In a heavily-publicized move, the Eagles signed "quarterback" Michael Vick to a two-year contract just a couple of weeks ago. Now they're dealing with the ripples that the move has caused in the hopes that the on-field production outweighs the headache they're enduring at the moment.
The idea is that Vick will be a utility, or gadget type of player. He might line up anywhere on the field including quarterback, wide receiver, or running back. The plan is that his presence alone will cause a panic and confusion for the defense, allowing the Eagles' offense to take advantage of said confusion and create a big play.
However, is it possible that there was a better option available? Namely, Matt Jones.
From the football side of things, Jones was actually progressing quite well in Jacksonville before his most recent run-in with the law for possession of cocaine. He was a gadget guy coming out of college, and was eventually stuck in as a wide receiver though there was talk of him playing tight and end and, his college position, quarterback.
He's not the athlete that Vick is, but then again that could be said of any player. However, Jones is also more versatile than Vick. While Vick probably has the athleticism to play running back, or even line up at wide receiver, Jones has shown that he can catch and is a viable option at wide receiver, and is probably big enough to play tight end at 6'6" and 242 pounds.
While Jones has not played tight end in the NFL, he would certainly be better than the Eagles' options behind Brent Celek (Eugene Bright, Rob Myers, and Matt Schobel). On top of that, he's a great redzone target and could operate the wildcat just as well as Vick with his prior experience playing quarterback, which as I said is in fact his natural position.
As a quarterback, Jones may even stack up with Vick. Jones wasn't a terrific quarterback in terms of his mechanics and when it came down to the little details, but he had a fairly strong arm and could get the job done. Vick's troubles as a quarterback are well-documented, and it's unclear if he'll ever be able to really get all of the nuances of being an NFL quarterback.
