So well, in fact, that if the season ended today, you’d have to strongly consider Vick as a front-runner for the MVP. In fact, if it weren’t for the infamous dog-figthing scandal and the prison term and suspension that followed, Vick would be widely considered as the favorite for the MVP.
While a rib injury cost the resurgent quarterback three full games, it’s impossible to argue the impressiveness of his numbers when he is on the field.
First off, the Eagles are playing incredible football when he’s on the field, at least offensively. In the four games he’s started and finished, the Eagles are 4-0. More impressively, though, is the offensive production that comes with every game Vick starts. In those four games, the Eagles are averaging a shade under 37 points per game.
In games Vick hasn’t started — including a Week 1 loss to Green Bay in which the Eagles almost came back and won after Vick was summoned from the bench — Philadelphia is only 2-2. Their other loss came in Week 4, a loss to the Redskins in which Vick left early on with a rib injury.
Vick’s personal numbers are even more impressive. For the first time in his career, Vick is now a pass-first quarterback, and his stats back that up. Vick seems more content with reading the defense, going through his progressions and making the right decision than he ever did during his time in Atlanta. The result? He’s thrown for 11 touchdowns without a single interception to go along with a career-best 62.7 percent completion percentage.
Vick is now one of the game’s premier passers, but what’s making him so dangerous is that he still has the ability to pull it down and run. The difference now, though, is he does that when it’s the best option, not just his preferred option. He’s still burning defenses with his feet. He’s got 341 yards of rushing and four touchdowns following Monday night’s blowout of the Redskins. That’s 20 fewer yards than, say, DeAngelo Williams and it’s more yards than the likes of backs like Marion Barber, Danny Woodhead or Marshawn Lynch, all of whom, you know, get paid to run the football.
Perhaps most importantly, Vick’s resurgence has seemed to spark the Eagles. When he plays, his teammates seem to play with a stronger sense of urgency and tenacity. Not only that, with Vick under center, the Eagles are always primed for the big play, something we saw Monday night, just seconds into the contest when Vick found DeSean Jackson for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
If Vick keeps up this incredibly high level of play, there’s little doubt the rest of the Eagles will follow suit. And if that happens, it’s tough to see anyone else who has a better claim at MVP than Vick. Yes, there are “ifs” involved, but Vick has shown nothing all season that says he’ll be regressing anytime soon.
Vick still has a long way to go to win back the respect of the country, something that will likely never happen. But that isn’t for MVP voters to decide. Vick has done his time and served his punishment. If the MVP is supposed to be presented to the best player and/or the one with the most value to his team, you’d be hard-pressed to say it’s been anyone but Vick.
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