Michael Vick could probably still do some special things if he were still playing in the NFL. These days, the former Falcons quarterback plays flag football and works as an analyst. He was supposed to serve as the Atlanta team’s offensive coordinator in the Alliance of American Football, but neither that arrangement nor the AAF in general worked out.
Getting back to the NFL, Vick has high hopes for the team that drafted him. In an interview with Jason Butt of The Athletic, Vick pinned Atlanta’s 2018 troubles on injuries and predicted a bounce-back season. He expects the Falcons to make a deep playoff run in 2019.
“Yeah, the Falcons were hit with the injury bug last year, unfortunately. … They missed out on a lot. But with Julio Jones and (Mohamed) Sanu back, they’re definitely going to make it to the playoffs. From there, it’s anybody’s game. … Again, they got the right people in upper management to make sure of that. You can expect to see the Falcons go deep in the playoffs again.”
Atlanta played in five playoff games combined in 2016 and 2017 but only finished 7-9 last season and missed out on the postseason.
Living up to Vick’s prediction will require a few things:
- Better luck with injuries
- Coach Dan Quinn managing the defense at a high level
- Dramatic pass rush improvement
- Offensive line upgrades working out
- A fluid transition to offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter
If the Falcons can check most of these boxes, they should have a good chance to win 10 games and earn a wild-card spot despite a brutal schedule.
