5 Coaches Who Could Do a Better Job with Michael Vick Than Andy Reid

Michael Vick was supposed to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ key to their “Dream Team” season. However, Vick has drastically underperformed, often seeming unprepared and unsure of himself. 

Vick is partly to blame for his mediocrity this season, but judging from Vick’s previous performances, he is not the only one responsible.

Eagles coach Andy Reid is not helping his quarterback’s stats. Vick has a very specialized skill set, and it looks as if Reid cannot figure out how best to harness his strengths.

Vick has the raw talent that makes coaches chomp at the bit to be his mentor. But which ones are truly worthy?

Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh oversaw Andrew Luck’s development from a college freshman to a Heisman contender. Luck has been the consensus No. 1 draft pick a full year before declaring for the NFL draft.

If that isn’t enough, Harbaugh has now taken over head coaching duties for the San Francisco 49ers and transformed Alex Smith into a capable quarterback.

That is no small feat, given that at the beginning of the season, 49ers fans were crossing their fingers that Smith would play so badly that the team would be able to draft Luck in 2012.

Harbaugh has experience working with quarterbacks and has a type of attitude that Michael Vick would appreciate. Coming into this season, Vick expressed his desire to understand offenses more and become more involved in play-calling.

If there is one thing Harbaugh has plenty of, it’s enthusiasm. I hear that can be contagious, especially for someone like Vick who is ready to learn.

Urban Meyer

For someone to make Tim Tebow look competent for more than the last five minutes of a game, he must have considerable skill. Tebow performed like a Heisman Trophy and national championship worthy (kind of) quarterback while in college at Florida.

In the NFL, he has looked like...well, like neither of those things. 

In addition to Tebow, Meyer also coached previously mentioned Alex Smith in college at Utah and made him look like the clear No. 1 draft pick.

Up until this season, Smith was widely considered a draft bust. 

Meyer has experience with quarterbacks who run the football like Michael Vick. Vick is, by all accounts much more accurate at throwing the football than Tebow (it is, admittedly, rather hard to be less accurate than Tebow). Meyer would be able to utilize Vick’s scrambling ability as well as improving his passing. 

Mike Shanahan

Sure, the last three quarterbacks Mike Shanahan has coached have been miserable. But those three quarterbacks have been a washed-up Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck. Not exactly a who’s who of Pro Bowl talent.

Before his stint as the Washington Redskins head coach, Shanahan mentored Steve Young with the San Francisco 49ers and John Elway when coaching with the Denver Broncos.

Young was a quarterback with running ability so Shanahan, too, has experience catering to Michael Vick’s strengths. However, Shanahan’s success lies in the passing game, which is an area Vick could certainly stand to improve in.

It would also help Vick to work with a more seasoned coach who wants (and needs) to win. Vick and Shanahan would be on the same page in terms of desire and Shanahan's players are tangible proof of his coaching ability.

Sean Payton

Sean Payton has coached Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe and Drew Brees. His success with quarterbacks is undeniable.

In his first year with the New Orleans Saints, his team had the best passing offense in the NFL and Brees was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Payton has a reputation for coaching successful offenses and, more importantly, quarterbacks. Michael Vick would benefit most from someone like Payton who could improve his accuracy considerably.

Payton would also, undoubtedly, work with Vick on throwing the deep ball, which would allow the quarterback to take advantage of his speedy receivers such as DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.

Norm Chow

Maybe not as a head coach, but Michael Vick could certainly benefit from working with Norm Chow as a quarterbacks coach.

The list of successful quarterbacks Chow has worked with is astounding. He has coached Carson Palmer, Matt Leinhart, Vince Young, Philip Rivers, Steve Young and Jim McMahon.

Chow has made every one a star.

Most importantly, Chow coached Vince Young when Young was a rookie quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. Chow helped Young earn Rookie of the Year honors and become the first rookie quarterback to play in the Pro Bowl. 

Young has a similar style of play to Vick as he utilizes his scrambling ability. But again, Chow’s most important contribution would be improving Vick’s accuracy and arm strength. Chow has succeeded on both the collegiate and pro levels, and there is no reason he could not do the same with Vick.