Michael Vick is a 50 percent passer. He’s a 100 percent runner. He is a master of the big play. There’s nobody like him in the NFL.
When healthy and footloose, the Atlanta quarterback changes games. He changes the balance of power in the NFC South. After his first season on the field in 2002, after he beat Brett Favre’s Packers in Green Bay, the Falcons were everybody’s favorite dark horse to challenge for the Super Bowl.
When Vick got hurt, the Falcons went 2-10.
Quarterbacks Brad Johnson in Tampa and Jake Delhomme in Carolina have taken their teams to the last two Super Bowls out of the NFC South. New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks posted better numbers than both of them. Vick is more talented than any of them.
New Falcons coach Jim Mora and his offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp, insist they can improve Vick within the confines of their scheme. Former 49ers quarterback Steve Young has counseled Vick and convinced him that this offense will benefit him. They want Vick to complete over 60 percent of his passes.
All the new plans sound logical. But if the new regime restricts Vick, if it tries to mold him into something he’s not, if it confuses and frustrates him rather than encourages him, the rest of the NFC South and the rest of the NFC is likely to be very happy.