Every time Michael Vick sees the backs of the defensive backs and linebackers, he knows they’re in man-to-man coverage and it’s a good time to take off. Regardless of the situation and his injury history, Vick can’t resist the urge and the challenge. He’ll tuck the ball under his arm in an instant.
He went out of bounds a time or two and even got down on the ground once, but Michael Vick isn’t ever going to slide like many of the other quarterbacks in the league.
I’m still not convinced that Vick is going to stay healthy with the attitude he has. I’ve talked to him numerous times and this dude is as confident as any player, you’ll ever talk to but he’s not going to go out of his way to protect himself.
“I play this game the way I play it and I’m not going to change”, Vick said boldly yesterday. “I think I did a good job protecting myself at times and I think at times when I knew the hit wasn’t going to be as devastating I was able to protect myself. I’m not going to play this game scared or hesitant or conservative.”
I admire his courage and his boldness, but if Vick can’t stay healthy, then you can’t build this football team around him. I remember Buddy Ryan used to say, “Many times availability is more important than ability”. You’ve got to be able to keep your number one quarterback healthy and on the field.
Vick talked about what hypnotizes him, “You have that end zone in front of you and that’s all you’re thinking about. That’s what drives me. When I see that end zone, it’s like the lights just turn on and I don’t care what happens. I’m willing to go the extra mile to put six points on the board.”
He caught himself in mid-sentence because the thought of that end zone was hypnotizing him again and he’s had Andy Reid, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy in his ear constantly about how important it is that he stay healthy.
“On the flip side, I have to think about the guys that I hang out on the limbs, my teammates who want me to be out there and are confident in both myself and Kevin, but at the same time they care about our health as well”, Vick said. “So I try to take that into consideration and it’s hard, but like I said, I‘m not going to play my game thinking about getting hurt.”
Asante Samuel’s two interceptions
For instance, in this upcoming Redskins game, can Michael Vick resist the urge to head for paydirt. The Redskins are going to play that same deep zone which they played against them in the first game. When they’re sitting in that zone, they’ll each get a good view of Vick when he takes off.
You remember how London Fletcher knocked DeSean out of the game last year and LaRon Landry knocked Vick out of the game this season. Can he play smart? Will he get on the ground or get out of bounds?
Can you imagine him running against the New York Giants and that ferocious defense that has been knocking quarterbacks out of games all year long? I don’t like the thought of it.
Even those sorry Cowboys have players that would like to end our season by knocking Vick out of the game.
Will Vick protect himself or take every battle as a challenge to his courage? I don’t think he can resist.
He definitely took some unnecessary hits yesterday when he could have clearly ran out of bounds, but this is the way he plays.. It’s hard to change what he’s done his entire life when he’s been very successful at it.. It will proably take a big hit or 2 from someone before he changes his style…
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it..
Lost in all the hoopla is Reid’s play-calling. Yesterday, he called 39 passes and 21 runs for a 65% passing rate.
During the 3rd quarter, despite mounting pressure from the Colts’ defense, Reid repeatedly called 5 and 7-step drops. All the things Reid previously had done to slow down Atlanta’s pass rush, he totally ignored in this game. Against the Falcons, he passed the ball only 48% of the time.
Against the Titans, however, Reid suddenly changed his play-calling. In the 2nd half of the Titans’ loss, Reid passed 75% of the time (despite holding a 9 point lead). That shift in strategy set the stage for the Titan’s comeback. Much like yesterday’s game, our offense began to go 3-and-out and 4-and-out.
Back to yesterday’s game. Although Vick didn’t have time to even set-up, Reid called no screens, no draws, and no reverses. These are the plays he used to keep John Abraham and the Falcons’ defense off-balanced. Reid finally called a screen in the 4th quarter on 1st and 26. Of course, it went nowhere.
Because the defense was teeing off on Vick, he had to abandon the pocket and run for his life. Fortunately, his 32-yard scamper sparked our offense, which had completely bogged down up to that point.
If Reid continues to call plays with such predictability, I don’t’ see how Vick (or any other QB) can survive. By the time we play the Giants, I hope Reid discovers the problem with theses tendencies.
no reverses?? we ran i think 4 or 5 reverses yesterday. what is your point?
The Pressure from the Colts was coming right up the gut during that 3rd Period as RG N Cole & C McGlynn were having a real hard time staying in front of (#95 F Moala) who was in the backfield on almopst every pass attemtp. They probably should have called more roll-outs, screens during that time..
RG Position does need to be addressed for N Cole has very little lateral movement and I am not sure if his Knee is still botering him or that he’s just too out of shape, but he will Vick killed back there trying top pass protect upcoming teams (Redksins,Giants,Bears,Cowboys)
If MJG is out for next (which I expect), then they better get Wells up to speed for N COle is a shell of his former self and I think he came into this season thinking he was going to be the Center and is not in the type of shape to play Guard on top of his knee injuries
i understand he is taking hits but i dont get it
how many times has michael vick been hurt
y is this even an issue
i dont recall him missing season after season in atl when all he did was run
i understand the people being worried but the man has never been a dude to miss alot of games
im not feeding into this
Good stuff, Paul
KTDawk
My post doesn’t say we didn’t run any reverses. It says that we ran none during the 3rd quarter when the pass rush was getting to Vick.
I went play-by play-yesterday right here on GCobb, and Reid ran only straight dives and straight drop-back passes. Minus his 62-yard run in the 1st quarter, McCoy averaged only 2.2 yards per carry.
My point is that Vick’s run sparked the offense, while the play-calling stalled it.
hey drum i agree with the play calling
i mentioned that friday when i said now that vick is back i hope andy doesnt get lazy
he came up with pretty good gameplans our last few games besides maybe titans
but i agree yesterdays playcalling wasnt great
and we cant keep having 3 and long
but on another note the officiating yesterday was very frustrating
way to many penalties resulting in 1st downs for the colts the defense played terrific but the colts got to many unearned 1st downs
gotta cut down on the flags for division games especially on the road wont win a game on the road with 2000 yards in penalties
@phillywill, You are right about the Vick injury issue! Vick in a majority of his career has been healthy!!! Mcnabb had more injuries than Mike Vick and we as Philly fans didn’t stress that issue too much when Mcnabb was our Qb! It’s just people don’t have more positive things to say about Vick thats all!! Mcnabb sports hernia,broken ribs, and broken ankle! Vick through his career more of hamstring issues, the recent rib injury nothing too serious!
yea jroc and all he did was run in atl
u would think he had season ending injury after season ending injury the way we keep talkn about him staying healthy
i see he is taking to many hits and i agree if he didnt have to take them that would be nice but i feel like we r just jinxing it by continuously talking about him getting hurt
PW
All of the Colts’ point came directly as a result of penalties. The officiating was ridiculous. I want to see if any fines are handed down by the league.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/5448/injuries.html
drum it was to the point where im like is the officiating this fing bad
or r we that fing undisciplined
i was going mad yesterday
Paul thats the smartest shit you ever said on here! If it aint broke, dont fix it. I feel you. Hands down, say what you want, but Michael Vick is playing like the best QB in the league right now. He literally went out there and outplayed arguably the best QB in the game. I think what drives Mike is…He knows Peyton Manning is the best BUT Mike Vick wants to be the best. Peyton came to Mike’s house. Mike wasn’t about to allow Peyton to be the best in his house. And its clear that he wasn’t, because Vick had success running and passing the ball last night. I was a bit scared at the end of the game when the Colts had the football. I began to get memories of when Vinitieri kicked those game winning field goals that won the Patriots the Super Bowl. But then out of nowhere, ASANTE SAMUEL INTERCEPTION! Just wow, like one of the most intense games I ever seen. Mike definitely has what it takes to be the best Quarterback in this league. Its not all about stats, even though Mike has those too. But its about being a winner. Mike has not lost a game this year when he has played the whole game. And he has 0 Interceptions. He is the man!
Excuse my Language…But maybe now these fuckin Mike Vick haters will get over that dogfighting shit for once! It was so long ago! And you here people continue to call the radio 610, etc. complaining about Vick. And that chik Rhea is still an unforgiving bitch. Its all good tho, Mike Vick is the starter, and we are winning. Thats all that matters and Im so excited. It feels so good to not hear about Kolb anymore! Woooooo!
You see, Im from Bad News VA just like Michael Vick…Same neck of the woods….So I’ve always wanted to see Mike do well even in VA Tech and Atlanta. And when he came here, I was just as happy as can be…I screamed and jumped around and accidentally broke my tv remote lol. But yeah, my Uncle who lives in VA told me last night that everyone down there is cheering for Vick. Even over their Redskins! He also said, Dizzy, when Vick starts winning games, them motherfuckers in Philly will forget all about those damn dogs! LOL…He couldnt have been more right!
thank god peyton threw the picks tho
can u imagine if we were down 2 and if vick threw that pick at the end of the game and we lost
they’d be trying to start kolb next week
peyton throws 2 costly picks
both of which assante outsmarted him and left his man to come pick the ball off
u’ll never hear about this u’ll never hear that this contributed to the colts losing but this was huge
the 1st pick netted us 3 pts
the second 1 closed the game
its no big deal really but its really no big deal when peyton throws this but when other qb’s do this they r the worse blah blah lol
like people have already forgotten that the man was picked 6 to end the sb
can u imagine kevin kolb throwing that pick 6 to end sb he’d get hung
peyton cant do any wrong ever
well dizzy ur uncle was right about some
but most of mfer’s wanted him to start from the jump
i got 2 pits lovem to death as a matter of fact the whole north philly got pits
but u know what the whole north philly wanted mike vick lol it just aint bad news
listen dizzy u dont get alot of the perspective on this site but the same way alot of ppl got behind ai
is the same way they will be behind vick (philly loves heart)
he’s in a perfect place my only question is can he stay out of trouble and i mean it im not judging it cause i dont care but philadelphia can be dangerous cause theres a 1000 dudes just like u
Well Will, I feel you. But you know what Im gettin at. Im not trying to get racial with the shit, but the only people that have a problem with Vick is white people. Its not all white people by far tho. But I have yet to meet a black person who didnt want Vick to start or criticized the man or harped on the dogfighting. You are not gonna find a black person to do that. Why? I dont know, I guess thats just the way it is. LISTEN PEOPLE, Im not pointing the finger at any of you. I was just making a point and Im completely right on this one. But for the most part, Mike is loved in this city now. I heard the 610WIP guys go from hating the man and talking about how they want Kolb to start…TO NOW, they love him, Im glad he is the starter, this and that. SMH LOL
That drive early in the 4th quarter that consumed 7 minutes of the clock, was very big…We didnt get any points but it made an impact! This is the type of drive that was needed in the Titans game! The team hung in there on both sides of the ball! The redzone effeciency will get better especially with the QB missing the last month…Play calling has to be better though…I couldnt understand why we didnt check down a little more throughout the game…hopefully Andy learns to mix it up more! Defense played very well, only if we can get a LB that can drop into coverage and give the tight end a tougher time…
And yeah PhillyWill, I stay in Philly too, i was just saying that Im from Bad News and Ive been with the man from the jump, rather than so many bandwagons here in Philly. But I just hope everyone continues to get behind out Quarterback. Thats whats up
What happened to the Shuttle pass we used to use down at the goal ……
There is NO Denying that this is Mike Vick’s Team…..Win or Lose….in #7 WE TRUST
This also was a statement game …..IMO
Peyton Manning did not have a great game and needs to be called out when he makes bad passes/decisions just like any player to makes bad plays..
That last INT to Samuel was a horrible pass/decision by him, who was he even throwing it to.. looks like
he just throw a “Hail Mary” without his Rosary Beads and should be called to the carpet for it, but he won’t because he’s Peyton Manning.
As far as mt thoughts on Vick, I am glad he’s on the Eagles and glad that he is the Starter for he gives the Eagles the best chance to win now and in the future .. As far as the dog fighting, jail time and his past, life, It doesn’t weigh on me at all, He’s paid his dues and has paid the consequences of his actions, In fact I have more respect for Vick now, because he picked himself up off the floor and
when most abadoned him after getting into trouble and to the person he has become off the field is more impressive than simply playing football at a high level. I applaud him for working his tail off and to even return at this high level that he’s playing at, and I also applaud the Eagles and Coach AR/MM and the entire organization for giving him a 2nd chance and the opportunity to play this great game of football..
This truly is becoming the story not only in Philadelphia, but around the entire NFL Nation for what we are witnessing is really amazing story about redemption,perserverance,hard work,getting and giving 2 chances. maybe there is a good lesson for all of us with this story about Mike Vick.
Yo Diz ……and I’m tellin everybody that jumps on to BUCKLE UP…cause we follow all safety guidelines around these here parts….
i hope they trashed that shovel pass gotta luv it
it used to work in the beginning of andy’s regime but after 5yrs of shoveling from the 2 every1 is looking for it glad that after 10 yrs he trashed it lol
No one on wip recently hated Vick except for Hughes. A couple of years ago Eskin was repeatedly saying that Vick was not a good quarterback. Now he is “all over his nuts” in typical Eskin style
Not to change the subject, but back to Howard Eskin (who I can’t stand)
DId anyone see the coat he was wearing on the sidelines yesterday… It looked like some fur
from either a Pit Bull or from one of “Lady Ga-Ga’s” outfits…How do people and sports fans alike put up with that guy after all these years…
agreed pman we argue about our qb’s every week
they play good sometimes make 1 mistake and we hate them we want them traded benched etc
now obviously none of this will never happen to peyt the great but when we will hear a commentator say u know what this gm was on peyton or a news article that says u know maybe peyton shouldnt have picked that play or threw that pass
he avoids alot of critcism somehow he also paid his dues took alot of criticsm early in career but now it somehow avoids him
like i said if vick or kolb threw those 2 picks yesterday we’d all be on here asking for the other qb next week
very sad
Aiight PWill..you gotta point…LOL……But man I used to Love that play…lol
no1 likes eskin yet he somehow still has a job
never understood it
1 day 1 of our sports personalities will smash him
i wish they woulda let charlie manuel do it
ike just punt him 1 time please
Yo DIZ! I’m from Virginia Beach!!! But I live in Charlotte now! Vick was always known as an athlete through out his career! Now he’s got the total package!!!! Great coaching this year on developing Vick into (maybe i’m going to far) an elite Qb….. From what I seen this season I’m sold!! Where I’m from the common wealth of VA, stars like Iverson, Green Run’s own Plexico Burress,Percy Harvin, and Ahmad Bradshaw have gotten alot of criticism about there personal issues as far as there attitude and run in’s with the law…… But coming from where we are from, people just will never understand!!! Vick has grown as an person!! I think the Eagles would be stupid to let this man go!! Everyone has made mistakes in life……. Please FO make the right decision and keep this guy!!! Go Birdz
Lots of great comments from everyone. I’m lovin’ it! It almost feels like a holiday.
The Skins don’t stand a chance. Here we come!!!
I heard D-Mac wants to be released by the Redskins so he can hook up with the Arizona Cardinals
and wants out of Washington DC as fast as possible… I also heard that will pay some “Good Hit $$” for anyone willing to take out the Shanahan Boys (but you did not hear that from me…)
Phil. Playing qb in Philly requires a pair bigger than church bells. Not required in Indy
Someone needs to knock them Mr.Ed false teeth that Shanahan has in his mouth!!! Maybe Andy reid will go back to his glory days when he was a kid and straight leg kick a FG in Shanahan’s mouth LOL! The redskins are done this weekend! D-Hall is overrated and Deshawn will be lined up on the other side! Lets Slap some skinz this weekend! LOL
JROC, thats what it is man! Yeah I’ve lived in VA Beach for a few years myself…Off of Indian River road. But I been in Philly a long ass time. But yeah I feel you, some people never will get it. Its funny, cuz all these guys on here with the exception of ME, YOU, PW, and a few others…they were hating on Mike Vick heavy a few weeks ago. Now they are all on his pipe! Well bandwagon dickriders, you heard the man…Buckle up and enjoy the ride! #7, lead us into war! Marrrchhh!
Yeah Shannahan does have some big ass teeth! LOL. Tryna make a comeback! His best days were behind him. He aint no hall of fame coach. I mean look who he had, Elway, Terrell Davis, Eddie McCaffrey, the other WR I dont remember his name…The players won that super bowl, not him. Kinda like Favre’s situation. Favre runs that team! Remember when Childress tried to substitute him out the game? LOL. Favre told him NO and he continued playing. LOL.
hahaha how bout andy in the punt pass kick thing
histerical
Two things.
The Andy Reid thing was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a LONG time.
If Vick stays healthy the rest of the year and continues to play at this level, he will win MVP.
A couple of Trade Rumors from some sources of Paulman after the 2010 Season
#1) Eagles sign QB M Vick and then trade him to the Denver Broncos for QB T Tebow and a 3rd Rd Draft pick (Coach AR/MM say the love the challenge of developing QB’s)
#2) Eagles Sign and keep VIck as Qb, and then trade K Kolb to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2nd Rd Draft pick and ILB J Brinkley
#3) In a bizzare move, the Eagles sign QB M Vick and then trade him to the Oakland Radiers
for CB N Asmagoah and then later on that day, Trade Kolb to the Celevand Browns for a 2nd and 4th Rd Draft picks and then go out in Free-Agency and sign QB D McNabb as a Free-Agent and sign him to a 4 year-$60 Million deal with $25 in guaranteed $$$$…
I need to take a walk..
Mike will get hurt again…guarantee it..It sucks too.
Mike has been playing the same way since Virginia Tech…He’s had one season where he was injured that forced him to miss most of the season (2003) besides that he’s been a very durable QB considering the punishment he takes. He’ll be aight!
I think the chances of him getting hurt are greater if he plays scared or conservative!
Yeah Mike is fine. He may be a daredevil but he is not stupid. He’s not gonna make the same mistake as he did before. He knows whats at stake with his future and new deal and all. Relax.
vinnie have been relegated to pasting articles….Vinnie? Vinnie? don’t burn your Rocky poster!!!!
Come off the ledge….there’s still hope yet. there’s room on the Michael Vick experience wagon. We’re here for you buddy….Kolb is even on board.
Go Eagles!
@DizzyJ….. Yea these Vick haters are just unreal! The guy has talent! Dog Fighting is very big in Blackwater VA, Suffolk, Chesepeake VA, and some parts of Norfolk! I’m against it…. But it’s part of the culture!!! Vick Haters get on the Michael Vick Experience line now!!!! and enjoy this ride to the superbowl!! VICK IS IT!
Yeah, Mike a blood from Bad News VA, but people keep tryin to put him in a box…The man has grown!…When he away for those coupla years, he take anger management courses, study Tai Chi, and a special form a Kundalini Yoga that gives him the ability to flex better, and avoid injuries…Plus, he just got that natural drive…So why worry about some ‘future hurtin’?…Let the man be, stop doggin him around.
Tim Tebow?…You kiddin me!
As far as not calling three step drop passes, is it possible that Andy is putting his players in a position to succeed? Perhaps M Vick is not as comfortable making those throws as he is when he has more time to survey the field, work through his reads and progressions and then throw. He has only been really working hard at film study, etc for the last two years, as he has admitted himself. A deeper drop gives him more time to view the field to see what is open. That does not even take into account that our best playmakers are not inside guys, Jackson and Maclin are not exactly suited to slant routes, which are staples of three step drop passing. That leaves you with a choice, throw quickly to your 2nd class receivers (Avant and Cooper), or try to get the ball to your game breakers (Maclin and Jackson) without getting them killed. Vick’s mobiltiy gives him an opportunity as well to see the pass rush coming and evade and potentially make significant yardage, as well as lossen up a defense and make them passrush with more caution and maintaining rush lanes (= more slowly.) It seems to me that calling for more quick passes could end up forcing your best players to do things that they are less suited to doing, and therefore may not do as well. Then again, Andy is fat and stupid, so it is not possible that he actually made good choices to help his players succeed by putting them in positions to do the tasks that they do best and most comfortably.
Anderson
He did the same thing with Kolb against the Titans.
I was just posting that link to show Vick has missed games every year he has played in the NFL. (moderator took it down I guess) He is going to have a very hard time making it through the year if he keeps playing the way hi is right now. He took several unnecessary hits yesterday. Just because he missed only one or 2 games a year in the past (same the lost 2003) doesn’t mean much, he’s 30 now. And as the saying goes, its not the years, its the mileage. He’s taking too many unnecessary hits.
Now as for Vick. He was good, but not great yesterday.
The throw to Desean for the TD was great. The bomb out of the endzone was great. But then he went into a big funk. He was what? 11 of 22 at one point? Perhaps rust, but perhaps because he’s a career 50% guy.
The 31 yrd scraqmble with a min to go in the 3rd probably won the game. It at least turned the momentum back in to the Birds favour.
Now there was some not so good: I know I’m going to get a bunch of “you f-ing Vick hater yada yada” business, but whatever…..
He put 3 balls in to the arms of Indy defenders. One (to the left flat) was a dropped pick 6. As I was chatting with drummer he threw another one into the arms of a sliding Colts defender. There was also the botched screen that was almost picked – though I think there was an indy penalty on the play)
Reid, as predicted, got infatuated with the arm. The entire 2nd and 3Q saw nothing but 7 step drops apparantly looking for homerun after homerun. The O ground to a halt, and was again only sparked back to life by the scramble. Again, I don’t think this will be successful going forward. I hate the feast or famine. Take a look at the vid of his scramble…there isn’t a WR anywhere on the screen….they’ve all cleared out…….I don’t think “all go!” is a solid offfensive philosophy.
I do think Vick is missing a lot of reads and is relying on his legs too much.. He’s running too often. NFL network showed some good video of the scramble against Wash (when he got hurt) of Vick missing a wr run free across the middle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYxt6v0_HOo (pause it at the 0:04 mark, vick in pocket, guy right in front of him wide open) I last week showed vid of Vick scrambling instead of tossing ball to a wide open McCoy in the Det game. I will be watching their film study show this week to see if he missed reads this week. I have a feeling he did, and this has always been one of his problems. Why is this important? ‘Cause despite what you guys think of his “indestructability” he;s gonna get killed if he keeps taking off and taking those extra shoves heading out of bounds.
Anyway, good game. He played decently, but not great. I don’t think the scrambles will equate to any long term success, but I may be wrong. Still don;t think so though.