Disclaimer : I'm a huge hokies fan so I'm biased
Having seen every single game he ever played, I can assure you he can throw straight. He throws a tight spiral every time, very reminiscent of Warren Moon's passes. Against BC in 99, he threw a perfect strike to Andre Davis 65 yards in the air off his back foot. In the NFL quarterback challenge last year, Donovan McNabb won the distance throwing competition by throwing it 65 yards after getting a running start. I think that Vick may have the strongest arm of any QB in the NFL already.
As for his height, he's listed at 6'0" but he's probably an inch shorter. His biggest weaknesses are:
1)He was so good on the ground that whenever he got in trouble, he took off and ran, instead of looking for his 2nd and 3rd receivers. It worked in college, but it won't always work in the NFL. He'll have to learn to stay in the pocket and be patient. I wouldn't say he can't read defenses - he just hasn't had to yet. Jim Druckenmiller, now he can't read defenses.
2)He's used to throwing only two types of passes - short passes (quick outs, screens, etc.) and bombs 40+ yards downfield. That's largely a result of the VT offense. There's very little in the way of midrange passes or passes over the middle hitting the recievers in stride.
3)He tries to do too much sometimes. In college, it's understandable, but in the NFL, it won't work.
4)He has a tendency to hold the ball out like a loaf of bread instead of tucking it away when running.
Having him play running back would negate one of Vick's biggest strengths - his arm. He's no Tony Rice. He's a better Donovan McNabb. Or at least, he has the potential to be. And he's a winner and a leader. The only game he lost in college was the championship game against FSU. (Please: no cheap shots against VT's schedule -g-)
Of course, he'll get thrown to the wolves much earlier in Atlanta than in SD, since Chandler is allergic to the ball. And he won't be an instant success either. He has too much to learn. But he's got the potential to be an awesome player 2-3 years from now.
I think that Atlanta got the much better end of the deal. |
