In order to win in the NFL, you better get quality play at the quarterback position.
Just ask fledgling organizations like the Lions, Jets and Browns how it’s impacted their franchises for years.
Conversely, teams like New England, Denver and Green Bay are perennial contenders and Super Bowl favorites in 2015 thanks to being set at quarterback.
Then there’s the Pittsburgh Steelers, who came into the season with some question marks, but had that franchise quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger capable of making up for many flaws with the ability to take over games with his arm. It was a luxury that had many pundits predicting the Steelers would be the favorite to win the AFC North and possibly even win their seventh Super Bowl title.
Yet in an instant, during a Week 3 contest in St. Louis, that luxury was no longer there to lean on.
Suddenly, the onus was on the recently signed Michael Vick to step in and give the Steelers the quality play necessary to win games in the NFL for the next four to six weeks.
In Vick’s first start, a heartbreaking 23-20 overtime loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens, much of the blame was placed squarely on the shoulders of the Steelers now ex-placekicker, Josh Scobee. Fair enough, he did miss two makeable kicks that would have sealed a win that would have helped the Steelers keep pace with the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals.
However, Vick’s 126-yard passing performance against one of the worst pass defenses in the league did not exactly help the cause.
To be fair, Vick faced the daunting task of making his first start with the Steelers with essentially one day of practice. Not easy for any player, and it’s a reason to give Vick a pass.
Also to Vick’s credit, he did not use that as an excuse and made it clear after the loss that expectations for his play are much higher and needed if the Steelers are going to get a win tonight against the San Diego Chargers and their own franchise QB, Philip Rivers.
“There’s a lot of work I’ve got to do to try to make this offense go,” Vick said. “I know I can’t do it like Ben does it, but we can find a way. I know I can do it.”
No one can expect Vick to be Roethlisberger, but after watching 36-year-old journeyman quarterback Josh McCown throw for 457 yards against the Ravens a week later, it might be time to expect Vick to be able to get more done through the air.
It would be a lot to ask for Vick to match the play of Rivers, who leads the league in passing yards, but with the Chargers almost certain to sell out against the run in an attempt to limit Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams, opportunities to do damage through the air will be there for Vick tonight.
Now with extra practice time to prepare for the Chargers, it’s time for Vick to provide the kind of quality play that might not remind anyone of the Steelers franchise QB, but can get the team a win it desperately needs.
