If you put aside the issues surrounding Michael Vick, the Eagles' acquisition fits right in with the team's successful history of picking up Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks. The Eagles have acquired--rather than drafted--most of the best quarterbacks in team history.
Six of the Eagles' top nine quarterbacks in completions and passing yardage joined the team after Pro Bowl seasons elsewhere--or would eventually become a Pro Bowler. That includes Ron Jaworski (an Eagle from 1977-86), Tommy Thompson (1941-50), and Norm Van Brocklin (1958-60), all of whom took the Eagles to the league championship game.
Other Pro Bowl pickups in the top nine include Norm Snead (1964-70) and Roman Gabriel (1973-77), both named Pro Bowlers prior to, and also with the Eagles. Bobby Thomason (1952-57) was a Pro Bowler only with the team. And Jim McMahon (1990-92), and Andy Reid pickups Jeff Garcia (2006) and now Vick aren't in the historical top nine, but were Pro Bowlers before the Eagles landed them.
All-time completions and passing yardage leader Donovan McNabb, No. 3 Randall Cunningham, and No. 6 Sonny Jurgensen are the only draftees in the top nine.
Where does Vick fit into that mix? At 29, he's the same age as Jaworski when he took the Eagles to the Super Bowl, and just a year older than McNabb during his Super Bowl season. However, at the same age Cunningham's best Eagle days were behind him.
Can Vick, in a new environment and with less physical wear and tear than other 29-year-olds, produce like Jaworski or McNabb? Maybe not, but for the Eagles, it's better for him to try it here than with any other NFC team.
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