Michael Vick says Jets could have won more with him at QB

Lorenzo Reyes, USA Today:

Watching Michael Vick shred an NFL defense at 34 years old prompts a question impossible to ignore.

What if?

What if the New York Jets had tabbed Vick to be their starting quarterback from Day 1, instead of handing the job to Geno Smith in a half-hearted competition? Would the franchise have won more games?

One player thinks so.

The plan was for 23 year old Geno Smith to be the starter,and 34 year old Michael Vick to mentor. Michael had been a starter on the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brian Costello, New York Post:

Geno Smith is not just going up against the 2014 version of Vick, but the legend of Vick. It is impossible to watch Vick and not recall the crazy things he could do on a football field when he was at his best.
The job is Smith’s. The Jets may not want to admit that, but their actions make it clear.

The August 5th article made no mention of Michael Vick wanting to be the starter. According to Brian Costello, "Vick has been a good teammate since joining the Jets. He has not made any noise about being relegated to the bench."

The reason head coach, Rex Ryan did not turn to Michael Vick was because the 34 year old mailed it in. He didn't give the "lame duck" coach any justification for making a change, sooner. Vick was happy filling in for the ineffective starter when necessary, but riding the bench with the ballcap and clipboard is a pretty safe haven.

The 1992 San Francisco 49ers had a QB controversy. The backup, Steve Young had forced the hand of the organization to make a decision for the starting QB position. A future Hall of Famer, QB Joe Montana was returning from injury. There is precedence for the understudy to send the starter packing his bags. Joe Montana finished his career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

I believe it is disingenuous for Michael Vick to claim that the Jets would have better off with him as the starter. If there was ever a time that an NFL starting QB position was wide open, it would have been the 2014 New York Jets. The head coach, Rex Ryan was in the last year of his contract. The last thing Rex needed was a dreaded QB controversy.

The banners and buzzards are circling MetLife Stadium because Michael Vick didn't "fight like Steve Young."


This famous Jets QB can tell you that "the smile will return when you win." It does require commitment, however.

Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.

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