After what was a record-breaking performance against the Washington Redskins, the Eagles have only six days before the battle the New York Giants. Amid talk of the playoffs and being a Super Bowl contender, the Birds are trying to get focused on what has them on a two-game winning streak.
They have quite a few young players in key positions so the word today by the veterans was “put the Skins game in your rear view mirror”.
“I think if you’ve got guys on the team who can be great leaders and know how to refocus and get the younger guys to focus, you know what”, Michael Vick said in response to a question about not having a letdown on Sunday. “It’s fairly easy. We all know in this league you can’t dwell on the past. You’ve got to move forward and play for the present.”
Veteran wide receiver Jason Avant is emphasizing “concentration” to his younger teammates this week.
“I think that if you don’t keep your mind focused, I believe in this part, if you’re not focused for the game, I think that you can get beat as bad as it gets in this league. And I think we have to do that this week.”
According to Vick, the team’s morning meeting started with the coach telling the team to forget the Skins and get focused on the Giants. “Yeah, that was the first thing he said in the team meeting. But Andy didn’t have to say it, we all know what’s most important. We know that the next game is the most important game. And we’re looking forward to it. We know it’s going to be exciting playing on Sunday night.”
It’s easier said that done for a young team especially in such a crazy year in the NFL. It seems different teams show up for the game from week to week.
Reid is letting his guys know that they had better let that Skins game go and get ready to play against an outstanding football team on Sunday night.
“Well, you’ve got to make sure that you focus in on the Giants, number one”, Reid told the reporters today. “The other game, obviously, is over. There are some things that we can learn from. It surely wasn’t the perfect game. Things can get out of hand in this league. You’re never as good as you think and you’re never as bad as you think.”
We will have a good idea just how good this Birds football team is when they take on the Giants this weekend.
It will be intersting to see who many of the young players respond and keep their focus this week.
I think D-Jax is up for a huge game, I think he was a little upset that he didn’t get too many balls thrown his way after that 1st big play, I think McCoy will also have a big game to show that he is indeed a true #1 Back and has a little competition behind him now in J Harrison, I also think Celek will snap out of his season long funk that he’s been in and made some big catches and especially in the Red Zone. If the Eagles can get out of the gate and get some points early on th Giants and protect the ball and stay away from negative plays (Penalties,sacks) I think they win in a shoot-out
38-34.. I am not sure either teams Defenses can stop either Offense’s and Eli will throw a Int or 2
The Eagles D/Line needs to dominate this make-shift Giants O/Line that may have 2 palyers playing out of position and 2 3rd String O/Lineman starting…
Eagles are in TROUBLE!. You see this 1000 times. Everywhere you look its VICK VICK VICK, How GREAT he is. You hear nothing but praise from everyone including the Giants. I have a bad feeling. Just for this 1 game. You see this happen over and over. I can just see the Giants in there defensive meetings with the coaches telling them the world is saying they shouldnt even show up. That defense is gonna be out to shut all this Vick shit up. How many time have you seen this happen? Hell it happen to the Giants last week.lol. They were invincible. Someone forgot to tell the Cowboys not to show up.
Scary part about Vick’s play? It could get more dominating
By Jason La Canfora NFL Network
NFL Network Insider
Michael Vick is the most dominant player in the NFL right now. At any position. By a wide margin. No one else’s mere presence singularly transforms the look and identity of a team the way Vick does for the Eagles. No one is taking over games on a regular basis the way Vick is.
He is the most unique offensive weapon in the NFL, making plays no one at his position can. He is doing things that, frankly, we might not have ever seen before. To compare this Michael Vick to the Vick who quarterbacked the Atlanta Falcons from 2001-06 is pure folly. The 2010 version’s football mind, patience, decision-making, study habits, dedication, humility, accuracy is eons above his former self. And his arm strength, speed, acceleration, dexterity, and sheer athleticism is as superior as ever.
Barring injury — and the full-throttle, reckless abandon with which Vick plays the game makes that a very real risk — I don’t see much changing. If anything, as Vick continues to immerse himself in this system and continues his quarterbacking metamorphosis under coach Andy Reid and continues to harness chemistry with super-fast youngstersDeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, the best could still be yet to come for Vick and the Eagles.
“I could have never imagined this,” Vick said in the afterglow of the dismantling of the Redskins before a national audience Monday night, a game in which it appeared he could literally do anything he pleased. “I didn’t even think I’d be a starting quarterback this year.”
Vick has been much more than just a starting quarterback. With Kevin Kolb under center a few weeks back, against these very same Redskins, Washington played a lot of Cover 2 — often really more like quads with two linebackers drifting back as well — and turned the Eagles into a dink-and-dunk outfit (the game in which Vick’s ribs were fractured on a scramble). The ‘Skins won, despite Donovan McNabb completing just eight passes, with Vick’s injury altering the entire scope of the game.
This time around Washington had to devote a linebacker — usually Rocky McIntosh — or safety LaRon Landry, two of the best athletes on the roster, to spy on Vick. The corners were instructed to beat up on the smallish receivers at the line of scrimmage. They had more time than normal to work on angles and containment. That was the game plan.
“We want to spy him,” a Redskins coach told me before the game. “But who has anybody who can do that? You think we have a linebacker or a DB who can stay with him? What team does?”
Coming off the bye, the ‘Skins were fresh and had abundant time to prepare. And it was an utter failure to the tune of 600 yards. Vick threw an impeccably perfect 88-yard touchdown to Jackson to open the game — he’s throwing the ball 65 yards in the air with relative ease — and the Redskins could rarely intercede as Vick accounted for six total touchdowns. Sure, the Redskins are a horribly flawed defense on so many levels, but this was like watching a senior college quarterback deconstruct a JV high school defense, whether running or throwing the ball.
Not since Steve Young in his prime has someone been this dangerous as a passer and a runner.
“I feel like I’m playing the best football only because of the coaches I have,” Vick said. “It’s because of the guys I have around me … It all goes hand in hand.”
Watching him from FedEx Field on Monday night, I couldn’t help thinking back to last summer, and Vick’s first preseason game with the Eagles, and what a complete and utter transformation he has made since then. Then, it was he and the Eagles doing an awkward dance, trying to figure out how Vick and McNabb could both fit into a hybrid Wildcat scheme.
“You watch him on film now, and he is a totally different quarterback from last year,” one NFC scout said. “There is no comparison.”
Vick was tentative and unsure. He was sluggish. You could tell that the thinking part of the game — feeling his way through plays — was restricting the pure instinctual genius that defined the peaks of his career. Even talking to him after games he seemed stilted and programmed, trying to navigate his way back from incarceration into some semblance of a normal NFL life, just wanting to say the right thing.
All of that apprehension is gone now. He has a swagger, but a healthy, heady swagger not like before. This swagger is stripped down of the outsized ego — his horrid actions of the past have clearly humbled him. When he speaks about his coaches and teammates now, and what they mean to him and his re-development, it rings as truly sincere.
“I’m just happy for him,” said McNabb, whose example in the film room and the weight room helped show Vick the right way as much as anybody or anything else. “I’m happy with the way he’s continued to progress. He’s confident in himself but he’s staying humble.”
Vick is a complete matchup nightmare. No space is too tight for him to wiggle from, as he showed Monday night, repeatedly gaining the corner on multiple defenders, breaking ankles with his cuts and running eight times for 80 yards and two scores, touchdown rambles born of brawn, will, and improvisation.
“Is there anything you can do when he hits that second gear?” I asked a Redskins coach. “(Bleep)? Second gear? What about when he hits third and fourth?”
“He is scary fast,” said one NFL defensive coordinator who was watching Monday night.
Vick is a complete quarterback now — able to read and dissect a defense and discern its vulnerability — yet still able to break off a 50-yard run if a defense is in perfect coverage and there are no outlets to pass available. About the closest thing to a negative critique I heard came from one defensive coordinator who said: “He still has to improvise to be great.” Trust me, he can.
Simply put, Vick is thriving in all quadrants of the field, and all aspects of play. Consider:
» He is completing 62.7 percent of his passes; he had never completed more than 56 percent before in a season in his career. He has 11 touchdown passes in just 153 attempts (second best percentage in the NFL).
» He is second in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.8 yards, a staggering 2 yards more than his career average). Vick leads the NFL in interception percentage (he has yet to throw a pick).
» He has the best QB rating in the league, by far (115; he had a rating of 75.7 in 2006, his last season in Atlanta). He leads the NFL in passer rating on balls that travel 21 yards or more in the air (127.7). He is second among all starting quarterbacks in passer rating on third down (117.9). Blitz him at your own peril; besides what he can do on the run, Vick’s 113.8 passer rating against the blitz is best among all starting quarterbacks.
» He is unreal in cramped quarters, when the field gets constricted and yards are at a premium. Among all NFL players with at least four red-zone carries, Vick ranks first with an average of 5.5 yards per carry. He has four TD runs in just eight red-zone attempts.
» Vick has 121 more rushing yards than any other quarterback … despite playing only roughly half the season. He is averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. Sixteen of his 44 rushing attempts overall have gone for 10 yards or more — a staggering 37 percent. In fact, only 12 running backs have more rushes of 10 yards or more than Vick, and they’ve all had considerably more than 44 attempts.
» He has touched the ball 197 times (153 passes and 44 runs) and has yet to account for a turnover. He has 15 total touchdowns, without a giveaway, in what amounts to five games. If there’s a better player anywhere as we head into the holiday season, please, point him out.
At age 30 — plenty youthful for a quarterback — Vick has the legs of someone much younger, given his two years away from the game and extremely limited role in 2009. He’s just hitting his peak, and there’s no way the Eagles will let him get away.
“He’s pretty much unstoppable,” said Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell, a longtime Vick admirer. “You look at him now, and he’s a great pocket passer, making the right reads through his three progressions. He can beat you deep — he throws the ball 60 yards and it doesn’t even look like he’s trying; flick of the wrist — and if there’s nothing there, then he takes off and you can’t catch him.
“After all he’s been through and what he’s done to himself and paying his debt to society, to work this hard to become a better player and a better person, it’s been incredible to watch.”
Dag
After all that Vick’s been through, I don’t see a let down at all. He’s playing for his very life, not to mention a huge NFL payday. I also believe he’ll keep the others motivated. They have had a few ups and downs themselves, with the whole Kolb thing. The Young Guns ran their mouths only to be humiliated. While this group is young, they have faced adversity very early on. Most of them were around for the Dallas games last year season. They recognize that they are playing, not only a division game, but for first place.
I think this group is highly motivated and will remain that way throughout the season.
Drummer Its just the even-flo of the NFL. I have seen it sooo many times. The media talking about a certain player soooo much and a team comes in and brings that player back to reality. Hope Im wrong. Anyway I feel we split with the Giants, yes we split with the Cowboys(mark my words they are gonna make a run) division game. That means we need to beat the Texans, Bears and Vikings to get us to 11-5.
I believe with Drummer (amazing) — Vick is playing at an amazing level and it just seems like fate is on his side. The Giants are frauds. They’re not bringing ANYONE back to reality. Can they win? Of course, but we should still expect a great game out of Vick.
The media is talking about Vick sooo much because it’s amazing what he’s doing. He’s been given a second chance and is making the most of it. What Vick is doing couldn’t be scripted any better.
Hell, even Tom Coughlin admitted he had to put his pencil down and just watch Vick on Monday Night — what else can you do?
Praise the oline. I understand Vick makes a d-line have a passive rush but whatever the case the oline has done a nice job. Peters finally looked good and McGlynn is big and physical. Another curious reason why he wasnt identified as better than the guy in front of him. With Vick at qb I need NOTHING on offense the first 4 rounds of the draft. Hopefully with the trading of Kolb I get a high draft pick and I fix this defense. 1st round MLB and 2nd round OLB. If we can hit a homerun on 2 defensive players thats all I ask out of 10 draft picks. Its on for the next 5 years. The offense is set for years.
*agree, not believe
Dag, WTF are you talking about? Our MLB is Stewart Bradley…….smh…….this draft is going to be dedicated to drafting the future of the offensive line.
Bird Stew is my strong side LB. I like him on the outside. Bring me in a true MLB. Go down to the SEC and bring me one of them type of LB. In case you havent been watching the oline has been fine. Im loading up at LB . I need to dedicate high draft picks to some LBs. Hell I can live with the offense they way it is right now. Bradley remains one of my 3 LB, inside or outside depending on what you draft I need playmakers at LB. 2 playmakers away from dominating on both sides of the ball. Vicks ability drops oline from top priority to “we can live with them”.
Andy and Marty get credit for Vick’s transformation. Vick knows it. Look at his actions on the sides.
Reid is underrated, way underrated as a coach, leader of men
For 2011 NFL Draft, Paulmans Priorities by Round
#1) Interior OL (A natural Guard who is versatile and maybe who play Center to replace Wells & Jackson on the Roster in 2011)
#2) CB ( A bigger,physical CB who can match up with today’s big WR’s and be Hobbs & Hanson replacements on the Roster in 2011)
#3) ILB ( A physical,fast downhill MLB who can tackle and cover in pass protection and then slide
S Bradley back outside by 2012)
#4) TE (A more athletic,taller TE who can spilt the Defenses and be effective in the Red-Zone
and who also can block)
#5) OL (Another versatile player who can play multiple postions and is adept at pass-blocking
#6) OLB (Add another Speedster who can pass cover,play special teams
#7) S (Add more depth at Safety for Mickel isn’t getting any younger
@daggolden, I’m with you. I worry this could be a let down game after that monstrous performance and the Giants getting embarrassed at home as well. I hope to God I’m wrong.
daggolden and btc, I do agree that a let down is always possible in this league. A team can look great one week and just bad the next. But here’s what I will say, some times a player just has a special year where there isn’t that big let down. Even if they lose they still played a very good game but the other team just made more plays. And this is usually that player that wins the MVP that year. They didn’t have a bad game all year long even though they didn’t win every game. Tom Brady blazed through the league his MVP season. Manning in all his MVP seasons and Drew Brees last year. So what I am saying is maybe, just maybe Vick can have a special year like that. Sure he will eventually throw an INT and fumble the ball but he is a special player that can still do other things to win you the game. So I agree that let downs are always possible but if any game should have been the let down it was last week. After finally beating Peyton Manning the let down a lot were anticipating was going into DC against McNabb who had just come off a benching and got a new contract. So as hard as it is to predict how good a team will be, it’s equally as hard to predict when a “let down game” is suppose to happen. Just my thoughts.
I think Stew is fine at MLB. Our rush defense is ten times better than it was last year and in recent years, I like to believe Bradley is a big part of that.
Birdo the rush defense sucked this year until Dixon was inserted. I mean Stew I think would be ok a MLB especially 2 years removed from surgery. But Stew isnt dynamic. He gets 0 ints, he gets 0 sacks, he forces 0 turnovers. He is ok. I want a GAME CHANGER at LB. Im sorry just my wishes.
Really Dag? Are we watching the same games?
We held Ryan Grant, Michael Turner, Chris Johnson, Frank Gore, Maurice Jones Drew ALL to 50 yards!! Aside from a few lapses, the rush defense has been LOCK down. Please, spare yourself from talking Eagles football for awhile.
The only game where the rush defense had 2 bad games. Washington the first time and Detroit. Other than that they have been solid and in some games just dominant. They have to keep it up.
One more bad game, Green Bay. Ryan Grant gashed us a couple times before he got injured and then Brandon Jackson finished it off in the 2nd half.
Birdo- Turner, Johnson, Gore were all with Dixon in the lineup. Its been better since Dixon arrived. Actually the Redskins game Monday night the whole defense was just ok. Was it a letdown b/c of score who knows. Im not here to debate how good we are against the run. Is it a crime to want to be better? Face it we have 0 playmakers at LB. It is what it is.
I can name 3 playmakers at LB in the last 20 years for the Eagles. 1 Seth Joyner. 2 William Thomas. 3 Jerimiah Trotter. Thats 3 in 20 years. Am I missing another? This team has 2 playmakers on defense. Samuel and Cole. Coleman will be the 3rd by next year (more on that at a later time). All Im saying is wouldnt it be nice to yes keep Bradley, but add a LB who makes INTs, who can sack the qb, who can force fumbles. A game changer at LB like Samuel at db. Not to much to ask it only makes us better I would think. i honestly believe we have enough offense with Vick. Now lets make this defense over the top and add 4 top picks on defense and a FA stud if possiblle.
Byron Evans also was a playmaker
Birdfo theres nothing Lock Down about this defense. Open your eyes. C Johnson 30 yards rushing=50 year old K Collins 800 yards passing. Britt 1000 yards recieving. F Gore 50 yards rushing=Alex Smith 500 yards passing career high. Best 200 yards rushing 200 yards recieving. The worst offense in the league McNasbb 300 yards passing. 28 points. Should i keep going on? 3 out of 9 games they were LOCK down. Washington 1st game, Falcons and Colts they played well. Lets keep it real.
and don’t forget about the great white hope … LB Mark Simoneau… he was a poor-man’s version of a
playmaker…