And now for today’s installment in the Michael Vick Experience.
I coined this terms a few weeks ago to remind readers – and fans – that there is good and bad that goes with No. 7.
Today I’d like to take it one step farther.
In the hysteria surrounding Vick’s new contract this year, his concussion last week and now his broken – or just bruised – hand this week, one thing has been largely left out of the equation.
Michael Vick is not playing especially well.
Look, I’ve been the guy’s biggest fan. I’ve admired what he has done in rebuilding his career – and his life – since spending almost two years in prison for his role in running a dogfighting operation.
But that’s behind us now. Well, most of us. Some fans will never get past it.
What I want to focus on right now is what Vick does on the field. For a couple of months last year, Vick was an absolute revelation. He defied his critics and did exactly what everyone said he could never be. He was a pinpoint pocket passer. He was playing the quarterback position the way they all said he never would be able to do. He was reading defenses. He was patient. He was going through his second and third options. He was not always looking to make plays with his legs, playing as if his hair was on fire, pulling the ball down and taking off at the first hint of trouble.
In short, he was the New Michael Vick.
That was then. This is now. Actually, it’s more than now. Lest we forget, Vick cooled off at the end of last year. He once again had trouble picking up blitzes. He was pulling the ball down and taking off. He was fumbling, and throwing interceptions. It started in the first half of that miracle in the Meadowlands. It didn’t get talked about because Vick led the team to the most improbable of wins.
But the struggles continued, including a loss to the Packers that looked very familiar to Eagles fans. The Birds had a chance to win in the final minutes, but their quarterback threw an ill-adivised interception to seal their fate.
Vick was rewarded by the Eagles with a $100 million contract this summer. But his play on the field suggests maybe the Birds are not getting the bang for the buck they thought they would get.
So far this year Vick’s play has been spotty. Not great, not terrible. But he is not playing at the level he did during that torrid stretch last year when he took over for Kevin Kolb, ironically suffering from a concussion.
Slowly, Vick has reverted back to his "just make a play" days. And in the process turned into a turnover machine. He's fumbling. And throwing interceptions.
And, of course, there is the constant in the Michael Vick Experience. The injuries. It now goes without saying that Vick has a track record. He gets hurt. He is going to miss time – and likely games. It is part and parcel of the abandon with which he plays the game.
But consider this for a moment? Is there any chance that those sizzling weeks last year were a mirage?
What if that was as good as Vick gets? And what if now instead we spend all our time talking about injuries, whining about not getting the calls from officials, and not being able to finish games.
The Eagles made Vick a $100 million man. It’s time for him to start playing like it.
The way he did last year.
I coined this terms a few weeks ago to remind readers – and fans – that there is good and bad that goes with No. 7.
Today I’d like to take it one step farther.
In the hysteria surrounding Vick’s new contract this year, his concussion last week and now his broken – or just bruised – hand this week, one thing has been largely left out of the equation.
Michael Vick is not playing especially well.
Look, I’ve been the guy’s biggest fan. I’ve admired what he has done in rebuilding his career – and his life – since spending almost two years in prison for his role in running a dogfighting operation.
But that’s behind us now. Well, most of us. Some fans will never get past it.
What I want to focus on right now is what Vick does on the field. For a couple of months last year, Vick was an absolute revelation. He defied his critics and did exactly what everyone said he could never be. He was a pinpoint pocket passer. He was playing the quarterback position the way they all said he never would be able to do. He was reading defenses. He was patient. He was going through his second and third options. He was not always looking to make plays with his legs, playing as if his hair was on fire, pulling the ball down and taking off at the first hint of trouble.
In short, he was the New Michael Vick.
That was then. This is now. Actually, it’s more than now. Lest we forget, Vick cooled off at the end of last year. He once again had trouble picking up blitzes. He was pulling the ball down and taking off. He was fumbling, and throwing interceptions. It started in the first half of that miracle in the Meadowlands. It didn’t get talked about because Vick led the team to the most improbable of wins.
But the struggles continued, including a loss to the Packers that looked very familiar to Eagles fans. The Birds had a chance to win in the final minutes, but their quarterback threw an ill-adivised interception to seal their fate.
Vick was rewarded by the Eagles with a $100 million contract this summer. But his play on the field suggests maybe the Birds are not getting the bang for the buck they thought they would get.
So far this year Vick’s play has been spotty. Not great, not terrible. But he is not playing at the level he did during that torrid stretch last year when he took over for Kevin Kolb, ironically suffering from a concussion.
Slowly, Vick has reverted back to his "just make a play" days. And in the process turned into a turnover machine. He's fumbling. And throwing interceptions.
And, of course, there is the constant in the Michael Vick Experience. The injuries. It now goes without saying that Vick has a track record. He gets hurt. He is going to miss time – and likely games. It is part and parcel of the abandon with which he plays the game.
But consider this for a moment? Is there any chance that those sizzling weeks last year were a mirage?
What if that was as good as Vick gets? And what if now instead we spend all our time talking about injuries, whining about not getting the calls from officials, and not being able to finish games.
The Eagles made Vick a $100 million man. It’s time for him to start playing like it.
The way he did last year.
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