-- Michael Vick was spectacular Sunday, but you already knew he could do spectacular. A year ago, maybe, if he'd thrown two touchdown passes and rushed for 98 yards in the same game, it might have been big news. Instead, it's just Vick being Vick -- the game's most athletic quarterback showing off his inimitable ability to turn a busted or well-covered play into a 15-yard run for a first down.
But if you're a Philadelphia Eagles fan, what should make you happier than anything he did on the field is what Vick said after the Eagles' 31-13 victory over the Rams.
"The only thing I can dwell on right now is the stuff we didn't do well," Vick said. "I'm thankful for the victory, don't get me wrong. I just wish it could have been a little cleaner. But that's what it's about. It's work."
Vick sounded like a coach right there -- deflecting a question about how well he, DeSean Jacksonand LeSean McCoy looked in rolling up 404 yards of total offense against the Rams and talking instead of things that could have gone better. Didn't sound like the "Nobody can design an offense to stop me" guy from whom we've been hearing so much in recent interviews. That was aPeyton Manning kind of thing to say -- the part about wishing things had been cleaner. And it tells you a lot about where Vick is right now in his career and where he intends to go.
"In years past, he might have gone out there and played on athletic ability alone," Eagles guard Evan Mathis said. "But now they're giving him more responsibility, and the more responsibility he takes on, the better that makes him and the better that makes us."
For example: This year, Vick is allowed to call the offensive line protection -- and to change it up on a given play if he sees something in the defense that dictates that he should. That's new this year. It's something new offensive line coach Howard Mudd likes quarterbacks to be able to do, and Eagles head coach Andy Reid said it's part of Vick's continued development as a quarterback. Reid said the coaching staff loaded Vick up with tape and information on protection and opponent blitzes from last year and that Vick's lockout assignment was to study it. And once training camp started, Mathis said, there was a heavy emphasis on strategy and game plan, with Vick taking a leading role in the meeting rooms.
Sunday was the first real-game action since Vick began to take on all of this new responsibility, and there were a couple of times when it looked like a work in progress. Reid had to call a timeout in the first half when Vick appeared to call the wrong protection. But in general, the reviews were good.
"I think he did well with it," Reid said. "They threw a bunch of different looks at him and he was able to make some adjustments and handle it well, I thought."
Vick said his rushing-yards total was a direct result of the Rams' decision to send extra defenders after him. If there's a blitzing linebacker or defensive back for whom he's accountable, sometimes the best way to account for him is to take off and run. Vick obviously has an unusual ability to do that, and after the game he said he felt better and faster and quicker than he ever has before -- and that he'd welcome other teams to keep blitzing if that's what they feel is the best way to defend him.
"If teams want to do that each and every week, we have ways to stop it, and that's part of the reason I was able to run for 100 yards," Vick said. "It felt great just to know I can go out and play lights-out. I trained very hard this offseason, and I feel like I could play another four quarters right now."
Which has to be great for Vick, the Eagles and their fans to know. But even more encouraging has to be knowing how hard Vick has been working on the off-field aspects of his game -- at improving his craft and getting better at things that will make him a better quarterback and team leader.
"It's fun, studying all that and being out there working on picking up the blitz and trying to figure out what other teams are trying to do," Vick said. "We could have had more success with it than we did today, but it's only going to get better and help us as the season goes along."
We all know Vick can be spectacular. We've seen it for years, and we saw it again Sunday. There are plays that just look unfair sometimes -- plays when everyone is covered and the defense has done absolutely all it can do but Vick still just takes off and runs for the yards he needs. His physical ability isn't just something other teams can't stop -- it's something for which they can't practice, because they can't simulate his speed.
But the thing that will determine Vick's ultimate legacy as a quarterback is whether he views the position as a craft to be honed, and how hard he's willing to work at the mundane aspects of honing it. If he's committed to something like working in tandem with his offensive line, reading opposing defenses and calling the protections at the line, that means he's still willing and eager to develop as a quarterback, even at this stage in his career, and even in the wake of his big new contract.
And if you're an Eagles fan, that should be just as exciting as anything Vick did on the field Sunday.
You are Daily Visitor #.....
Monday, September 12, 2011
ALL EYES ON VICK
Thursday, September 8, 2011
New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers Preview
An enormous banner not far from Lambeau Field features the last two Super Bowl MVPs -- Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
Not too long ago, it was far from certain that this glamorous matchup of the past two Super Bowl champions would take place.
But a tumultuous offseason has finally given rise to this star-studded NFL season opener at Lambeau, with Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers taking on Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.
"It's great to be able to celebrate the return of football. It was a rough offseason with the lockout," Rodgers said. "The fans, I'm sure, were wondering if there was going to be football."
The lockout created a mad scramble among the league's 32 teams to get ready for 2011. Those teams are all targeting Green Bay after Rodgers guided the franchise to its fourth Super Bowl title by throwing for nine touchdowns and 1,094 yards in the Packers' four-game postseason run.
"We're a confident bunch," wide receiver James Jones said. "We truly don't pay attention to who everybody gets, we truly don't care who everybody gets. We believe when we step on that field we're going to win the game, no matter who it is."
Coach Mike McCarthy is dealing with a new set of distractions for his defending champions, starting with the NFL's mammoth pregame concert with Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5 -- stars not usually associated with small-town Green Bay.
"I think it's the highest compliment to your football team and your organization (to play in this game), but after the smoke clears and the celebration stops, it's a football game," McCarthy said. "This is a celebration for our fans. That's the way I look at it.
"I look forward to playing the Saints. This is the Packers versus the Saints. We're really focused on the game."
Brees and the Saints won't be awed by the festive atmosphere. This is the third time in five years they'll be playing in the league opener, having defeated Minnesota last year in New Orleans and losing at Indianapolis in 2007.
"We've experienced that from a home aspect standpoint, we've experienced it already as an away team," said coach Sean Payton, whose contract was extended through 2015 on Monday. "That first game always has that added excitement about it."
Brees put together his third straight season with at least 33 touchdowns in 2010, leading the NFC with 4,620 passing yards and helping New Orleans go 11-5 to return to the playoffs. The Saints, however, were stunned by Seattle in their first postseason game in their bid to repeat.
They know exactly what the Packers are going through this week.
"The emotions are high, obviously," Brees said. "The NFL does a lot in and around the game with media and the entertainment and all the stuff. It's the kickoff to the season, so the fans and everybody are excited to start the season.
"(If) you're the defending Super Bowl champs, they're going to unveil the flag saying they're the champs. It's a special feeling."
Brees tried to minimize the effect of the lockout by holding players-only workouts that reportedly were the best-attended among all teams.
"We got a lot of young guys ahead of the curve during that process so that walking into camp, it's not that big of a shock to them when they get the playbook and it's that thick and they haven't had a chance to really look at it," Brees said.
"I feel like we've been together because, in reality, we were together."
He'll get a chance to hand off to former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, drafted with the 28th overall pick. Ingram will replace another player who won the Heisman in Reggie Bush, who was traded to Miami.
The Packers went 10-6 for a wild-card berth last year, and they could be even better with some key players back healthy. Dynamic tight end Jermichael Finleyand starting running back Ryan Grant are among that group.
"The drive we've got in this locker room is amazing," Finley said. "I think this is going to be a special team right here."
It all starts with Rodgers, who finally put aside the doubts about whether he could replace Brett Favre by leading the Packers to the same amount of Super Bowl victories as the former legend.
"Whether we give or don't give different looks, Aaron Rodgers is a smart guy," Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "He'll figure it out before the end of the game."
ESPN/NFL television deal keeps MNF on network through 2021
ESPN and the NFL announced an eight-year rights extension on Thursday that will keep Monday Night Football on ESPN through 2021 and will increase the number of NFL-related shows on the network significantly.
The agreement, which begins in 2014 at the end of the current deal, also includes more broadband rights for ESPN.com and ESPN mobile platforms, increased international rights and the option to carry a wild-card playoff game on ESPN if the NFL decides to.
ESPN's weekly NFL programming lineup, thanks to a new eight-year programming deal announced Thursday:The agreement includes 17 Monday Night Football games a season through 2021, an additional 500 hours of new NFL-branded studio programming (beginning immediately), extra highlights on all platforms, coverage of the Pro Bowl and NFL draft, the ability to show Monday Night Football and NFL studio programming on the WatchESPN app, and rights for ESPN Deportes and international networks, including regular season, playoff games and the Super Bowl in 144 countries.
ESPN first agreed to a deal with the NFL in 1980 to cover the draft. It started covering regular-season games in 1987 with Sunday Night Football and moved to Monday Night Football in 2006. Eight of the top 10 programs in cable history (excluding breaking news) were NFL games on ESPN.
"Today, we've secured cable's most valuable television franchise, along with an enhanced international package of year-round multimedia rights," said ESPN/ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer. "It will help grow our business well into the next decade. No one has the breadth of worldwide media assets or the ability to monetize a property the way ESPN can, particularly with Monday Night Football and our complete NFL coverage."
Among the immediate additional NFL offerings on ESPN will be an extra hour of Sunday NFL Countdown, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Sept. 11. In addition, NFL Live will expand to an hour each day throughout the year, beginning at 4 p.m. ET.
A new daily show -- "NFL 32" -- debuts on Tuesday, Sept. 13 on ESPN2. Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen, along with other analysts, will dissect the biggest topics of the day from all 32 NFL teams.
"NFL Kickoff" begins on Friday, Sept. 16 on ESPN2, and will help set up the weekend with a look at every matchup.
"Audibles," which debuted on a limited-run basis last year, will be a Thursday night staple on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET and will feature new ESPN NFL analyst Jerry Rice along with Steve Young, Keyshawn Johnson, Herm Edwards and Trent Dilfer.
There will be additional NFL highlights on nearly 30 additional ESPN shows, plus ESPN.com and Mobile ESPN.com.
"We are proud to extend our three-decade partnership with ESPN," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. "We have come a long way together since ESPN first televised the NFL draft in 1980. With this new agreement we are excited about the opportunity to take the NFL-ESPN partnership to innovative new heights in serving the most passionate fans in sports."
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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