For the second preseason game in a row, Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick suffered a hit on his sixth play in the game, which sidelined him for the rest of the contest. Like a week ago, Vick left the field after the play and headed in side to be x-rayed in order to see if he had broken a body part.
This time he was getting his ribs x-rayed, last week it was his left thumb.
Vick had entered the game with an eagerness to get the Eagles offense going. The signal caller wanted to see his offense establish itself with a number of touchdown drives against the Pats. They hadn’t played long or well against the Steelers, so Vick wanted to get into the feel of this game and experience something positive.
He was also thinking about protecting himself, because on his second play in the game, he had taken off on a run and ended it by sliding feet first as a couple of Patriot tacklers approached him.
But, I guess Vick can’t help himself. He’s been able to do things throughout his career that others could only dream of doing, so he always pulls out that Superman cape when a play starts off poorly.
Vick dropped into the pocket on a first and ten play on the Eagles 26-yard line. He was flushed out of the pocket by New England defensive right tackle Kyle Love who beat Birds right guard Evan Mathis immediately after the ball was snapped.
Love’s pressure forced Vick to roll to his right to set up because DeSean Jackson had beaten his man. The Birds had come out in a trips right formation with Brent Celek, Jeremy Maclin and Jackson all lined up to the right side. Jackson was in the middle of Celek and Maclin and the only receiver to Vick’s left side was wide receiver Jason Avant.
Jackson shook the defender covering him and took off streaking downfield. Vick got a glimpse of Jackson coming open deep, but he couldn’t set his feet because Love was coming his way. The lefthander thought about escaping to his left, but rookie defensive end Chandler Jones had gotten upfield and made it impossible to escape that way.
He couldn’t step up because Love was coming at him very hard after having beaten Mathis on his first step. Mathis did a poor job of moving his feet.
Vick looked to his right and considered escaping outside to that side, but Patriots linebacker Jermaine Cunningham was getting upfield to prevent that.
As every split-second of time elapsed, the quarterback was starting to realize that there was no where to go. He could have gotten on the ground and been sacked for a ten-yard loss, but he couldn’t resist trying to get the ball deep to a wide open DeSean Jackson.
Instead of giving up on the play, Vick tried to put on his Superman cape and rescue the play, even though it was merely a preseason game.
He slid to his right as much as possible and fell backwards while throwing the ball, all in one motion. It was the only way he could get rid of the ball before getting hit. Deep down he had to know that he was taking a chance with his health, but the bomb to DeSean was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Birds offense.
For this reason, the former Virginia Tech signal caller couldn’t resist trying to do what he does far too often, make something happen. Amazingly, he was able to throw the football 55 yards in the air, while falling backwards and unable to step into the throw. The ball fell on the turf only a couple of yards away from a wide open Jackson.
After Vick let go of the football, Cunningham buried his helmet into the Eagles quarterback’s left side ribs. Number 7 initially got up after the hit, but before too long, he took a knee when time was called.
The refs have to start protecting Vick like other quarterbacks by calling late hits like that on him. Notice how Cunningham dropped his head to hit him like that. If that had been Tom Brady or Peyton Manning taking that hit, even the replacement refs would have thrown a flag.
That was his last play of the game, and likely his last play this preseason. Of course we later found out his ribs weren’t broken, but he’ll have to undergo a MRI on Tuesday to see if he’s got cartilage damage.
Who knew Gary played at innuendo? But a trusted literary technique betrayed with the first-person reference in the first sentence in “paragraph” 5. Almost a good story telling to that point… and beyond
Lets face it our starting qb is dumb as a door knob.10 years in the league and you would think this idiot would get the picture.He looked horrid on both series. Diving head first into defenders,still looking indecisive in the pocket and forcing throws when they play was already dead because his lineman missed block. He cant read defenses and will never learn he isnt smart.
Is somebody trying to change his game or getting in his ear?if so its only ruining him.He is not a pocket passer and NEVER WILL BE. Start Foles now and realized Vick robbed us just like he did the Falcons and part ways after the season.He will not bring a championship to this city. He is the most overrated qb in the history of the NFL.
There will be enough Vick bashing so I will talk about this pathetic Wide 9 and Juan Castille. Are you kidding me? Andy R is coaching for his job so If I was him I would call Castille in my office and tell him the Wide 9 is dead. It doesnt work here and Ive seen enough. I dont care about a bunch of meaningless sacks because its obvious we cant stop the run in the Wide 9 and get off the field on 3rd downs. Ive also seen enough of Castille. Josh Daniels screened him to death and killed him on 3rd downs with a 2nd team offense. Its time for Juan to go.
Supabad dont mind the criticizm of Vick but its kind of funny that only certain types of QB are called “Dumb”. Why isnt Kolb called “Dumb”? Or 1 playoff win Romo called “Dumb”? Vick just might not be very good. I dont know him personally but in the interviews he doesnt come off sounding “Dumb as a door knob”. Pssst alot of QBs arent gonna win superbowls in thier Cities are they all dumb?
The Eagles’ D did a pretty fabulous job against the run all night. What they had trouble with (early) was on a couple screens (as always), quick hitters to Edelman, and penalties.
The line:
“He slid to his right as much as possible and fell backwards while throwing the ball all in one motion. It was the only way he could get rid of the ball before getting hit. Deep down he had to know that he was taking a chance with his health”
only tells part of the story here. I think the fact that he heaved up an off the back foot jump ball while falling backwards!!
Why do we think Vick is dumb? (aside from his Uni record, wonderlick results, inability to find an accountant to hide his involvement in his criminal activities, etc) This throw is one of the ultimate QB no-nos. Everyone knows this. No QB should ever make this throw. You don’t throw off the back foot. You don’t heave it up when jumping/falling backwards. He’s been told that 50,000 times.
My buddy beside me, a split second after launching that prayer and getting hit, “He’s so stupid”
He may not be dumb (though probably) but it was a pretty dumb play.
Two words…. Nick Foles..make it happen..the future starts now.
unfortunately, he does look dumb. vick has had plenty of time in the league to learn the most basic of lessons. sadly, his ineptitude is only further evidenced by the efficient, methodical, and savvy play of a ROOKIE!!! i believe the only reason he looks so “dumb” is because he is so supremely gifted. other than the forced INT at the end of the half, foles simply took what the defense was giving him and if it wasn’t there he got rid of it…….pretty simple. vick looks “dumb” because he’s a 1st rounder with over a decade of experience in the league and resembles a deer in headlights while he stands in the pocket (for what feels like an eternity), meanwhile a rookie 3rd round pick who was set to be the third or fourth stringer looks immensely superior running the offense. i’m obviously not suggesting foles > vick, but dude is making him look pretty stupid out there.
The play again.
Go take a look at nfl.com or wherever. The LOS was the 26 yrd line. The hit at the 10.
Evans let his man thru. Terrible. Vick came off the play-action and tries to set his feet (he’s 11 yrds back at this point) to see the defender coming up the middle. Now at his point Shady is wide open at the LOS, but I don’t think VIck can see him because he’s 4′ 3″. So what does he do?
Turns left 180 degrees. His back now to the play and runs back another 5 yards before turning left again, facing the DE in his face.
Sees the DE coming and jumps in air, bad throw, gets crushed.
At the 10 yrd line. 16 yrds behind the LOS.
16 yrds.
And I’m reading all over the place how Herremans(it was actually Celek with initial contact on the DE) let the guy through, and he was unblocked. How ridiculous. He gave the guy a push and the DE ran wide and deep. He converged on the pocked 16 yrds downfield. That should be miles out of the play.
I have no idea nor do I care how intelligent Vick is. Unfortunately, its clear to the fans as well as the opposing defensive coordinators that Vick is far more likely to make a mistake than not while under pressure because he still cant beat pressure with a quick release like the top QBs can. The opposing teams learned this after his few spectacular games in 2010. This is superman’s kryptonite. Because he hasn’t yet developed this skill, given his age and experience, I see no reason to believe he will. This will continue to be a major problem with AR / MM’s offense unless they modify their scheme around this with something that Vick can execute well. Unfortunately, a quick release to a slant receiver just doesn’t work with Vick.
I won’t say that he is dumb. But I agree he makes some not so smart decisions. I think part of the problem is that he is relying on his athletic ability because well this has always gotten him by mostly in games against subpar defenses. But he has a few things working against him now. One is his age and the other has to do with what Maybetheycan mentioned which is Defensive Coordinators figuiring out his weaknesses and being able to exploit it. As for Foles, I am very impressed with what I have seen so far from him. At the same time, he’s just starting out and has a lot to learn. He looked good in the preseason but the real test will come once defensive coaches start gameplanning for him. Assuming he gets to start again because we all know Andy Reid by now. Barring serious injuries Reid will not replace Vick as the starter.
Did anyone else notice….after the nice roll-out TD pass to Harbor…..
No QB standing in the middle of the field, turning to the cameras, fist pounding his chest, “me me me!”
Just a look toward Harbor, a nod and a little clap….off to the sidelines where teammates were slapping the back of his helmet while he just kept his head down.
So refreshing.
The author of this story writes “He was also thinking about protecting himself, because on his second play in the game, he had taken off on a run and ended it by sliding feet first as a couple of Patriot tacklers approached him.”
I am pretty certain he slid head first here, which is not giving up on the play, which means he can still get smashed. Can anyone confirm he slid head first? Sure seems to me like he didnt try to protect himself ever, get real, a QB can NEVER EVER turn his back to the play or take his eyes off down field. This guy is a total hamburger.
Vinnie totally agree with Foles being refreshing! Foles has great footwork, goes through his reads, moves around in the pocket, has great touch (no vick/mcnabb bullets), can mix it up with short, medium and long passes… very refreshing, it sure looks like he has a future. Hopefully for his maturation process it begins next year, not this year.
Vinnie – I noticed a bunch of things QB related – I think I saw Foles go through his progressions and check down 4 or 5 times. I think I saw Foles (and Edwards) actually throw the ball away! Has Foles been sacked? Was Foles hit at all other then the very, very cheap hit that got 15 in the 3rd qtr?
As for Vick getting hit – this is the bullshit we talked about all offseason – he was rolling left – take two more steps left and throw the ball into the second row – throw it into te ground 6 yards in front of Avant – THROW IT AWAY – Foles – the ROOKIE – threw two into the bench area…
I noticed the Eagles offense MOVES when Foles is in there…. I also liked how Edwards moves the ball.. some very nice throws..
Nick Foles looked good but he did have a talent advantage on his side against an ambivalent Patriot Defense. The Defense Coordinator did not develop a game plan to attack his weaknesses. Temper your enthusiasm about Foles, he is a 3rd round project.
navy, SUP! After all of Vick’s rhetoric, interviews, supposedly hard work & progression, & all of his verbal diarrhea, it’s the ole $#!T with him. Inaccurate, stupid decisions, refusal to self preserve, inability/ refusal to slide/ go out of bounds/ throw the ball away, & him being made of paper mache. We WILL NOT WIN $#!T with him. He is, was & always will be, nothing more than, a made up ESPN highlight reel, superhero, & a bloated character, of the PS3 Madden games. If all of his lackies, idol worshippers, & apologists can’t see that now, after 11 unsuccessful years, they are a lost cause! BTW, how BAD ARE THESE REPLACEMENT REFS?!?! Get your gear, & get out there! LOL!!!
Trade Rumor’s…
Eagles QB Mike Vick to the Cleveland Browns for Back-up QB Senca Wallace and OLB Chiris Gocong..
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How’s about a case of Gatorade, too!
Bunch of comedians here I see, Brett Farve is a smart QB right? How many play off games ended with him throwing stupid picks? Learn to throw the ball away like Peyton yea he missed an entire season because of taking too many hits. Don’t hear too many critics when Aaron Rodgers uses his legs to make plays, I love Nick Foles but why wasn’t he drafted in round 1? If you don’t like Vick fine but just realize you all sound dumb when you spout off reasons like the ones listed above and by the way he’s dumb enough to be back in the league making millions after all the mistakes he’s made in his life but of course it’s his talent not his smarts. LOL
Biglion, what do all of the QB’s you mentioned have in common, that Vick doesn’t? They actually have won Superbowls & are future HOF QB’s! BTW, FYI, yes he is DUMB, when he refuses to self preserve, refuses to slide & go out of bounds, refuses to just throw the ball away & makes STUPID passes, to attempt to make big plays that aren’t there! Especially, after all off-season, we heard umpteen interviews of him spewing his verbal diarrhea, of how changed he is, how many precautions he needs to make, how an entire off-season will make him better, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!!!! Don’t be an idiot! Have fun rooting for him on another team, after this year. I’m actually sick & tired of his act, with his F^#@ING injuries & stupid play, & am looking forward to when he’s gone. I wan’t a SB, & it’s obvious, that we ain’t going to win with him.
Okay DCar, so if the Eagles win a SB Vick won’t be dumb anymore? Wow I am an Eagles fan I don’t care if Kolb came back and they win I am a fan. If you want I can name a few QB’s that never won a SB that are great your missing the point. Just be honest you don’t like Michael Vick so anything he does is unacceptable. By the way I can think of a QB who doesn’t know how to slide makes dumb passes and when the pressure is on folds like a tent but he’s won two Super Bowls Eli Manning anyone?
Big, the big difference between Sheli & Vick is, Sheli has improved every year, & has led his team to 2 SB’s. 4 words there to remember, “IMPROVED”, “LED”, & “2 SB’s.” Something that Vick will never relate to. I want a SB too, & also could care less, who leads us there. BTW, you are correct, I don’t like Vick, because he IS NOT A GOOD QB, & WE WILL NOT WIN WITH HIM! He is a stubborn SOB, & yes he is DUMB, when he refuses to self preserve, refuses to slide & go out of bounds, refuses to just throw the ball away & makes STUPID passes, to attempt to make big plays that aren’t there! Just saying.
@ Biglion…While appreciate your Eagles loyalty you are blatantly over looking the obvious here. The bottom line is that after almost ten years in the league Michael Vick is essentially the same player he was in Atlanta before all of his legal troubles. He’s not very good at making quick reads or going through progressions, he holds onto the ball too long, tries to often to make plays with his legs instead of standing tall in the pocket, refuses to slide and throw the ball away, and he’s a turnover machine. Does that make him dumb…I don’t know…after ten years you’re still doing the same dumb things so maybe that’s a fair argument to make. Maybe stubborn or arrogant…I think the latter definitely applies. My point is at this stage you know what you’re going to get out of Vick…and it’s not a ring. Why not give the kid a chance at some point and if he crashed and burns at least you know and you set yourself up to hit the reset button next season with a solid draft pick. With weapons the Eagles have on offense all they need is a qb. Imagine if they could have drafted a guy like Andrew Luck with the weapons we have. Oh…and your point about Eli Manning is so absurd I shouldn’t even humor it with a response. Eli folds like a tent? Please tell me you’re joking because you lose all credibility there. The guy has one two super bowls, orchestrated game winnning drives in both, made crazy clutch throws in both said drives, and was MVP of both games. Say what you want about Eli and those head first dives that always result in fumbles and that occasional stuck on stupid look he gets sometimes…kids clutch and he’s a winner unlike our quarterback.
Mike, couldn’t of said it better myself. THANK YOU!
Excellent points MikeD and I agree 1000%.. I would take a Eli Manning ove VIck any day of the week, all the guy does is Win Games & Championships..
Hahaha….@Paulman, you’re right Eli won champs’ all by hisself…not assisted by great catches by teammates or flat out strong defense from his def teammates…Now I do respect Eli’s game don’t get me wrong…
Every year is different. In 2010 when Eli threw over 20 INTs, I dont think there was a day in the week IN 2010 you would of picked him over Vick…Eli rebounded with a strong following year and won a SB behind a strong bunch of teammates. With a 9-7 record at that….
His team peaked at the right time and he played the QB position at a high level when it counted most…
Who knows maybe roles will be reversed this season….
Only time will tell
I never said Eli won by himself did I RT77
Football is the Ultimate Team Sport (similar to Hockey) where you need contributions from the entire team to play well together and gel and play really well when it counts the most. One thing I will say about Eli is that he will be on the field in those big moments for the Giants while Vick has a good chance of missing those moments due to his reckless play and decision making.. Has Eli even missed a game due to injury in his Career yet.. Give me a leader who is out there game in and game out and has the confidence to step up in the 4th Quarter when the games are on the line and Eli has had something like 14/15 4th Quarter TD Passes which led to many comeback victories last Season while Vick usually disappears in the 2nd Half’s of Games.. Can we agree on this…
list of starting qbs I would not take ahead of Vick
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Mark Sanchez
Brandon Weeden
Matt Schaub
Matt Cassell
Carson Palmer
Jay Cutler
Alex Smith
Arizonas QB (kolb or skelton)
I’m pretty sure I would take every other QB in the league for short and long term.
Yep everybody we are all so much more smarter then any QB in the NFL sitting in our living rooms LOL, you guys have no idea the kind of intelligence it takes to even call a play in a huddle let alone audible to another play but let me say this Brett Farve threw more interceptions and some of the dumbest interceptions ever but never did I hear anyone question his smarts just the old gunslinger at work.
Who GAF, about Favre? Only the Nad slurping, talking, chicken heads, on ESPN & NFL Network did. He didn’t do $#!T, for almost the last decade of his career, & was BY FAR, the MOST OVER RATED QB, EVER!!! So don’t get off the topic at hand, by bringing up other QB’s, who have nothing to do with our situation. Vick is a paper mache, stiff, & we WILL NOT WIN WITH HIM!!!! PERIOD!!!!
If you didn’t hear anyone speak badly about Fabre,it’s because you weren’t listening. Fabre sucked for a long time. Deep down every vikes fan knew how that was going to end.
Of course the talking heads on tv kept saying he was great because thAt was their narrative. Doesn’t mean it was true.
It’s same with Vick …last night on nfl network Irvin was rattling on about how great and special Vick is and how the Eagles can’t win without him…..blah. Blah blah…..
Really…..how hard of a task does Foles have replacing the 20th ranked QB in the league ?
Open your eyes. Vick stinks.
To Mhenski
Expect Cutler to have a big Season, I would take him over VIck, with Schaub and Cassell a toss-up .. The Bears are my surprise Team in the NFC to make the Championship Game..
@ Biglion…You were making the suggestion that Eli “folds like a tent” which is not even close to accurate. I don’t think anyone on here is arguing that Eli won those super bowls by himself, football is a team game…but he was clutch when he needed to be and out played one of the best quarterbacks of this era in both games. So please…enough of the Eli talk. You also seem to have Brett Favre on the brain as if everyone on here has all this man love for him. I consider Favre one of the most over rated qbs in the history of the game…more a product of constant media attention and over extending his career. He made plenty of “dumb” mistakes at big moments in games…that lollipop throw to Dawkins in that playoff game back in 2003 always comes to mind. So yes I think Brett Favre made dumb decisions and dumb mistakes and Michael Vick is guilty of both as well. You can determine his brilliance off the field on your own.
@ paulman…I agree with you 100%…I think with the addition of Marshall Cutler has the potential to have a huge season. He was well on his way last year before he got hurt. If he stays healthy I think he and the Bears are going to be dangerous in the North. Good points…glad you put that out there.
Paulman I would never take Cutler over Vick. I agree he may find more success this year but I dont like him as a QB1, I don’t like his decision making, I don’t like his pocket presence, I dont like his footwork at all, he has “happy feet”, I dont like his body language on the field either. His TD to INT ratio is just brutal. He is one QB I would not take over Vick, I really think he is bottom 5 QBs in the league.
With Chicagos brutal offensive line I dont expect him to have a above average year this year, but Marshall will make him look OK…
I am not a big Cutler Fan either Mhenski, though he has torn up the EAgles Defense the last 2 Seasons in games which he had no real #1 WR..
Now you add WR Marshall with a big target in rookie Alshon Jeffrey to go along with Devin Hester, Earl Bennett an the NFL best RB Tandem Tean of Matt Forte & Michael Bush with some young TE’s (Temple’s Evan Rodriquez is looking very good per Camp Reports) and this Offense will score some points
Remember that Mike Tice is now the O/C who took over for the controversial, arrogan Mike MArtz.. Tice runs a very QB friendly and Offeseive System (like he did back in the VIkings days) With the Bears solid Defense and great Special Teams play every season.. I am picking them as a real Dark Horse Team not only to make the PLayoffs, but to have a deep run and are built for playoff success a lot more than the Eagles are from top to bottom..
The fact that I even mentioned Cutler should give you an indication of how confident I feel about QB Vickl leading the Eagles to the promise land or even the Playoffs for that matter…
“despite the fact that the Pats weren’t playing Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski or Wes Welker, New England converted seven of its first 10 third downs, against a defense that had stressed exactly that point.”
“I’m usually a pretty easygoing person,” Jenkins said Wednesday. “There were a lot of emotions going at the time. I felt like we could be playing a lot better. That was the game we were really going to take advantage of as a tuneup.
Keep talking about the QB boys….. keep talking about the QB.
Paulman now that I think about it further bottom 5 qb bottom 10, whats the difference.
Stevo this is a QB league bro. Your QB gets you there. Patriots D was dogshit last year and they went to the superbowl
good point Stevo….penalties and a weakness against screens may leave our defense unable to get off of the field….and as you noted, we were not even facing the best offensive players on the Pats…..imagine how Brady would have handled the wide 9 rush with Gronkowski to dump it too? Vick wouldn’t have gotten hurt because the offense would have had very little time on the field.