Can Michael Vick Really Run The West Coast Offense From The Pocket?

The Eagles chances this Sunday and in the near future of the Eagles, along with Michael Vick’s future in the NFL all revolve around one question.  Can Michael Vick consistently and properly run the west coast offense from the pocket?

Andy Reid says he couldn’t do it in 2005 when the Eagles kept him in the pocket and for the most part shut him down when the Birds played the Falcons in the 2005 NFC Championship game.  Reid believes through focused hard work over the past year, Vick has developed to the point where he can stand in the pocket and run the offense.

“We did corral him (talking about the NFC Championship game), so it’s important that he focuses in on being in that pocket and throwing the football, and he’s done that since he’s got here”, Reid told an auditorium full of media yesterday. “He’s really handled that very well. I feel very comfortable with him, if he doesn’t have to run, standing right there and playing the game.”

“I will tell you the system that we’re running here, he’s done very well at picking it up and he’s working very hard”, Reid explained. “Not only condition-wise, I think you saw that part on Sunday, but also just the fundamentals of playing the position. Getting back into the swing of building a nice, solid platform that he can throw from and be consistent with his throws and his reads and film study and all the things that are very important to playing the quarterback position in this system right here.”

Vick talked about how he has tried to develop his all-around quarterback skills, while focusing on the fundamentals.  “Well, since the day I got here I’ve been working as hard as I can and as diligently as I can to just try to get better”, Vick told a media throng at his locker. “You want to strive to be great and you want to be perfect. We all know that you can’t be perfect, but you can strive for perfection. That’s what we try to do as players and that’s the ultimate goal. You give yourself the best chance to perform on a consistent basis when you do that.”

Vick’s been working tirelessly on his footwork and throwing motion since he .  It’s starting to pay dividends.

“I think, as far as accuracy, I’ve gotten better in that department”, Vick said yesterday. “I still have a lot of work to do. I still have the tendency sometimes stand too tall in the pocket and not bend my knees when I throw. So, as a quarterback, you’re always a work in progress. There are always things you can get better on and you just have to have the attitude and the fortitude to want to get better.”

The Lions are probably going to run defenses which dare Vick to beat them from the pocket.  They’re not going to try to duplicate what happened to Green Bay in the second half of last week’s game.  Many times it forces team into a standard zone defense.

Blitzing, which is usually accompanied by man coverage and straight man-to-man defenses require the secondary to be focused on the man their covering, which prevents them from coming up and making plays on scrambling quarterbacks.  The secondary is focused on the quarterback in zone defenses.

That’s why most defensive coordinators play much more zone against guys like Vick.  Most of the time, they can’t force themselves to play man-to-man and run the risk of seeing a speedy quarterback getting outside contain and running down the sidelines with the football, while their secondary has their back turned in pass coverage and has no knowledge of what’s going on behind them

Still Vick will have to prove to everyone that he can consistently within a matter of a few seconds, recognize the pre-snap reads. Identify the coverage he’s facing.  Make adjustments in the blocking and the formation they’re in.  Then get the ball snapped, drop in the pocket, slide to avoid pressure, yet keep his head down field, while finding the open receiver and delivering him the football.

Reid and Vick says he’s developed to the point where he can now do all of that play after play, now we will all find out if they’re telling us the truth.

If you want to get up to the minute reports on how Vick is doing in practice today, tomorrow and each afternoon, find me on twitter at Garry Cobb and on Facebook at GCobb.com.