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Comparing Tebow to Vick

I've heard several Tim Tebow enthusiasts compare their quarterback to Michael Vick. I'm here to say that's a pretty ridiculous comparison to make. The two did seem to run the ball themselves to set up the pass early in their careers, however, the efficiency at which they executed differed.

Now, it's difficult to give a 100% precise overview of the two quarterbacks, because in their first two years in the league, Tebow started 14 games, but played in 23, while Vick started in 17 and played in 23. Looking further down the line, Vick played in most every game for the Eagles 3 seasons ago, but didn't start at all. So, the numbers may be a bit skewed for the two players, but I'll do the best I can to present a reasonably accurate picture of how the two quarterbacks stack up against one another.

Record wise, the two were very similar in their first two years in the league. Tebow finished 9-7 (1-1 in the playoffs) and Vick went 9-7-1 (1-1 in the playoffs). Overall, Vick has 78 more starts than Tebow and 44 more wins.

When it comes to comparing these first 23 games played (14 and 17 starts, respectively), the numbers go as follows:

Tebow: 167-353 (47.3%) for 2,383 yards (6.8 p/att), 17 TDs, 9 INTs, between 103.6 and 170.2 ypg (136.9 avg, based on the fact he started 14, but played in 23), for a rating of 75.1. He also ran the ball 165 times for 887 yards (5.4 avg), between 38.6 and 63.4 ypg (51.0 avg) and 12 touchdowns.

Vick: 281-534 (52.6%) for 3,721 yards (7.0 p/att), 18 TDs, 11 INTs, between 161.8 and 218.9 ypg (190.4 avg), 80.3 rating, 144 carries for 1,066 yards (7.4 avg), between 46.3 and 62.7 ypg (54.5 avg) and 9 touchdowns.

Comparison: Pass completions - Vick +114, Pass attempts - Vick +181, Completion Percentage - Vick +5.3, Passing Yards - Vick +1,338, Yards Per Pass Attempt - Vick +0.2, Touchdown Passes - Vick +1, Interceptions - Tebow -2, Passing Yards Per Game - Vick +53.5, Quarterback Rating - Vick +5.2, Carries - Tebow +21, Rushing Yards - Vick +179, Yards Per Carry - Vick +2.0, Rushing Yards Per Game - Vick +3.5, Rushing Touchdowns - Tebow +3.

In their first two seasons, Vick has dominated Tebow in the following categories: Pass completions, pass attempts, completion percentage, passing yards, passing yards per game, quarterback rating, rushing yards and yards per carry. He also holds a slight edge in: Yards per pass attempt, touchdown passes and rushing yards per game. Tebow has 2 fewer interceptions, 3 more rushing touchdowns and he actually carried the ball 21 more times than Vick while producing 179 fewer yards.

Vick played like this for his 6 seasons in Atlanta, but has made significant progress in the passing game in his 3 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. If Tebow fans want to continue comparing their quarterback to Vick, he will need to make significant strides in the passing game.

With the Eagles, Vick has gone 15-9, completed 492 of 808 pass attempts (60.9%) for 6,407 yards (7.9 p/att), 40 TDs, 20 INTs, 173.2 ypg (around 250.0 ypg in his two years starting with the team) and a 92.1 quarterback rating, to go along with 200 carries for 1,360 yards (6.8 avg) and 12 touchdowns.

Tebow would need to up his completion percentage 13.6% to equal Vick's, his yards per pass attempt by 1.1, his quarterback rating by about 17 and his touchdown and passing yards quite significantly. Is it possible? Sure, I suppose, but not very likely. It's one thing to do what Vick did and improve his completion percentage by about 5 points. It's quite another to have to improve it by close to 15 points. So, for the time being, Tim Tebow is not where Michael Vick was at this point in his career and is nowhere near where Vick is currently.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/V/VickMi00.htm

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TeboTi00.htm

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