Why Michael Vick's Breathtaking Style of Play Will Never Equal a Super Bowl Win

Michael Vick is responsible for some of the most breath-taking plays that the QB position has ever seen.  Unfortunately, the risks that he takes which showcase his superstar abilities are the same risks which land him on the injury report what seems like every other week.

Time after time we have seen quarterbacks bring supreme athleticism and running ability to the game in the NFL, and time after time they have been unable to stay healthy long enough or consistently enough to win a Super Bowl.  While speaking in absolutes is always a risky proposition, at some point teams are going to have to concede that running QBs who take a lot of extra hits simply cannot be depended on to stay healthy over the long haul of an NFL season.

The NFL has not seen an athlete like Vick at any position in a long time, and it is unlikely that another player will come along with his skill set anytime soon.  Vick constitutes the best case scenario for the mobile quarterback: he’s fast for any position, he’s quick and agile and he has a huge arm which he loves to use on the run.

So if even Vick, with weapons around him like Philadelphia has, can’t lead his team to a February confetti shower, what is it going to take for a mobile QB to win a ring in this league? 

Cam Newton came into the league as an accomplished rusher and a questionable passer at best, yet even he has been almost immediately molded to emphasize his arm and forsake his legs.  This could be a sign that front offices around the league are giving up on the running QB motif.

The closest a running quarterback has come to a Super Bowl victory in recent memory was Steve McNair, who also spent a large portion of his career getting beat to a pulp—he was just too tough to miss a game.  In his day, McNair too was a rare athletic specimen.  Perhaps if there is any hope for a mobile QB to win a Super Bowl one day, it is to follow the McNair model and have someone big and tough enough to be able to resist and battle through the inevitable bangs and bruises.

But there’s not another Steve McNair coming into the league any time soon.  And there won’t be another Michael Vick any time soon either.  If the lightening fast and tough as nails iterations of the mobile QB can’t bring home the Lombardi Trophy, what is it going to take?