Pittsburgh Steelers: Expectations for Michael Vick

Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was recently placed on the injured reserve list after suffering a finger injury during a preseason game against Green Bay. To help fill their new hole at quarterback, the Pittsburgh Steelers have turned to controversial veteran Michael Vick. As Vick now heads to the Steel City on a one-year deal, what are the expectations for the 35 year-old former Pro Bowler?

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I think it’s fairly safe to say that the expectations are pretty low for Vick at this stage in his career. The former number one overall pick generated virtually no interest on the free agent market after his forgettable 2014 season with the New York Jets. To put Vick’s struggles last year in prospective, he compiled a dismal 68.3 quarterback rating and was unable to wrestle the starting job away from the walking atrocity that is Geno Smith.

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With the regular season just weeks away and the free agent market all but dried up, I think the Steelers simply had no other viable quarterback options to consider. Had Pittsburgh wanted to acquire a better player than Vick, it would have most certainly cost them a draft pick or two. Obviously, this would not have been a worthwhile investment considering that starting signal caller Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a career year.

Barring a catastrophic injury, nobody in their right mind expects Vick to become Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. That being said, can Vick challenge third-year man Landry Jones as the Steelers’ second string quarterback?

Jun 17, 2014; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick talks to media during minicamp at Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

I believe the answer to this question has yet to be determined. It doesn’t look like Vick has much to offer if we go by what we saw of him last season. However, it would be hard for any veteran to play well on the train wreck of a team that Vick was a part of last year. Keep in mind that the New York Jets were already 1-7 before Vick made his first start of the 2014 season.

As far as Jones is concerned, the former Oklahoma Sooners’ standout has never thrown an NFL pass in the regular season and has been inconsistent this preseason. Jones has completed just 39 of 78 attempts and has thrown an interception in two preseason games thus far.

If we look at the politics behind Pittsburgh’s backup signal caller position, the edge obviously goes to Jones. After all, Jones was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2013 draft and is nine years Vick’s junior. While Pittsburgh has more of a vested interest in the development of Jones, Vick may actually be a better fit for the Steelers’ offense provided that Vick has anything left in the tank.

Throughout their respective careers, both Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger have been known to create big plays with the use of improvisation. While Roethlisberger’s brute strength and courageous attitude allows him to shake off would-be tacklers and keep plays alive, Vick’s elite speed and agility has given opposing defenses fits.

Oct 5, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick (1) stiff arms San Diego Chargers strong safety Marcus Gilchrist (38) during the fourth quarter before throwing the ball away and being called for intentional grounding at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Vick’s improvisational style of play mirrors Roethlisberger more closely than Jones. In addition, Vick now has much more offensive talent to work with than he did last season which can only help his cause. Granted, Vick no longer possesses the electrifying skill set that he did circa 2005, so his old improvisational tricks may no longer work at the NFL level.

Taking all factors into consideration, I think Jones has the edge right now over Vick. However, I can easily envision a scenario in which Jones plays himself out of the primary backup role. If Jones fails to take charge and Vick turns back the clock with some exciting plays in the preseason, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin may choose Vick as the primary backup. Of course, if Big Ben plays all 16 games this year as he did the last two years, then Pittsburgh’s backup quarterback situation will be a moot point.

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