On the Eve of His Coach Getting Fired, Michael Vick Threw His Teammates Under a Bus
While there were conflicting reports about the inevitable status of Andy Reid following yesterday’s game, Michael Vick, whose $100 million contract will actually amount to about a $32 million contract, was busy throwing his teammates under a bus (of course, before they got there, they were intercepted by an oncoming party limo and TAKEN TO THE HOUSE).
The Eagles will almost certainly cut Vick next season, owing him nothing. [Had Vick been injured, the Eagles would have owed him $3 million.] That means QB 7 will be free to go to whatever team will take a chance on an aging, banged up, ex-con, running quarterback. And since those sorts of players aren’t exactly in high demand, and since that’s even more so the case when said quarterback is coming off two extraordinarily disappointing seasons, Vick must to everything he can to market himself.
He started by blaming the Eagles' struggles on his teammates and wearing a cryptic Nike Air Force One t-shirt.
Leggo!
Mostly unedited, for your confusion:
“We didn’t perform to the best of our abilities, by any means. We got to look back and see what we didn’t do correctly, and at some point in our futures we all have to correct them and do them different.”
Got it. Do them different. That’s fair.
On the Eagles lacking large talons, fight:
“I don’t know how that happens. You watch us play and we don’t exuberate the things we do in practice. I don’t know where that comes from. I know it’s frustrating. It’s difficult because, me, I leave it all on the field, I give it everything I got, and sometimes I wish I could play other positions, but I can’t. You know, so, you do the best you can. That’s all you can ask of yourself. And football means a lot to a lot of the guys in the locker room. And I know it means a lot to me. I give it everything I got whenever I step out on the field, regardless of the situation… coming back after 8 games, I don’t care. I give it everything I got, and that’s something I can be proud of.”
Exuberate isn’t a word. [UPDATE: It is, but not in the way Vick meant it.] But also, I wouldn’t be too proud of 15 turnovers in 10 games.
On a tough season:
“You finish with what, four or five wins? It’s nothing to be happy about. It’s nothing to be proud of. You don’t go through spring training and training camp to go what, 5-11, 4-12?”
4-12, Mike. AND I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE PROUD?!
On his prior statement implying that his teammates didn’t give a full effort:
“Let’s clear this up, I’m not saying my teammates gave a lack of effort and I noticed it. I just know we can play better, that’s what I’m saying. I mean, you go down 21-0 and the first quarter’s not even over. So what is that? We don’t know. But, at the same time, you still gotta battle through it, you still gotta fight through it. I just notice it’s a big difference than when we was going through it last year and the year before, and it shouldn’t be that way. And I have to sit here and be candid right now: if every guy in that locker room was to come up to this podium, they should say the same thing I said. Verbatim. It is what it is. I wish all the guys the best in that locker room. And we’ll see what happens.”
That sounded like a less than ringing endorsement. I wonder if Vick expects every guy in that locker room to use “excuberate” too.
On hisself:
“I felt good after missing 8 games. Coming out there with one week of practice and still be somewhat efficient, fighting the elements, and still performing.”
“We all have to be honest with ourselves and just know that it takes 22 guys to win a football game. 11 on offense, 11 on defense. No one man can do it on his own. That’s just as candid as I can be right now, to help you all down the road.”
“I’ve grown a lot as a quarterback because I’ve learned so much in protection schemes and learned all the integral parts of the game a quarterback has to learn to grow… but we have to all grow together, and if you don’t have that, you won’t win too many football games.”
“Not one person can win a football game. You have to have the total team effort: offense, defense, special teams. If i could do it myself, I would do it. But I can’t.”
For the record, Vick was a very average 19-35 with one touchdown, one interception and one fumble yesterday. The Eagles lost 42-7. For the year, Vick threw 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 78.1, good for 24th in the league. The Eagles finished with four or five wins.