Putting a hurtin' on the Michael Vick Experience

Fans who have fallen in love with the Michael Vick Experience (including this one) forget that this is a big part of the deal.

Vick gets hurt. A lot. He misses games.

The Eagles QB with that new $100 million contract in his pocket got his brains scrambled when his noggin smacked off his own offensive lineman Todd Herremans at an odd angle against the Falcons Sunday night. Vick left the game (but not before pointing to the scoreboard as he was mocked by some Atlanta fans). At the time the Birds were up by 10.He did not return. Of course, we all know they lost. That was not necessarily the fault of backup Mike Kafka, who played well when inserted into the game and was driving the Eagles toward the winning score when Jeremy Maclin dropped a fourth down pass that hit him right between the numbers.

Now everyone is wondering if Vick will be able to play on Sunday. I don't think he should. That does not necessarily mean he won't.

Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder yesterday was glowing in talking about how well Vick was doing. That’s good to hear.

But it doesn’t change the fact that the team already made it clear that Vick suffered a concussion. The league is looking much closer at these situations these days. Unless the Eagles want to use some kind of semantic twists to wriggle out of Vick’s diagnosis, he likely is not going to play on Sunday against the Giants.

This will be a fascinating week to watch all the machinations surrounding Vick’s condition, on the part of the player, the team, and the league.

Just remember this. Even if Vick plays (and I don’t think he should), don’t be surprised if we see him shuffling toward the sidelines again at some point this year.

Even if it’s not a recurrence of concussion symptoms.

Vick now has a pretty clear track record. He gets hurt. He can’t help it. It’s how he plays the game. No one is going to be able to convince the somewhat diminutive QB he’s not a bruising fullback.

If Vick in fact does not play on Sunday, remember where you heard this. It won’t be the last time this year.

Comments

David E. McGee said…
Protection of one's quarterback means not only blocking for him, but it also means you should not be a brick wall against which to smash his facemask!

All kidding aside, I felt that Vick's main weakness was his deluded sense of his ability to take a hit. It was my main concern regarding the Eagles, especially after the first game of the 2011 season. As Phil stated, Vick gets hurt often - too often. Granted, that may be his only weakness, as he continues to prove his detractors wrong in most other regards.

Kafka played decently (I wouldn't say, "well"). Obviously, only time will tell if he is able to be a good NFL QB. I, for one, am okay with putting him in and letting Vick heal. It is early in the season, and it may be that Kafka can get better with actual game-play. We will need Vick later in the season. The Eagels have a grueling schedule, and everyone is expecting a playoff spot, this year. Kafka may be able to surprise us; but if he cannot, then Vick needs to be healthy to get the Eagles into the playoffs.