Posted on 10/20/2006 3:21:14 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
Battered Vick questions role after Falcons loss
ESPN.com news services
Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is beat up and sounds a little fed up after last Sunday's 27-14 loss to the Giants.
Vick returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday's session with a sore shoulder, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The newspaper said the quarterback taped a session of Inside the NFL for HBO and told host Cris Carter that getting sacked a career-high seven times by the Giants got to him.
"It's the worst I ever felt," Vick told Carter.
During the interview, Vick blamed the game plan for the beating the Falcons took.
"You've got to throw the ball sometimes," Vick said. "You can't just line up and run the ball every time on first and second down. Teams key in on that and they have coaches, too. We're going to have to throw it more ... Coach [Jim Mora] is going have to trust in me to get it done and I'm up to the challenge to get it done."
Carter asked Vick if his old coach, Dan Reeves, was better for his game.
Vick answered: "When Reeves was here, I was 50 yards shy of 3,000 yards passing, and I was among top 15 in passing in NFL. Coach Reeves, he believed in me and gave me a chance to throw the football."
The frustrated quarterback didn't stop at questioning the coaching staff. He also wondered if he'd be better off with different teammates, specifically at wide receiver.
Carter threw out names like Chad Johnson and Randy Moss, and Vick said, "Or a Marvin Harrison. ... I always think about that, Cris. I always think, if I played in Indianapolis, what type of effect would I have on that team? Or what would I be able to do different? It's something I wish I could do for just one week."
There are 32 teams, so he was around the middle of the pack. I think Reeves was a good coach, but Vick must have believed the hype coming out of college. I'm surprised he's lasted this long. Good runner, but not a good passer. He's not very big, and teams have figured out they can play the run and he'll only beat them passing by accident.
A player and an organization have never deserved each other more.
I agree but I don't think Blank would ever allow McKay to trade him.
The Falcons' recievers are terrible though - they drop balls, run poor routes and deflect balls to create interceptions. I don't blame him for having zero faith in them besides Alge Crumpler.
This is a hard issue for those that don't follow the Falcons to grasp since the reflexive comment is just "Vick should be a WR".
The Falcons OL is terrible at pass blocking. They are decent at run blocking because of their chopblocking scheme. Most of the line are cast offs from from other teams. Vick's running also augments the running totals which makes the OL look much better than it is.
Greg Knapp, the offensive coordinator, needs to go. He hasn't worked out anywhere he's been.
I held off judgment on him when he was drafted because I wanted to see how he would develop as a passer. He hasn't progressed very much.
One more week like that one and the cry will be "RACISM!!!"
My aunt asked me last week if Randy Moss had been kicked out of the league because she hadn't seen him for a while. I said no he's suffered a much worse fate.
He has actually gone backwards with the new coaching staff. If a running back gains 1,200 yds one season and then a new staff comes in and he gains only 500 would you blame the player or the new scheme?
To be fair, I do believe that Mora and his staff are superior to Reeves and his staff with the exception of the offensive coordinator. Vick is never going to be a Peyton Manning but everyone knew that, but he could become a McNabb.
The problem is that he has regressed almost every year under this coaching staff.
Do you find that when the receivers aren't open his first instinct is to run rather than use his legs to buy more time for the receivers to get open?
The Falcons could afford a premiere FA WR if Vick wasn't so highly paid.
His problem is that he can't throw the deep ball with any accuracy, which limits the options for the OC.
That is really his only choice as his offensive line is terrible at pass protection. He rarely has any time to sit back and progress through the reads. His only choice is to throw to the primary receiver, run around or get plastered.
To be clear, I'm am not saying that he will ever be a Dan Marino or Peyton Manning. If Vick didn't have wheels then he'd look just like Kurt Warner back there and be out of the league in 2 years.
Put Tom Brady behind Atlanta's line and he would be out of the league in less than two years too.
And for those calling for Matt Schaub - he has a lower completion percentage than Vick does.
The last two games he has thrown deep balls to his recievers that hit them in the hands and they dropped it.
Michael Jenkins is a fine receiver. You just need to have the skill to get it to him. Vick is delusional if he thinks he is a QB. The whole Falcons organization is. He is a Reggie Bush type of player and only would make his team better if used that way.
They should trade him for Ron Mexico.
He's never going to live that down.
All Ron Mexico needs is a few more Alge Crumplers and for all for Alges to run patterns no more than 10 yeards downfield.
Most overrated quarterback. Ever.
The NFL has a hit squad that takes out those who speak of the relationship between Michael Vick and Ron Mexico. Be right back......gotta lock the door.......
Don't you mean zone blocking scheme? Because chop blocks are, you know, illegal.
Including Rex Grossman???
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