I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired of hearing the major media outlets refer to the Eagles as the "dream team" ever since Vince Young dubbed them that. Buying a lot of free agents does not make you a dream team, talent does, and taking advice from Vince Young would be a very good way to find yourself sad and homeless.
After PredictionMachine.com ran 50,000 simulations and determined the Chargers as the favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl (against the Packers), I decided a position-by-position comparison was in order. Which roster is better, the Eagles or the Chargers? Let's start where the play starts, with the QB.
Quarterback
Michael Vick and Vince Young vs. Philip Rivers and Billy Volek
Last season, Vick went 8-3 (played in 12 games) while throwing for 3,018 yards, 21 TDs and 6 INTs. He also ran for 676 yards and 9 more TDs, fumbling 11 times. That's roughly 3,700 yards, 30 TDs and 17 turnovers. Vince Young went 4-4 as a starter with the Titans and somehow managed just 3 INTs against 10 TDs despite being horribly inaccurate.
In 2011, Rivers threw for 4,710 yards, 30 TDs and 13 INTs (I blame the Special Teams for those, but it doesn't matter). He also ran like a duck for 52 yards and fumbled 7 times. That means he accounted for roughly 1,000 more yards and 3 more turnovers than Vick, and was sacked 4 more times despite playing in 5 more games.
Let's average out Vick's season for a side-by-side comparison.
| Pass Yds | Pass TD | INT | Rush Yds | Rush TD | Fumbles | Sacks | |
| Vick | 4,024 | 28 | 8 | 901 | 12 | 15 | 45 |
| Rivers | 4,710 | 30 | 13 | 52 | 0 | 7 | 38 |
Winner: Draw. The chart above tells us that over a full season, Vick scores more than Rivers but also turns the ball over more (and gets sacked more). When push comes to shove, I obviously would take Vick's statline over Philip's. That being said, durability has to account for something....right?