Eagles Struggling to Utilize Michael Vick

Michael Vick's addition was supposed to add a dynamic dimension to an already stacked Philadelphia offense -- the Eagles experimented with the wildcat, with Vick and Donovan McNabb on the field together, with Vick playing wide receiver.

None of it has panned out yet. In Philadelphia's stunning 13-9 loss at Oakland last week, Vick was on the field for just two plays. So far this season, he's accounted for 1 yard passing and 13 yards rushing. So what's going on here? If Vick can't even get on the field when the Eagles are struggling to move the ball, then what's the point of having him around?

---

---

"We signed him as a backup quarterback," Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid said Monday. "We have gotten probably a little bit more out of him than I thought we would have out of our other backup quarterbacks."

That's easy enough to say, but hard to believe -- with all the attention that Vick's brought to Philadelphia with him, it's nearly unfathomable to think that the Eagles planned to just sit him behind McNabb all year. There are plenty of capable backups out there. Heck, Kevin Kolb played fine in place of McNabb earlier this season.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Friday that situations to use Vick extensively didn't present themselves against Oakland.

"Every game is a little different," Mornhinweg said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "[We] had Michael ready for certain situations. Those situations didn't come up. They do in most games."

I'll have to call shenanigans there -- Vick's heaviest action came in his Week 3 debut against Kansas City when he saw the field for 11 snaps (0-of-2 passing, one rush for seven yards).

"His presence is a threat," Mornhinweg added.

Maybe, but doesn't he need to be on the field for that threat to be worthwhile?

"The Michael Vick from two years ago was used to being a starter in this league and used to being in the limelight, being the guy who takes all the snaps," Vick said. "It's different, but I can adjust. I can adapt to any situation, and this was one of them."

McNabb, for the record, was 22-of-46 against Oakland, and the Eagles rushed for a whopping 67 yards. A situation to try Vick out at quarterback "didn't come up" during that mess?

Instead, it seems more likely that Philadelphia's banged-up offensive line and Vick's slow readjustment to the NFL are contributing to his lack of snaps here. McNabb doesn't want to see his snaps cut into, and the Eagles don't want to put a rusty and unsure Vick onto the field behind an offensive line that can't protect him.

All things considered, this once-exciting union has become pretty ho-hum. Vick's almost certainly not going to be back in Philadelphia next year, the Eagles won't be able to convince any team to break the bank in a trade for him, and barring a major injury to McNabb, his playing time will stay sparse.

For all the sound and fury surrounding Vick's return, he's bringing next to nothing to Philadelphia right now.