June 22, 201412 yr Author I'm not going to give him as much flack for this one as everyone else is. He did qualify it with saying that a Super Bowl ring would "seal his legacy". Sure, there were mobile QBs before him, but no one as mobile as him with such a big time arm. Without Vick, particularly his being the first ever QB to win a playoff game at Lambaeu Field and his comeback after serving a prison sentence for dogfighting, the road for guys like Newton, Kaepernick, RGIII, and Wilson might not have went as smoothly. The NFL is a copycat league, and while guys like Cunningham were innovators, Vick was the guy whose run seemed to cement the trend.
June 22, 201412 yr Author To add to what I said above, I think he's more than just a "mobile" quarterback. Guys like Tarkenton, Flutie, Young, McNair, and others were mobile QBs, but none of them were the kind of threat to tuck and run like Vick was. For Vick, it was his ability to run that opened up everything else. Take away his speed and he's a quarterback with a strong arm but not much else. With the other guys, their ability to tuck it and run was more of a last resort, either to buy some extra time in the pocket to let their guys get downfield and/or open, or as a way of avoiding a sack. I wouldn't exactly say the same for Vick when he's at the top of his game.
June 22, 201412 yr Steve Young rushed 722 times for 4239 yards and 43 touchdowns. Vick is a slightly above average QB. Personally I don't think having a career record of around .500 is revolutionizing.
June 22, 201412 yr Author Steve Young rushed 722 times for 4239 yards and 43 touchdowns. Vick is a slightly above average QB. Personally I don't think having a career record of around .500 is revolutionizing. Agree, but Steve Young was a pocket passer who could tuck it and run if he needed to. He was much more daring early in his career, yes, but he was never the kind of athlete that Vick was. If Vick had played in Young's days, he'd have probably been a receiver, defensive back, running back, or special teams player. Not saying Vick is one of the greatest of all time, but in a lot of ways, he continued to pave the way that guys like Cunningham had begun clearing out. If nothing else, it's hard to say that a guy like Vick didn't have a profound effect on the college game.
June 23, 201412 yr Agree, but Steve Young was a pocket passer who could tuck it and run if he needed to. He was much more daring early in his career, yes, but he was never the kind of athlete that Vick was. If Vick had played in Young's days, he'd have probably been a receiver, defensive back, running back, or special teams player. Not saying Vick is one of the greatest of all time, but in a lot of ways, he continued to pave the way that guys like Cunningham had begun clearing out. If nothing else, it's hard to say that a guy like Vick didn't have a profound effect on the college game. Vick didn't revolutionize the game one iota. Not one. Fastest quarterback of all time, cannon for an arm that often overthrew into coverage. Took big shots as a result of his penchant for taking off. Perhaps he did revolutionize the game in the sense that a quarterback that leads your team in rushing will never win a SB in this era. So, there's my take on it. I'll give him some credit for his impact on the college game.
June 23, 201412 yr Author I think Vick revolutionized the pro game in the sense that if not for him, we might not see as many guys like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Tim Tebow, Josh Freeman, and Geno Smith being given the opportunities that they have been given so far. Vick is also the first ever QB to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
June 24, 201412 yr I think Vick revolutionized the pro game in the sense that if not for him' date=' we might not see as many guys like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Tim Tebow, Josh Freeman, and Geno Smith being given the opportunities that they have been given so far. Vick is also the first ever QB to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.[/quote'] Josh Freeman doesn't belong in that group IMO.
June 24, 201412 yr Josh Freeman doesn't belong in that group IMO. Josh Freeman might struggle to outrun me.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.