McNabb & Vick: Two Guys, Same Story

If you aren’t aware yet, this Sunday at 4:15 p.m. will see Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb step on the field in Philadelphia as a member of the visiting team. At the same, Michael Vick will be starting his third game for the Eagles after two years of prison and another of sitting the bench. The media knows that storylines like this don’t grow on trees. But though they’ll be tempted to juxtapose McNabb and Vick against each other, the truth is that, from a certain point of view, these two quarterbacks are really in the same situation.

Yes, I just channeled Obi-Wan Kenobi. But if you think about it, the differences between McNabb and Vick are mostly cosmetic. Take a look.

McNabb wore Eagles green and quarterbacked the team for eleven seasons before being traded to the Redskins on April 4th. In Philly, he was a Pro Bowl player and set numerous franchise records, including most passing yards and most touchdowns. He and his mom also had a pretty nice deal with Campbell’s Chunky soups. But now, he wears Washington’s hallowed burgundy and gold and I’m pretty sure it’s only a matter of time before we see him advertising for Eastern Motors. New uniform, new team. And now he finds himself in the unfamiliar position of competing against the Eagles. All of the conversation and gossip surrounding him regarding Sunday’s anticipated matchup ends with one question: How will he perform? The man hasn’t been anywhere near terrible for the ‘Skins this year (62/102 for 833 yards with 2 TD’s and an INT). Can he continue to play well under the pressure surrounding this Eagles-Redskins contest?

As for Vick, he started his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. While there, he was a Pro Bowl player who set numerous NFL records (most rushing yards in one game, most 100-yard rushing games, and most rushing yards in a single season to name a few) and had plenty of lucrative endorsement deals with companies such as Nike and EA Sports. But all of that changed when he pleaded guilty to charges of running a dog-fighting ring in 2007. After spending two years in prison, Vick was unexpectedly signed by the Eagles and spent 2009 as the team’s third-string quarterback. But Vick never really impressed in his limited playing time with the Eagles. That is, until Donovan McNabb was traded and heir apparent Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion against Green Bay earlier this month. In relief of Kolb, Vick posted the best stat line of his career: 37/58 for 459 yards with 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. That won him the permanent starting job and has also placed him in an unfamiliar position: the starting quarterback for a different franchise who is finally playing like a true pocket-passer and leading his team to wins. And just like McNabb, as Sunday’s ‘Skins-Eagles game approaches, the question surrounding Vick is the same as the one that hovers over his predecessor: how will he play? Can Vick keep playing like a legitimate starter or will he eventually fold under the pressure of seeing his NFL return come full circle?

McNabb and Vick are really just two guys who had it all, lost it, and then found it again in a different place. They each have a second chance for success. Granted, their success is defined by slightly different goals, but the similarity is still there. And that’s the storyline that I’m most excited to see play out this weekend: how these two quarterbacks will handle their new roles considering their similar circumstances surrounding Sunday’s game.