"This is what I've always said about Mike: 'There's not a quarterback in the league that has the physical tools Mike Vick has,' " said Ike Reese, a former Eagle and former teammate of Vick. "That includes all of them, and that includes the two that were on the field [Thursday night]."
Those two were Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady, the starting quarterbacks in Thursday's Eagles-Patriots preseason game. But, Reese contended, there is something that separates quarterbacks like McNabb and Brady from Vick.
"It's up here," Reese said, pointing to his head.
While the Eagles' acquisition of Vick is still puzzling in many ways, it is clear the team saw value in bringing in a player remembered as often dazzling. When he was with the Falcons, Vick faced the Eagles on three occasions. Coach Andy Reid recalled that Vick posed a serious challenge for former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.
"He was worried about Michael Vick," Reid said. "I think if you talked to coordinators throughout the league that they would feel that way. He's a tough guy to defend against."
Statistics don't tell the whole story, but they paint a fair picture. The numbers that marred his first six years in the NFL were his completion percentage (53.8) and his average yards per pass attempt (6.7). But Vick added a dimension with his running. He ran for 3,859 career yards at 7.3 yards per carry, along with 21 rushing touchdowns. In 2006, his last season, he set an NFL mark for quarterbacks with 1,039 rushing yards.
From all indications, however, there isn't much chance we'll see the old Vick - good or bad - this season. He's not going to start. He'll probably enter the season as the No. 3 quarterback. And when the NFL does reenlist Vick, Reid likely will use him as a multipurpose back.
