look at the Eagles' scheme.

Reason No. 3: Business

NFL teams are not just about the great sport of football and pleasing their fans as we watch our favorite teams hopefully destroy our least favorite teams. There is also a business side to all this organized chaos, and the Eagles have been the best at it for years when it comes to optimizing profits and returns.

Michael Vick was one of those low-risk/high-reward players the Eagles frequently target, as he added an increase to their coffers over these few years he’s been with the team. Regardless if it was good or bad publicity, Michael Vick brought extra attention to the Eagles organization in the way of sponsorships and increased sales.

Last season alone, Michael Vick’s jersey was the fourth biggest seller from August 1 to April 30. The Eagles are not only rewarding Michael Vick for winning and leading them to the playoffs, but also completing the second responsibility of being a franchise quarterback. This responsibility consists of being the face of the organization and filling stadium seats come Sunday afternoon.

Reason No. 4: Playmaking Ability

Nike didn’t call it the Vick Experience based off his dazzling personality. His nickname was the "Experience" because when Michael Vick got into the zone, it would seem as though he danced on thin air as he ripped opposing defenders out of both their cleats and ankles.

With Vick in Philadelphia, it is now the revamped experience as Reid has honed his passing ability and made him a dual-threat quarterback. Michael Vick’s playmaking ability saved the Eagles in numerous occasions last season—heck, he was given the starting role because he was able to mask the deficiencies of the Eagles’ offensive line.

We all remember the Miracle at New Meadowlands where Michael Vick put up more offensive production himself than some teams, throwing for 242 yards and running for 130. Yes, it was Jackson’s beautiful punt return that closed the game, but without Vick’s stellar performance, that game is a lost.

The Eagles are making a solid investment in Michael Vick by giving him this contract and adding talent around him to make this level of play permanent in Philadelphia.

Reason No. 5: Veteran Leadership

This slide is not based on Vick’s past mistakes, but his present status as the leader of this revamped team.

Players look up to Michael Vick and respect him. Most of his teammates played with him in Madden and remember watching defenders failing to tackle him in the open field.

We simply need to recall the Tashard Choice autograph scene to emphasize this point.

Many of the players who are on the roster now came to Philadelphia with championship aspirations, but Michael Vick was the bait and the root of these aspirations.

Vick not only commands the respect of his teammates because of his absurd athleticism, but because these young athletes relate to him and can learn from his past mistakes.

The Eagles' confidence in Michael Vick’s ability to lead this young team is expressed through his extension, and it was the right choice for a team with a trip to Indianapolis in mind.