Should the Carolina Panthers Have Signed Michael Vick?

Back during the summer when everyone was discussing who might sign Michael Vick the Carolina Panthers were at the top of the list. Fans got excited, but ownership never showed any real interest.

Now, Michael Vick is with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Carolina Panthers are in complete disarray due to quarterback troubles.

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was awful last Sunday, just as awful as he was in the (awful) playoff lost to the Arizona Cardinals last season. Delhomme is a former Pro Bowl quarterback who took the Panther to a 12-4 record last year, but his previous two games have been difficult to watch, even if you aren't a Panthers fan.

Delhomme threw four interceptions and fumbled once against Philadelphia last Sunday, and was benched for the first time in his seven seasons with the Panthers. When you combine that with his embarrassing six turnovers in the playoffs against Arizona, Jake has accounted for a startling 11 turnovers in his last two games.

After the Panthers set him down against Philadelphia they inserted backup Josh McCown, who didn't look very good and was promptly lost to a season-ending injury. That meant emergency backup Matt Moore had to come in, and though he completed a few passes he also threw his own interception.

Earlier this week the Panthers picked up veteran backup quarterback A.J. Feeley, who is ironically the guy the Eagles dumped to make room on their roster for Michael Vick. Meanwhile Philadelphia activated Vick and he will be eligible to play in week 3. Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb is questionable right now due to the injury he sustained in the game during a touchdown run.

So, the question becomes should the Panthers have signed Michael Vick? The answer is no. But that's only part of the answer.

The complete answer is that they should have signed somebody. McCown and now Feeley are career backups who can't be expected to come in and lead a team. Moore is untested. He started three games year before last and was respectable going 2-1 long after the Panthers' playoff hopes had vanished, but he apparently hasn't done enough in spot appearances and practice to even warrant the Panthers making him the number two quarterback, much less the face of the franchise.

Michael Vick is a scrambling, run-and-gun quarterback who would not have fit the Panthers run-first, play-action scheme well. The Panthers have two good receivers but neither are great innovators. The wonderful Steve Smith is best when he beats guys on his routes headed toward the end zone, and is not a big fan of running back toward a scrambling quarterback. Mushin Muhammad is a great route runner, but not very good of adapting to a busted play. The Panthers really need a pocket quarterback with the style of offense they run, which Michael Vick is not.

However, Carolina certainly should have brought in some decent competition for Jake. Instead they rewarded him with a new contract extension and a lot of guaranteed money, because everyone knows Coach John Fox doesn't value the quarterback position as much as...well, as much as anyone else in the NFL. That philosophy killed the Panthers in the playoffs and is threatening to make them a joke this year.

Adding to the trouble is the fact that the Panthers don't have a number one pick next year to pick up a franchise-quarterback. They traded their number one for a defensive end while Julius Peppers was holding out, before he decided to come back and play for over $1 million a game. So, the "answer" for the Panthers is not on the roster now, and probably won't be available in the draft.

Should the Panthers have signed Vick? No. But instead of Michael Vick they ought to have at least one quarterback on the roster they can turn to for help besides Jake Delhomme.

Unfortunately, Michael Vick isn't in Carolina and neither is anyone else who looks like a savior at quarterback for the Panthers.