Adam Reigner is a contributor to CB and a WIP host and producer. He doesn’t like Michael Vick. Direct love and hate toward him on Twitter (@AdamReigner).
What’s wrong with Michael Vick?
Let’s keep it real: he will never again be the player who got Kevin Kolb traded. He’s lost the speed that made him a superhero in video games, he’s on the other side of 30 and, frankly, never possessed the ability to be a pocket passer. He doesn’t know it, but he was given the ability to make people believe (you need to look no further than the ridiculous PR spin that surrounds him), and he has found a home with somebody who knows a thing or two about enabling.
Andy Reid hasn’t won a playoff game since January 11, 2009. Remember that long ago? George Bush was still President. Eli Manning was just one year removed from winning the Super Bowl (against New England who was 18-0 … cheaters). And Donovan McNabb was on his last legs with a city that never embraced him.
McNabb did his best Donovan McNabb impression in that last playoff win, and if it wasn’t for an Asante Samuel interception off of Manning, the Eagles would have lost. That was the last of the Eagles’ Glory Days, for significant lack of a better term. Almost four years later and, a few thrilling regular season victories notwithstanding, Reid is still living off his earlier “success. And so is Vick.
Vick, I think, has entered the final act of his career.
The big elephant in the room is that he can’t outrun linebackers anymore. Heck, he can barely get by defensive ends. Defenses no longer have to worry about accounting for him as a running threat. They can sit back in zone coverage and make Vick become his own worst enemy. When he sees open space in front of him, it’s just his natural instinct to think that he can still beat a guy to the corner. It has to be one of the most sobering moments as an athlete, when you no longer can do what made you great. It starts to go and all those SportsCenter highlights must play in your head on a continuos loop.
Not having to worry about him running as much, or as effectively, has given defenses the ability to do two things: 1) drop an extra man into coverage and confuse him, or 2) blitz him and confuse him. Common theme: confused.
I know– the Eagles are 3-1 and I’m a curmudgeon. But Vick is 28th in the league in QB rating, he has thrown six interceptions and only four touchdowns, hasn’t rushed for over 50 yards in any one game, and has been knocked down 44 times (that leads the league). And the Eagles have a minus-17 point differential.
The fact that a man who has played the position for 10 (ten!) years and yet still stares down receivers like a pair of fresh titties is mind boggling. Still is reckless with the ball in the red zone. STILL DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SLIDE.
And let’s not even get into the “100 Million Dollar” contract, which oh by the way is now officially an $80 million contract, and it has been for the last year, ever since Vick nullified the final year on his deal by playing in his fourth game of the season.
What you saw on Sunday night was a direct result of putting the ball in the best player on the team’s hands and letting him run with it – literally – not Vick’s passing abilities. Taking away those seven games from two years ago that helped land Vick his “$100 million contract, the last time he went three games without an interception was all the way back in 2006.
And that seems to be the theme with Vick: He’s not great because of what he’s done lately. He’s great because of a few things he did years ago.
Remember that play from way back against the Lions, when he “sensed” that blitz from the blindside, spun out and ran for 30 yards? Yeah, I’m just sitting back, trying to recapture, a little of the glory.
Or how about when he threw that bomb to DeSean on the first play against the Redskins? Well, time slips away and leaves you nothing, mister.
Oh, what about the “Miracle at the Meadows Part 2,” when he broke containment and scrambled to turn the game around? Nothing but boring stories of glory days.
You remember those days? Well, they’ve passed Michael Vick by.
Follow Adam on Twitter (@AdamReigner).
32 Responses
TRUTH
white men have all the advantages in the world yet they are the jealous hate-filled group…
“Taking away those seven games from two years ago that helped land Vick his “$100 million contract, the last time he went three games without an interception was all the way back in 2006.”
I agree that Vick’s best days are behind him and he’s probably gone after this year with Foles as the starter next year, but in his defense to the quote above I think he was in prison for a few of the years between 2006 and 2010. That being said, he still probably would have not gone three games without an INT in that stretch.
Foles 2013.
Great post for game day!! You really know how to get people pumped up for the game huh? I’ll remember this as the reason to stop coming to this site on Sundays.
Swoop is a racist pig.
Michael doesn’t have the smarts to win a Super Bowl
Steelers 27-10 over loser eagles
Can’t help but feel this would have been a better article in sonnet form
Lets remember we are 3-1. maybe this should have been kept in the archives until the team stops producing results. While it wasnt pretty, we are 2-0 against the AFC North, arguably the 2nd best division in football and the best in the AFC. While vick hasnt been everything we were hoping for, theres only 3 stat columns i wanna see at the end of the day W-L-T
Typical hate from another white devil.
dude… on Sunday? really? you’re starting to become the stereotype of the horrible Eagles fan. Way to be a downer.
There is nothing to be excited about regarding this team. We are 4 points away from being 0-4. Even if we do make the playoffs, we will be defeated by our own turnovers or the coaching staff’s inept game management.
So glad someone finally wrote this. Vick has been hilariously overrated during his time in Philly, and I’d be lying if I said that watching him makes me subconciously root against the Eagles. Unlike a Bryz though who I will still support because I his personality and I feel like he is trying to fix his play whereas I see a Michael Vick’s personality as that of some asshole (possibly psychopath) who lacks the humility to adjust his play. HOW FUCKING HARD CAN IT BE TO LEARN HOW TO SLIDE!? Let him keep doing his thing, just make sure he’s doing it in Cleveland though.
On the Eagles second drive of the game, Vick nearly threw an interception, had a fumble reversed after he’d been touched by a Pittsburgh player, then finally coughed it up just before he went into the end zone. If the Steelers hadn’t been flagged some two dozen times on their subsequent drive, we’d already be trailing. I could agree more that Vick has been a train wreck, but then he’s always been more sizzle than steak.
Vick is a black bastard
Stop fumbling the fucking football, please.
points for the bruce springsteen
Every time Michael Vick fumbles, a dog angel gets its wings.
Yeah listen, we have to do a better job. We just got to do a little bit better job. I’ll be the first to tell you that. I want to win the game man but yeah listen this is a tough place to play football. Hats off to them. But well you know listen. Alright.
Can it just end? Can the social experiment with the overrated “weapon” end so we can put a real quarterback in? Unwatchable
Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico Ron Mexico
sorry crackas
Never winning a SB with turnovers every game from he QB
Vick is the QB he’s always been. Always will be. 2010 was a result of the league not knowing what to expect of him, and him playing ‘good soldier’ to King Andy’s (atrocious) offensive game plans. The biggest culprit is King Andy himself. One, for even signing Vick, and two, trying to make him into a QB that King Andy thinks he should be and not the QB he is. Reid tried to make a strong armed, inaccurate short-range QB (McNabb) into a WCO-style QB. Now he takes Vick, a street-ball QB, and wants him to be a pocket-passer.
He sucks
Best article I read on this site in some time. And the content of the article was depressing.
That fucktard with the dumb ass looking conjoined baby cousin IT on his lip needs to tailor his game a bit to fit Vick better if he’s going to win games and keep his job. He holds the fucking ball for too long waiting for these plays to unfold. With a shitty O line they need to run and get rid of the ball faster. Let’s face it, if Vick has to think in the pocket, he’s already beat. Because in accordance to popular belief, he’s a fucktard too. Do you hear that Andy? Make Vick think, and you are beat. How many goddamned QB sneaks did Fucktard A.R. call anyway? 1st in goal and you’re going to run his skinny ass and not use Shady? Mommy needs a damn drink bitches!
It’s not racist to let people know a guy sucks at his job. Obama sucks and people will let him know just how much he sucks in November. Eagle fans need to let Michael “in yo face Phillee” Vick how much he sucks. The real racists are the guys who keep the brother in there because he is a brother and nothing more than that.
Nothing to do with skin color, Vick just blows. Has to be so frustrating being his teammate on offense when he lets you down on the reg win the turnovers
When did Vick have glory days? Because he’s pretty much always sucked at quarterback after college.
Why can’t we have a intelligent conversation about Michael Vick without it leading to alleged racism?
He’s just not a good quarterback anymore. It’s that simple. I understand that he doesn’t have a great offensive line, and I realize that Andy and Marty aren’t doing their best to maximize his talents and minimize his flaws, but he’s still a turnover machine. That won’t change with better coaching or with the best offensive line in football. He just doesn’t have the ability or the wherewithal to protect the football.
My theory is that we have a playoff-caliber team and this league is filled with first and second year quarterbacks who are capable of winning, and Nick Foles was the best of these quarterbacks in the preseason. I understand that he was playing against reserves, but you have to beat the team in front of you. The general argument is that young quarterbacks turn the ball over too often and make too many mistakes, but our ten-year veteran has as many turnovers as any team in the league. I don’t care what race Nick Foles is. He won’t make as many mistakes as Vick, and that could be the difference between winning the division or another 8-8 campaign.
Vick sucks at QB
Vick is infested with herpes
Vick tortures and kills animals
Vick will die penniless
Vick is a full blown ghetto ape
LOL this article is horrible. “cant outrun LB’s” not one scout has said he’s lost some speed. Just stop talking. You’re a blog writer not an NFL scout. You’re getting fans riled up for no reason. Im not even a Vick lover i dont think he’s good at all, but your reasoning is asinine as are most things written on this site. It used to be funny and informative and now its just bashing. Bash the other teams I can get informative news elsewhere.
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