Michael Vick and Julio Jones would’ve made the Atlanta Falcons unstoppable

The Atlanta Falcons have a rather lethal combination at quarterback and receiver between Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Considering Julio is the best in the league, any above-average quarterback should have a good career targeting number 11.

But the greatest combo that could’ve been for the Atlanta Falcons, we’ll only get to fantasize about. Imagine what could’ve been accomplished if Michael Vick was the quarterback and had a weapon like Julio Jones.

Sure, Ryan and Jones have had some epic performances, namely dropping 500 passing yards and 300 receiving yards in the same game. Julio’s amazing catches along the sideline and just the freak athlete that he is.

But the pair has struggled in the red zone, and Julio is consistently in the bottom quartile when it comes to receiving touchdowns. Julio has 57 touchdown receptions in his career, Randy Moss passed that mark in four fewer years.

Yes, Moss was a freak and Jones lost a season but his skill is comparable and that lack of production falls on the quarterback and play calling. When the field shrinks, mobile quarterbacks are easier to defend against as Ryan isn’t a threat to run. Therefore, in the red zone, you can drop 7 into coverage.

Insert Michael Vick, the one we got to see or the Philadelphia Eagles version. He was a nightmare for defenses to scheme against, he also had a cannon and dart-like accuracy. You would not have been able to spy on Vick and double Julio. That team would’ve eaten defenses for breakfast.

Two guys, with freakish speed and athleticism, who each spent time in the debate of best in the game. Imagine the pocket breaking down, Vick scrambling and Julio getting one on one coverage against a defender. We saw it a few times with Ryan and Jones and the results are usually highlight-worthy.

While playcalling for Vick would have had to look a bit different, he would make up for a lot of deficits that we complain about with Dirk Koetter or some of the other stale play callers that have traversed through Atlanta.

Vick and Julio could’ve gone down as the NFL’s Shaq and Kobe, two stars who dominated you in any way and when you thought you stopped one, the other was just getting started.

It would’ve been more exciting than Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill, and the Falcons would’ve no doubt had multiple championships by now.

But we’ll keep dreaming and if we ever want to see this combination, pick up a copy of Madden.