Michael Vick is too valuable to run Chip Kelly’s offense

As exciting as Chip Kelly’s offense in Philadelphia may be, it may already be on its way out. The reason? Michael Vick, the player the offense absolutely cannot function without, is taking way too many hits already, and it seems unlikely he’ll last an entire season.

“We saw Vick limping around. Vick's not gonna last,” former general manager Charley Casserly said Tuesday on NFL Network. “He's running the ball in this offense, he's not just handing it off.”

The problem will arise when Vick is unable to play due to an on-field hit. Although Nick Foles is an able backup, losing Vick would completely change the Eagles’ offense, and in all reality, they would have to adapt their attack to a quarterback more suited for a traditional offense.

The only way Kelly’s offense could work for an extended period of time would exist if the Eagles employed only mobile quarterbacks. If that were the case, the Eagles could maintain the “next man up” mantra, but that’s not the case.

The best way for the Eagles to move forward is a pretty straight forward idea. Michael Vick can’t run the ball as often as he did against the Redskins. He has to get rid of the ball more often before taking a shot.

Michael Vick is a solid quarterback, even with a more traditional offense, Vick can threaten a defense with his legs as well as his arm. Unlike Kelly’s offense, a more traditional offense will usually offer Vick some level of protection.

The Eagles will win a lot of games so long as Michael Vick stays healthy. When things go downhill, and that seems likely at this point, the Eagles may have a rough go of it. Winning games in the NFL is all about adapting quickly. Chip Kelly needs to realize that without a change in strategy, he may need to be adjusting is entire offense. Michael Vick can only take so many hits, and at this rate, Charley Casserly is right, Vick won’t last the whole season.

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

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