Earlier this week, I noticed an intriguing item from Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. And then I forgot to write a blurb about it.
But it’s the weekend and things have slowed down a bit and I’m sitting here watching the Penguins-Islanders game so why not write it now?
McManus points out that Eagles coach Chip Kelly wants his quarterback to get rid of the ball fast. And Vick doesn’t.
“We want the ball out of the quarterback’s hands in 1.5 seconds,” Kelly said while at Oregon. “That does not mean holding the ball until 2.5, waiting for someone to get open.”
Last year, Vick held the ball, on average, 3.07 seconds. Or more than twice the amount Kelly wants his quarterbacks to hold the ball.
So Vick will need to improve his release time. Kelly apparently thinks he can.
“I think there is a lot more to Michael,” Kelly said in February, via McManus. “I think quarterbacks are a byproduct of their experience. But to sit here and say I understood the system that Michael’s been in whether he’s with the Falcons under Coach [Dan] Reeves or here, that depends on the system that you run. Some of the systems that they run they don’t ask him to get the ball out quick. Do I think he can get the ball out quick? I think he’s got an unbelievable release. It’s up and out and it’s quick.”
That’s what needs to happen, or Vick may not be the starting quarterback for very long. Or at all.