Steelers made the right move with Michael Vick

[hawaiiansteeler]

Pittsburgh Steelers made the right move with Michael Vick

By Anthony Defeo on Oct 15, 2015



With Ben Roethlisberger out of the lineup with an MCL sprain, the Steelers' offense certainly hasn't looked like the juggernaut that it should be. But backup Mike Vick, while not nearly the complete player that No. 7 is, has managed to do just enough as a starter during the past two weeks. The Steelers are just trying to survive until Roehlisberger returns, and Vick has certainly done his part.

They say the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and you don't have to look any further than the Steelers offensive production since Ben Roethlisberger was injured in Week 3 at St. Louis to see why that's the case.

The sports car that was supposed to be Pittsburgh's 2015 offense has been sputtering the past few weeks, and why? Because the regular driver isn't behind the wheel. This is not a new phenomenon, by the way. While filling in for the injured Terry Bradshaw in 1976, backup quarterback Mike Kruczek had a total of zero touchdown passes in six games (and a 6-0 record, thanks to some of the best defense ever played in the history of the league).

In 2014, Pittsburgh's upcoming opponent, the Cardinals, watched their season go down the drain after Carson Palmer was lost with a knee injury and his backup was also soon injured. Once a 9-1 team with aspirations of playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium, Arizona was down to Ryan Lindley at quarterback and was just looking for a soft place to land once the postseason started, which they did following a 27-16 loss to the sub-.500 Panthers in the first round--Lindley contributed just 82 yards through the air in the game.

There's no way around it, a team just isn't going to be the same without its starting quarterback, and the higher the pedigree and production of said quarterback, the swifter the fall. Roethlisberger averaged 360 passing yards per game through his two full starts, before suffering the MCL sprain in the Week-3 victory over the Rams. In stepped Michael Vick, who has averaged just over 163 yards per game through the air as a starter.

The truest barometer of the importance of a top-shelf NFL passer may be the steep drop in production of all-world receiver Antonio Brown since Week 3. After setting a record for catching at least five passes for at least 50 yards in 35-straight games, Brown has a grand total of 87 yards the past two weeks with Vick as the starter.

But you know what? The Steelers made the right move by signing Vick in August following the injury suffered by Bruce Gradkowski in the third preseason game. Vick may not be an elite quarterback with a great passer rating and completion percentage, but he's also not a quarterback that has done a whole lot to make his team lose the two games he's started.

Any way you slice it, the Steelers should be 2-0 with Vick as the starter, and they would be if not for those missed field goals by Josh Scobee near the end of regulation in the game against Baltimore on October 1. Vick may have only passed for 124 and averaged a paltry 4.8 yards per attempt, but he took care of the football, made a nifty block that helped spring Le'Veon Bell for Pittsburgh's first touchdown in the first half and threw a laser to Darius Heyward-Bey for a 9-yard touchdown pass in the second half. No, Vick didn't carry the Steelers, but he managed them to what should have been a victory.

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[86WARD]

Going from Ben to anyone is going to be hard. Vick has been pretty bad but appears to be on the path to getting better and it looks like, at least Ben, knows how to start using him and putting him in better positions...

[st33lersguy]

Who else was out there when Gradkowski went down?

[86WARD]

Nothing...

[tube517]

[ALLD]

Landry Jones, Super Bowl MVP.

[zulater]

They made the right move at the time. I just wish that he and Haley could get more on the same page. That it took Ben to jump start the offense last week is testament to the fact that Haley is oblivious to Vick's needs to play at his highest level.

[stillers4me]

They made the right move at the time. I just wish that he and Haley could get more on the same page. That it took Ben to jump start the offense last week is testament to the fact that Haley is oblivious to Vick's needs to play at his highest level.

I'm hoping that someone is this organization took note of what happens when Ben gets more involved in the play calling, both on and off the field and acts on it. Vick is Vick....no one is going to be Ben, so play to his personal strengths and athleticism, not Ben's. This is very do-able. Just like when Ben was out for his suspension, we managed with 3 lesser QB's and the D doing their part. Nobody thought we'd win 3 of 4 games, let alone make to the superbowl.

[zulater]

I'm hoping that someone is this organization took note of what happens when Ben gets more involved in the play calling, both on and off the field and acts on it. Vick is Vick....no one is going to be Ben, so play to his personal strengths and athleticism, not Ben's. This is very do-able. Just like when Ben was out for his suspension, we managed with 3 lesser QB's and the D doing their part. Nobody thought we'd win 3 of 4 games, let alone make to the superbowl.

You said what I meant. But you said it way better than I did.

[stillers4me]

You said what I meant. But you said it way better than I did.

A rare accomplishment, indeed.

[vader29]

Who else was out there when Gradkowski went down?

Nothing...

[ETL]

We wouldn't talk about how Vick is a good manager if it wasn't for the defense and a good running game. The defense should get most of the credit right now

[Shoes]

I'm hoping that someone is this organization took note of what happens when Ben gets more involved in the play calling, both on and off the field and acts on it. Vick is Vick....no one is going to be Ben, so play to his personal strengths and athleticism, not Ben's. This is very do-able. Just like when Ben was out for his suspension, we managed with 3 lesser QB's and the D doing their part. Nobody thought we'd win 3 of 4 games, let alone make to the superbowl.

and maybe Ben will be interested in coaching after his playing days are over.


Steelers-28

Cards-24

[fansince'76]

I'm hoping that someone is this organization took note of what happens when Ben gets more involved in the play calling, both on and off the field and acts on it.

I've been saying it for 2+ years - give Haley a clipboard, mute his headset, hand the keys to Ben and let HIM run the offense.

[86WARD]

They made the right move at the time. I just wish that he and Haley could get more on the same page. That it took Ben to jump start the offense last week is testament to the fact that Haley is oblivious to Vick's needs to play at his highest level.

I wish they would've taken the back up QB more seriously a long time ago...clearly they don't...

[86WARD]

Like I said...nothing...lol.

[Steelermania]

I wish they would've taken the back up QB more seriously a long time ago...clearly they don't...

There isn't a lot you can do with that position. You basically have 3 choices. An older guy who was a starter, but is now past that, and is willing to be a backup. Sometimes you can get a very old guy like Hasselbeck, who was near elite, and is willing to take that role, but usually it's a guy who started for a while, but never really established himself, such as Bruce Gradkowski. Second choice is a lower draft pick like Landry Jones, who you hope can develop into a nice backup. Third, you can draft a qb in the first 2 rounds. He'll be more likely to be good, but when your starter is elite, and not in his late 30's, this backup is gonna walk after his rookie deal is up. You can't franchise him, so you've spent a high draft pick to develop a qb for some other team. Green Bay got rid of Favre when Aaron Rogers only had one year left, but Brett was nearly 40. Do you think they would have sent Brett packing if he had been 34 or 35? If Landry Jones had developed, and was looking like a potential starter, would you trade Ben after this season? Hell no! This is why it's tough to have a good backup when your starter is in his prime. Guys like Josh McCown won't come here, because they're hoping to start, so they go to a team with a shaky starter. When Ben hits 35, that's when you look to draft his successor. Ben would be 38 after the new guy's third year, and that is the time you'd consider making the switch.

[fansince'76]

There isn't a lot you can do with that position. You basically have 3 choices. An older guy who was a starter, but is now past that, and is willing to be a backup. Sometimes you can get a very old guy like Hasselbeck, who was near elite, and is willing to take that role, but usually it's a guy who started for a while, but never really established himself, such as Bruce Gradkowski. Second choice is a lower draft pick like Landry Jones, who you hope can develop into a nice backup. Third, you can draft a qb in the first 2 rounds. He'll be more likely to be good, but when your starter is elite, and not in his late 30's, this backup is gonna walk after his rookie deal is up. You can't franchise him, so you've spent a high draft pick to develop a qb for some other team. Green Bay got rid of Favre when Aaron Rogers only had one year left, but Brett was nearly 40. Do you think they would have sent Brett packing if he had been 34 or 35? If Landry Jones had developed, and was looking like a potential starter, would you trade Ben after this season? Hell no! This is why it's tough to have a good backup when your starter is in his prime. Guys like Josh McCown won't come here, because they're hoping to start, so they go to a team with a shaky starter. When Ben hits 35, that's when you look to draft his successor. Ben would be 38 after the new guy's third year, and that is the time you'd consider making the switch.

This right here.

[BigNastyDefense]

The thing is, Vick also damn near lost us the game throwing the ball into defenders hands on three times where they dropped it.

Vick made one good throw all night, and it was on the 70-yard TD. He also ran just once all night, on that big run on the winning drive. Outside of that, he was a steaming pile of crap.

Vick doesn't fit this offense. The way Vick succeeded in Atlanta and later Philly was they built the offensive scheme around his skills. He's a one-maybe-two read then tuck-it-and-run quarterback who's got a cannon of an arm but is also very inaccurate much of the time. It was set up the run, then use play-action to take advantage of Vick's deep throws (which are also his most accurate).

Haley needs to just let Vick be Vick. Run the ball, use play-action, take shots downfield. Now with Bryant back, we can really take advantage of Vick's deep ball. But having him throw short to intermediate won't do anything but be mostly incomplete or worse turnovers.

[86WARD]

There isn't a lot you can do with that position. You basically have 3 choices. An older guy who was a starter, but is now past that, and is willing to be a backup. Sometimes you can get a very old guy like Hasselbeck, who was near elite, and is willing to take that role, but usually it's a guy who started for a while, but never really established himself, such as Bruce Gradkowski. Second choice is a lower draft pick like Landry Jones, who you hope can develop into a nice backup. Third, you can draft a qb in the first 2 rounds. He'll be more likely to be good, but when your starter is elite, and not in his late 30's, this backup is gonna walk after his rookie deal is up. You can't franchise him, so you've spent a high draft pick to develop a qb for some other team. Green Bay got rid of Favre when Aaron Rogers only had one year left, but Brett was nearly 40. Do you think they would have sent Brett packing if he had been 34 or 35? If Landry Jones had developed, and was looking like a potential starter, would you trade Ben after this season? Hell no! This is why it's tough to have a good backup when your starter is in his prime. Guys like Josh McCown won't come here, because they're hoping to start, so they go to a team with a shaky starter. When Ben hits 35, that's when you look to draft his successor. Ben would be 38 after the new guy's third year, and that is the time you'd consider making the switch.

Gradkowski and Jones are pretty much garbage as well. There's been better out there over the last 3-5 years that an upgrade could be made. They are just lazy and don't want to "train" a "new guy".

[zoneblitzerII]

No. No, they didn't. The guy can't see.

[fansince'76]

No. No, they didn't. The guy can't see.

...or read a defense, or hit the broad side of a barn...

[Edman]

Yes they did.

Hindsight in 20/20. Landry Jones was just as bad if not worse than Vick.

Don't ANYONE dare say they saw this coming.

[zoneblitzerII]

Yes they did.

Hindsight in 20/20. Landry Jones was just as bad if not worse than Vick.

Don't ANYONE dare say they saw this coming.

its a question of potential. Who has more? The younger athlete or the older veteran who is on the very low back side of the bell curve? For the most part, as in the cruel world, it's a young man's game. A logical decision from the outset would've been to go with Jones both to evaluate and to extract any potential they saw in the young man to begin with. The Steelers chose the illogical path. Thankfully God intervened and set the course correctly.

[Steeldude]

Yes they did.

Hindsight in 20/20. Landry Jones was just as bad if not worse than Vick.

Don't ANYONE dare say they saw this coming.

Uh...how could Jones not be better? Vick is one of the worst passers in NFL history. The Kordell experiment still hasn't sunk in for some. You can't win with a WR behind center. I would rather have Ryan Leaf over Vick.

[86WARD]

Looks like Jones is better and Vick wasn't the right move...

[Craic]

We're confusing hindsight with foresight.

Foresight says you put the veteran in there who has enough experience to make good things happen. Although painful, he was doing it and the team would have won every game he was in had we had a decent FG kicker.

Hindsight saysyou now look back over Jones's development and realize that, yeah, he was quietly developing some good tools and seems capable of being a decent NFL backup QB, and better than a QB who doesn't know the playbook.

[Steelman]

Bell and rest of team making comments saying that Landry knows the offense like the back of his hand.

Obviously easy to say these things after a win, but still. More fuel to the fire on Tomlin's personnel decisions.

[Steeldude]

We're confusing hindsight with foresight.

Foresight says you put the veteran in there who has enough experience to make good things happen. Although painful, he was doing it and the team would have won every game he was in had we had a decent FG kicker.

Hindsight saysyou now look back over Jones's development and realize that, yeah, he was quietly developing some good tools and seems capable of being a decent NFL backup QB, and better than a QB who doesn't know the playbook.

Not really when you consider the veteran QB in question is Vick.

[Craic]

Not really when you consider the veteran QB in question is Vick.

I disagree, since Vick was doing exactly what we asked: hold the fort down until the cavalry returns. As much as I'm impressed by what Jones did, I wasn't at all confident in him. And neither were most people. I didn't have a problem with him on the team like most did, but I thought third string clip holder was about right for him when it came to regular season.