One of the hottest debates this offseason has been whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles will part ways with Michael Vick–who only appeared in 10 games last season while throwing 12 touchdowns and recording 15 turnovers. At first, all signs pointed to Nick Foles taking over the starting job and the team parting ways with Vick, but now that Chip Kelly is on board as head coach–it appears that’s far from the case.
Vick and the Eagles agreed to a one-year restructured deal on Monday to give the quarterback one final shot to prove himself as a starting quarterback–although the decision doesn’t guarantee him a spot on the roster heading into 2013. This decision really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the type of offense Kelly likes to run.
Kelly has always been the type of head coach who needs a running quarterback in order to have a successful offense and with limited options, he really had no other choice but to go with Vick for at least this season. Obviously, the Eagles won’t reach the playoffs in Kelly’s system using a quarterback like Foles or a rookie from this year’s draft class–so this move seems like the best option at this point.
If he can manage to stay healthy, there’s no reason why Vick shouldn’t be able to lead this team to the promised land, but it will also depend on how much protection he can receive from the offensive line. Either way, it should be interesting to see whether or not this move pays off for a team that finished with a 4-12 record during the 2012 season.
