Fix Vick- Quick

Michael Vick is a quarterback that possesses a combination of skills that is extremely rare. He can run with the best, he completes passes few others can make, and his arm strength is almost incomparable. And, even though his completion percentage leaves much to be desired, it doesn’t reflect his decision making. In his 3 full years as a starter, the most interceptions he’s thrown in a season are 12. I always say the most difficult aspect of the game for young quarterbacks is learning to not turn the ball over. Making plays will come, just cut down on the interceptions. Vick’s done that, so what’s the problem? The problem is that the offense is not structured for Vick to make plays in the passing game. The Falcons, under head coach Jim Mora and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, run the west coast offense as they learned it under Steve Mariucci in San Francisco. They rationalize that if Steve Young, another nimble footed, strong armed, lefty quarterback, could prosper in the west coast offense, then so could their multidimensional lefty. But, Michael Vick didn’t have four years to sit behind a crafty veteran and get a thorough grasp of the offense like Young did.

Vick also did not inherit any game-breaking receivers in the mold of Jerry Rice or Terrell Owens. Since the basis of the west coast offense is ball control, and playmaking via the short passing game, then a team needs excellent pass catching running backs, and fearless receivers who run precise, disciplined routes and who can turn a ten yard slant across the middle into a six point score down the field.

Warrick Dunn fulfills one role of pass catching running back, but where are the other backs, and the precise route runners and/or game-breaking receivers? The Falcons have big receivers who like to go up the field, not across the middle of the field. Although they are in just their first and second years, respectively, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins have yet to show the fearlessness and toughness that it takes to go across the middle.

Further, the west coast offense relies on pinpoint accuracy to be effective. Pinpoint accuracy is not yet in the repertoire of Mr. Vick. So, why continue to run an offense that’s incompatible to the personnel you have? The west coast offense is not one size fits all, and two years have already been wasted trying to fit square pegs into round holes. It seems ironic that Michael Vick’s best passing year came in his second season (2002) under Dan Reeves’ offense. That season he threw for almost 3,000 yards, with 16 touchdowns, and had just 8 interceptions in 421 pass attempts. Last year, in the west coast offense, with 100 fewer passing attempts, he had 12 interceptions. This year’s numbers are similar to last year.

What’s worse is that the Falcons offense is much more predictable, and restricted than it was under Reeves. In 2002, the Atlanta Falcons were fifth in scoring offense with over 400 points scored. Last year they were sixteenth, and they’re outside of the top ten again this year. Vick threw 421 passes in 2002 under Reeves, but had only 321 attempts last year, and will be under 400 again this year. He had 2,936 yards passing with Reeves, but only 2,313 last year, and less than 2,500 this year. Why are Mora and Knapp holding Michael Vick back?

It’s the pressure to win, and win now. Jim Mora was a young, unproven coach when he was hired. He inherited a quarterback who, in his second year under Reeves, led the team to a road playoff victory. Instead of continuing with Reeves’ good work, Mora decided to install the only offense he knew of – San Francisco’s west coast offense. He hired the 49’ers offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp, coincidentally, the same man who was once dressed down on the sidelines by one irate Terrell Owens.

What has ensued is an extremely conservative offense with an offensive coordinator that has restricted his play calling to safe plays designed to not lose the game instead of innovative plays that win the game. The result is a quarterback who is frustrated and a team that has lost confidence in the system.

Mora’s inexperience disallowed him from understanding what a quarterback needs to learn the west coast offense thoroughly. A young quarterback needs 2-3 years of limited play (Steve Young), or, stumbling horribly in the west coast offense before they’ll be able to run it effectively. In Brett Favre’s first two years in the west coast offense he threw almost 1,000 passes with 37 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. But the pressure was not on his coach to win and win now, so he was allowed to make however many mistakes were necessary to get a grasp of the offense.

But, what would have happened last year if Michael Vick had thrown 17 or 18 interceptions after he threw only 8 under Reeves? Well, for one, Mora’s job would have been in jeopardy. Secondly, the west coast offense in Atlanta would have been in jeopardy, which takes us back to the first point because that’s the only offense Mora knows, or believes in.

It’s not too late to stop Michael Vick’s regression, though. The first thing that needs to be done is scrapping the west coast offense. The Falcons need to spend the off-season implementing a more conventional offense with a variety of plays. They need some two tight end sets, more three wide receiver sets, a split backfield set, etc… They need Dunn and Duckett in the game together, and they need some max protect to get the ball downfield.

Mostly they need another offensive coordinator. Greg Knapp’s plays, and play calling is too conservative and too predictable. It seems the Falcons only have a handful of plays. And, in case they don’t know it yet, they can’t run the play action pass, rollout left anymore. The league has caught up with it. Teams watch film and they are now teaching the defensive ends to hold the backside and watch for the rollout. However, Knapp still calls it 15 times a game.

Lastly, the Falcons need to hire a special wide receiver coach whose only duty is to work with their young receivers on route running. The route running of young receivers in the NFL is horrible, and the Falcons have two of the worst. Call Art Monk, or Jerry Rice, or Charlie Joiner and see if they want a limited role coaching job. Michael Vick’s quarterbacking is not the problem. The system is the problem. I wonder why it is that Jon Gruden is quoted as saying, “If I had Michael Vick, I’d change my whole offense”. Gruden runs a west coast offense, by the way.