"This season a tryout for Vick"- Adam Schein; Petrino told him Schaub won't be traded

[Shiver]

Soon after Bobby Petrino was hired by the Atlanta Falcons, he told me there was no way the club was going to let Matt Schaub, the back-up quarterback who is currently a restricted free agent, leave the Falcons.

And we are about two full weeks into free agency, and Schaub, who in my opinion could be a top 16 quarterback if given a starting job, hasn't been offered a contract elsewhere.

The reason?

Everyone in the league knows Petrino, Rich McKay, and Arthur Blank are serious about keeping Schaub.

But here's the deeper issue -- 2007 is a tryout for Mike Vick.

This season will determine whether or not he remains a Falcon for the rest of his career, and whether or not Schaub, who will be an unrestricted free agent next off-season, becomes the man in Atlanta.

Vick is being given the authority to change the plays at the line of scrimmage for the first time in his career. He will be supremely coached up by the offensive genius that is Petrino, whose offense, at both Jacksonville as the offensive coordinator and when he was guiding Louisville, was explosive. Hugh Jackson is a great coach and a master motivator and should serve Vick well as offensive coordinator.

Brian Finneran will be healthy this year. Joe Horn was signed. Alge Crumpler is one of the best receiving tight ends in the business. Michael Jenkins and Roddy White are former first-rounders.

It's time for Vick to elevate his game before the club loses Schaub for nothing.

Can Vick do it? We know he has immense talent, but the passing attack has never been consistent. And his leadership is questionable, ranging from flipping off the Falcon fans to calling out his teammates in public.

In talking to Jenkins on Monday, the receiver told us why it is so tough for a wide out to play with Vick.

Jenkins said, "It's really just the unknown. Sometimes you get out of a route and he's off scrambling and already five or 10 yards down the field and you have to turn and block. Other times, he scrambles and he throws a 60 yard bomb off his back foot. It's about being aware and truly being ready for every possible situation. You want to get it where it is like clockwork. You want to get it to where he can close his eyes and throw it to a spot and you'll be there and the ball will be there, too. And we are not there yet. I'm hoping that with Coach Petrino and Coach Jackson and Paul Petrino we can get there for this season with hard work."

And yes, Vick needs help.

Jenkins and White haven't lived up to their draft selections, with way too many inferior games. But Jenkins does make a fair point about what he and White have to deal with.

But what really rings true is Jenkins, going into his fourth year, discussing how he hasn't established any chemistry with the quarterback.

That's a major problem.

And later in our conversation, Jenkins said that he knows that when given a chance, Schaub can be a great quarterback.

We will find out in less than 365 days. Actually, it will be around Jan. 1, 2008. We'll learn, based on Vick's on field play, his grasp of the Petrino offense, and his leadership, if Schaub will reach that potential in Atlanta or on another club.

There are those who say parting ways with Vick would be a public relations nightmare in Atlanta.

Count me among those who would say it would be worse to let the perfect fit for the Petrino offense, in the person of Matt Schaub, get away.

Fox Sports Link (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6572370)

Adam Schein is a good writer, I trust that if he said it, Petrino really did tell him such. My hypothesis that the QB position may be more open than they admit, may be true. If so I will say it again; let the best man win. If Michael Vick steps up his game, becomes the great Quarterback he should be, that's the best case scenario.

[JDB7821]

That's really interesting. I would hate to not trade Schaub and fill holes this season, but at the same time I would hate to let Schaub go on to become Favre and Vick not click in this offense either. I guess that's why McKay gets paid the big money to make that decision.

[Shiver]

It's a tough decision. The whole future of the franchise depends upon it. If Vick cannot become great, like he's expected to be, paid to be, doesn't lead the team to the post-season, and the team traded Schaub, that sets the whole team back 2-3 years.

[D-Rod]

problem is, it won't be much of a tryout unless the Oline learns to pass block. the story focuses on the WRs, but IMO they are less than half the problem.

Also, why would Petrino say, "oh yeah, we want to trade Schaub, you don't need to make a big offer, don't worry"? He amy have said that to Shein, but it isn;t necessarily true. We'll just have to wait and see...

[ATLDirtyBirds]

**** this ****.

Shaub is a nothing special type of player. It pisses me off on how ******* overrated he is.

[Shiver]

problem is, it won't be much of a tryout unless the Oline learns to pass block. the story focuses on the WRs, but IMO they are less than half the problem.

Also, why would Petrino say, "oh yeah, we want to trade Schaub, you don't need to make a big offer, don't worry"? He amy have said that to Shein, but it isn;t necessarily true. We'll just have to wait and see...

Still, Vic Carruci, Pat Kirwan, Adam Schein, good respectable writers, all have said they don't expect the Falcons to trade Schaub. They would rather take the hit, by not having picks for him this year, than guess wrong at the QB position and put all the proverbial eggs in one basket. I think at the least we need to assume that Schaub won't be traded, until proven otherwise.

In my opinion; Michael Vick has a lot to prove before the organization can trust him to be the Quarterback that the they need him to be. Keeping Schaub, at expense of a draft pick, pales in comparison to the loss if Vick were to fail next year. It's a necessary insurance policy. Otherwise, if Schaub is traded and Vick fails, the team is screwed.

[bigfanga]

you've also got to remember that during the coaching search the Falcons' PR department at the AJC was reporting that Blank had let it be known that he was not wedded to having Vick as the QB. Those stories dried up as soon as Petrino was hired.

I'm not enamored of Schaub, I guess I see too much Doug Johnson there, but I am even less impressed with Vick. Vick's contract precludes him going anywhere else soon so I was resigned to trading Schaub while we could still get something for him. My suspicious nature tells me the team is going to end up with the worst possible result in this situation, i.e. stuck with Vick and getting nothing for Schaub.

This is why I am so horny for building the defense and the o-line, which will minimize the importance of the QB in the overall gameplan, at least until a better one can be found.


P.S. Also, there's also the unknown factor of how good Petrino will be as a pro coach.

[BlindSite]

I wouldn't worry about it, if vick pikes and schaub leaves there's always brohm.

[ATLDirtyBirds]

I wouldn't worry about it, if vick pikes and schaub leaves there's always brohm.


Pretty much.

[bigfanga]

I'm thinking more like Chad Henne.

[d34ng3l021]

I dont like this move too much. The only thing we have with Schaub staying with us is extra competition with Vick, which would push him to play better...He hasnt had any competition and has gotten better so I dont see why we keep Schaub, and lose him next year...He will be one of those overpaid FAs. I garuntee it.

We need to trade Schaub to address other issues.

[Shiver]

The rewards for trading Schaub, don't out-weigh the risks. With that in mind; I agree with the organization's decision. If Schaub is on the Falcons roster, after the draft, that says a lot about how the organization feels about Michael Vick.

[Mr. Myogi]

Can anybody tell me when Petrino became the GM?

Unrestricted Free Agents are just that, free agents..........Why would the Falcons risk getting nothing for Schaub next year, being that all that garunteed money will still be tied up on VICK? .......... How could they possibly give him a starter's salary? ...........I thought that this article was outdated the minute I read about it..........Those were the rumors days after he was hired, but were totally crushed by Mckay.........they are listening to offers.

[burdman]

ha ha. you guys look like real dummies right now. Vick aint going nowhere.

[iloxygenil]

We all knew Schaub was going somewhere...ever heard of a smokescreen? We upped his value the way we handled the situation...you look like a real dummy if you thought Vick wasn't going to be the starting QB of this franchise.

[Shiver]

Adam Schein took a lot of heat on the radio for that article, for writing an article that 'Schaub won't be traded,' one week prior to Schaub actually being traded. That must be embarrassing. I admit, I bought into it a little bit.

[d34ng3l021]

I was unfazed.

[iloxygenil]

I knew he was a goner. The thing is, this guy doesn't have too much credibility as a Falcons writer, he hasn't gotten too much right.

[ATLDirtyBirds]

I was not concerned very much either. I mean when writers say something as big as this, you don't give out the direct source you get it from. When you use their name in the paper and show the other teams all of the cards, chances are, you won't be getting info from them anymore.

[Shiver]

If it was just Adam Schein, then yeah, I wouldn't have believed it. That said; it seemed every reporter was saying similar things. Across the board, ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS, NFL Network, etcetera. In this instance, they were all wrong.