SAN DIEGO -- Michael Vick is no longer the same electric playmaker who entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall selection of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 draft, regularly shifting to an extra gear to blow by a defender and erase the pursuit angle.
But the 35-year-old quarterback still possesses a live arm, with the ability to move outside the pocket and the experience to make defenses pay if they are not prepared to face a quarterback who can move.
“There’s times and places where he wants to run,” said Chargers coach Mike McCoy, who faced Vick twice a year as an offensive assistant in the NFC South coaching with the Carolina Panthers. “But I think as a quarterback in this league, you have to go through a progression with certain things. And when you have the athletic ability that he does, and the talent that he does to make plays with his feet, when the opportunity presents itself he makes plays.”
McCoy faces Vick for the third time since taking over the Chargers in 2013. Vick replaced Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who will miss four to six weeks with a sprained MCL and bone bruise in his left knee.
Vick threw for 428 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-30 loss to the Chargers while serving as the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 9, 2013. But Vick replaced an ineffective Geno Smith, throwing for just 47 yards in a 31-0 blowout victory for San Diego in Qualcomm Stadium on Oct. 5 of last year.
Chargers cornerback Patrick Robinson has had some success against Vick. One of his nine career picks includes a 99-yard interception return for a score against the Vick-led Philadelphia Eagles in 2012.
“He still has a lot of juice left,” Robinson said. “His arm has never left. He’s one of those guys who can fling it 70 yards on a dime. With a guy like that, you’ve got to stay live.”
Robinson said it will be important for San Diego’s pass-rushers to stay in their rush lanes and try to make Vick a pocket passer.
Vick was a late addition to the Steelers, signing a one-year deal with the team on Aug. 25, and is still getting acclimated to offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s scheme. He threw for 126 yards and a touchdown in his first start, a 23-20 overtime loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens.
Vick had a short week to prepare for the Thursday night contest, but now benefits from an 11-day stretch to get ready for his second start against the Chargers on Monday Night Football.
“Having a week to practice is big,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “Last week on the short week on Thursday night ball, that usually changes your plan on how you practice. We did a lot of walk-throughs and things of that nature, not a lot of physical reps in preparation.
“So hopefully he takes advantage of the allotted time this week, and really gets a better sense of timing with the receivers and understanding what it is we need to do.”
One thing Vick has is a lot of playmakers at his disposal, including one of the best running backs in the NFL in Le’Veon Bell and one of the best receivers in the league in Antonio Brown.
“Until a guy is fully comfortable, you always want to try and be his comfort zone in the offense,” Bell said. “I always just before every play let Vick know where I’m going to be just in case he gets in trouble and he can just dump it off to me.
“Or even just running the ball and making the passing game a lot easier for him. We’ve got a nice game plan, we’re going to use it and let Vick get comfortable.”