Frank: Vick not a special player right now

With each week that goes by, each interception he throws, each loss that mounts, the doubt creeps in just a little bit more.

With each comeback that falls short, each bewilderingly mediocre performance, each ugly loss in a season of ugly losses, the questions grow.

What happened to the guy from the first two months of last year? What happened to the guy who was playing at such an extraordinary level Andy Reid benched and ultimately traded Kevin Kolb? What happened to the 2010 NFL MVP runner-up?

What happened to Michael Vick?

Right now, hes just not a special player.

Vick has started 20 games as the Eagles quarterback.

In the first 10, the Eagles went 8-2, and Vick threw 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.

In the last 10, the Eagles have gone 3-7, and Vick has 13 TDs and 10 interceptions.

Three wins. Seven losses.

Three wins since that Giants comeback last December. One win in his last six home games. Interceptions in 12 of his last 14 games.

This isnt the same guy that electrified us last year, that made us think we were going to win every game we played, that made us dare to dream of the Super Bowl.

Vick isnt the same guy, and the Eagles dont seem to have any idea why.

Yes, there are still games that allow you to believe that Vick is as dangerous as any quarterback out there. His destruction of the Cowboys last weekend recalled his 2010 greatness and convinced all of us that things had turned around.

Then he regressed again Monday night. Made some good throws, made some bad throws, but ultimately, Vick was unable to put the team on his back and will them to a win against a team that was quite beatable.

Last three drives, with the game on the line, with the season on the line, the Eagles failed to score. And, no, its not all his fault. Clearly. Maybe its because of the contract, maybe not, but DeSean Jackson just doesnt look like the same electrifying down-the-field guy he used to be. Guys dropped a bunch of passes Monday night. The line could have done a better job keeping pass rushers away from him.

Still, the reason Vick gave us so much hope last year was that he was always able to rise above all the chaos going on around him. When the pass protection broke down, he danced around and found somebody open down the field. When everybody was covered, he galloped his way past the first-down marker. When teams blitzed him, he used it as an opportunity for a big play.

Vick has hardly been awful this year. But he hasnt been great. Not like last year.

Probably three outstanding games (49ers, Falcons, Cowboys), two mediocre games (Redskins, Rams) and three poor games (Bills, Giants, Bears). Not good enough.

After last year, after those first two months, thats just not what any of us expected. His passer rating a year ago was 100.2, second-best in franchise history, and there was no reason to doubt that with another year with these coaches, another year with these receivers, another year in this system, he would take his game to yet another level in 2011.

Instead, hes taken a step backwards. A fairly significant one.

Last year, Vick had the NFLs No. 4 passer rating, behind only Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers.

This year, Vick is No. 13, behind Cam Newton, Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford.

Vick isnt the only reason by a long shot the Eagles are 3-5 and seemingly on their way to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007. He cant play linebacker. He cant go out and cover. He cant catch the ball for his receivers.

And, honestly, when he runs out on the field to quarterback the Eagles, I still expect him to drive the offense down the field for seven points. Every time.

When the Eagles got the ball back with 3:58 left Monday night down six at their own 37-yard line, I still felt they were going to win the game.

And on 4th-and-10 from the Bears 39, I still expected a miracle. I keep believing Michael Vick is still Michael Vick.

But its just not happening, not like last year. Teams seem to know how to slow down Vick these days. And the sobering reality is the Eagles franchise is in the hands of a 31-year-old quarterback with an 11-8 record as an Eagle who hasnt won a playoff game in seven years and appears to be trending the wrong way.

Maybe this is all about to turn around. Maybe Vick can recapture whatever magic he had those first two months of last year, when he was simply unstoppable. Maybe the Eagles go 7-1 the rest of the way find their way to 10-6 and go on a crazy playoff run.

I just dont see it. A year ago, I couldnt imagine anybody stopping Vick. A month ago, I couldnt imagine him continuing to play such uneven, inconsistent football. Today? I see 3-5 and 16 interceptions in his last 14 games and a three-game deficit in the NFC East and I wonder:

Can Michael Vick take this team where it wants to go?

For the first time since he got here, I really wonder.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.