Who's on the roster?
#11 Doug Johnson (6'2" 225, 4th yr., Florida)
#15 Kurt Kittner (6'2" 221, 2nd yr., Illinois)
#17 David Rivers (6'3" 220, 1st yr., Western Carolina)
#7 Mike Vick (6' 215, 3rd yr., Virginia Tech)
Projected starter: Vick
Top backup: Johnson
Newcomer: Rivers (free agent)
Youth has been the theme the past two seasons, but this position is as strong as it has ever been over possibly the past ten years, let alone five years.
Mike Vick silenced doubters such as me last season with his performance, showing that he was definitely ready for the NFL much quicker than many had predicted. Vick had an excellent season, and for much of it was easily in Top 5 consideration for League MVP, which is an amazing feat considering he was a second-year player in his first season as a starter.
Vick hopes to continue on the season he had in 2002 in 2003. He has been trying to improve on the passing aspect of his game which is still weak in comparison to his running ability. But considering there never has been such an athlete at the quarterback position, even if his passing abilities improved tenfold, they still may be inferior to his running ability.
Vick's footwork got sloppy at the end of the season and it was obvious he was running on fumes. Late in the season he suffered from a myriad of injuries, but was still able to play at a top level. If healthy for an entire season, he could be even better down the stretch. He's worked hard to get in better shape in order to prevent less wear on his body.
The areas that Vick will work most on in the summer are his footwork and his progressions. Those are the two areas that he needs to improve most. His touch was inconsistent last year, but that will improve as he gets more comfortable in the pocket and throws more passes. It's likely for practice and preseason Vick will be operating at 50% efficiency, in order to conserve him for the regular season. There is little need for him to tire prior to the season, so he will likely stay in the pocket this summer and only run as a last resort.
The backup position is the strongest it has ever been. For the first time, the Falcons have a backup quarterback that can win football games. Doug Johnson is 1-2 as a starter, but his record could be considered to be 2-2 since he bailed Vick out in the second half of a 2001 game vs. the Cowboys.
Johnson's arm is not as strong as Vick, and his mobility is only a fraction of Vick. It was Johnson's arm strength that impressed Dan Reeves when he was a rookie free agent in 2000 and at that point he appeared to be the starter of the future in Atlanta. But then the following spring Mike Vick was drafted #1, and that changed.
But over the past two years, Johnson has been developing well as a backup quarterback. He filled in for Vick vs. the Giants in 2002, and the Falcons won the game, which has been a rarity in Atlanta over the past six seasons.
But Johnson is at the point where he feels he could challenge for a starting spot on most NFL teams, and he may be correct. He is not an accomplished starter, but has the physical tools and as he's entering his fourth year in the league, he now has the experience to back it up. Johnson's contract is up after this season, and when he gets opportunities this summer and during the regular season, he will likely be trying to advertise himself to potential suitors in free agency.
Because of Johnson's looming contract status, it puts more emphasis that Kurt Kittner gets more reps this summer. Kittner did not play a whole lot last summer and did not take a single snap all season. He threw only 5 passes in preseason. Because the Falcons may need a backup that can quickly slide into Johnson's absence down the road, it will be important that Kittner gets as much work as possible. One solution to the problem is that Vick won't need as much work this summer as he got last year, and those extra minutes in the preseason and practice time can go to Kittner.
Kittner will have a challenger in David Rivers. Rivers has a much stronger arm than Kittner and has a real chance of unseating him. But it will depend on how healthy Rivers is. Rivers was playing in NFL Europe this spring but suffered an injury. If the injury limits him come training camp, there is little chance he will make the roster.
Also Rivers is really going to have to outperform Kittner in both drills and preseason games to make the roster. The coaching staff has seen much more of Kittner than Rivers, and if it comes down to it, the coaching staff will take Kittner because they are surer of what he can do than Rivers. So if Rivers wants a shot of making this roster, he is going to have put a lot of distance between himself and Kittner in terms of performance.
Even if Rivers does not beat out Kittner, he could stick on the practice squad. Because of the likelihood Johnson will depart after the season, the Falcons would love to have as many quarterbacks as possible to fall back on.
The good thing about this position is that the starting and backup positions are very secure. It will only be the No. 3 job that is up for grabs, and Kittner has a sizable lead on Rivers so far.
Salary Cap Sense
The cap should not be a factor in deciding who stays and who goes here since NFL teams try to keep the best 3 quarterbacks on the roster regardless of the salary cap. But if the team comes into a pinch, it would save $112,000 by keeping Rivers over Kittner.
Predictions