My, How the Mighty Have Fallen
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by Nejoshi
Remember when Daunte Culpepper and Michael Vick were ready to redefine the quarterback position for years to come? Well, if you don’t let’s flash back to the seasons when these two talented quarterbacks made their first splash in the National Football League.
During the 2004 campaign, Culpepper had one of the best seasons a quarterback ever had when he threw 39 touchdowns and threw for over 4500 yards on his way to a 2nd place finish in the NFL MVP voting. Culpepper, a mammoth figure at 6’4” and 260, was just as difficult to stop with his legs as his arm. His presence as a dual-threat made him a certain lock to become the generation’s Randall Cunningham, only with a stronger arm and more bruising presence. With the titanic Randy Moss in the middle of his prime, it looked their partnership would lead the Vikings to the top of the NFC for years to come.
Only one other quarterback could even approach Culpepper’s potential as a dual threat, and that man was Vick, who had been a can’t miss talent ever since his days in college. Although not as talented as Culpepper as a passer, Mike more than made up for it with his blistering speed and his ability to avert pass rushers with ease.
Entering the 2003 season, Michael Vick was on everyone’s hot list. Following a successful rookie season in 2001, the Falcons continued to make tremendous strides in second season. He had just finished his first playoff appearance in style, becoming the first quarterback to ever win a road playoff game at Lambeau Field. That historic playoff triumph only told half the story as Vick began to set the standard as a pseudo running back that also happened to take the snap from center.
In a game against Culpepper’s Vikings during the 2002 season, the Virginia Tech star set an NFL record when he rushed for 177 yards from the quarterback position. As if that wasn’t enough, the strong-armed lefty put the exclamation point on his career performance by running for a 46-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime, setting another record for the longest TD run by a quarterback in overtime.
Now let’s fast forward to July 2007 when the harsh reality of the fragile nature of stardom came crashing down for both snap callers.
Amid a series of underachieving seasons when he started to look more like a punching bag than an NFL star, Culpepper was unceremoniously let go by the Miami Dolphins early Tuesday morning. His release came only a year after fans in Miami were thinking about a deep playoff run following his addition last offseason.
That optimism quickly turned into despair when Culpepper looked as mobile as a snail during the early part of the season. His skills as a strong-armed quarterback also looked quite diminished as well, and by Week 5, the Dolphins signal caller was on the bench for good.
While things haven’t been as disastrous on the field for Vick, (or wait, maybe it has?) it’s been an off-season from hell off of it. Considered to be the mastermind to an illegal dog-fighting ring, the feds finally indicted Vick on this long-standing charge, only adding to the headaches the Falcons have experienced from their underachieving QB on the field.
Atlanta has been in disarray ever since Vick’s memorable 2002 season, and no relief looks to be in sight. The Falcons let undervalued QB Matt Schaub move on to the Texans, thereby letting their security blanket at the position walk away for almost nothing. Schuab may only have a handful of starts under his belt – one to be exact – but his skills as a pocket passer are unquestioned and will be missed in Falcon land this season.
The future looks increasingly bleak for these former superstars as one battles the law and the other fights with unemployment. Someone will take a gamble with Culpepper, but it’s not likely to see the type of offensive brilliance that was seen three short years ago. Meanwhile, Vick’s indictment coupled with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s no nonsense policies spell trouble for the beleaguered Falcons. Joey Harrington anyone?
