It had been nearly three years since Michael Vick scored a touchdown. He thought about the feeling often, wondering first if he’d ever get to do it again, and then, what he’d do if he actually got into the end zone. He thought about throwing the ball to one of his linemen, maybe a little dance. But when that time came Thursday night against the New York Jets, Vick simply did nothing.
Vick, who said his mind went blank after rushing two yards for the score, acted exactly like he should have. He didn’t put together an elaborate end zone number or bring his finger to his mouth to tell the crowd to be quiet. Instead, he just walked off the field.
It’s best that Vick keeps a low profile for the time being. After all, that score came just hours after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced he could begin play during the regular season in Week 3. Vick told me there were no surprises that came out that sit-down.
“It was a great meeting. As I expected, we talked about some things and basically he didn’t make his decision at that point in time, but I felt that was going to be the outcome,” he said. “I’ve been doing everything I could; I’ve been trying to do the right things to make sure that I stay on course and I’m happy with the decision.”
Vick said the commissioner called Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who was also at the meeting in New York, about three hours later to notify him of the ruling. It was with that question mark being removed above his head that Vick was able to play for a purpose, a place in time to continue on the path to resurrect his career.
As expected, Reid used Vick plenty in Thursday’s preseason game., which the Eagles lost 38-27. While the Jets played most of their starters for at least one series, the Eagles sat theirs, notably quarterback Donovan McNabb, DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook.
The Eagles first used Vick three plays into the game in a wildcat formation. Amid a half-stadium full of boos, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback ran up the middle for two yards. He’d play one more down on that series, this time for a one-yard loss on the ground.
Over the course of the night, Vick showed signs of his old self. There were other times when he looked like a free agent rookie playing against the number-one defense in the NFL. Two fumbles, an interception and four sacks definitely shows that Vick is less than the “90 percent” ready he feels right now.
The 11th year Eagles coach gave Vick control of the offense for much of the third quarter and some of the fourth. It was the first time Vick led an NFL offense on multiple series since December 31, 2006, when the Falcons played the Eagles.
“I thought it was great to get him the work,” Reid said. “He hadn’t played in a long time with that many snaps back to back. It was good to get him in there. I’m sure he’ll be a little sore tomorrow, but he’ll have a couple of weeks to recover from it.”
There was some good, however. Through the air, Vick was 7-for-11 with 26 yards. On the ground, he ran for 35 yards on seven carries, including that touchdown. It wasn’t a performance that left you in awe, rather it was encouraging.
Reid is now faced with a tough decision. Backup quarterback Kevin Kolb is a lock to make the roster, as is Vick. That leaves longtime Eagle A.J. Feeley as the odd man out. Feeley isn’t going to the practice squad, which leaves the team with two options: carry four quarterbacks or trade Feeley. The latter seems more likely.
Kolb had a nice game, completing eight of 10 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. More impressive, however, was the score he led to open the game. Philadelphia drove 79 yards on eight plays, including two defensive pass interference calls on the Jets, to go up 7-0.
“That was nice because obviously that was their first defense. We were pretty pumped when we heard that they were going to come out in the first series,” Kolb said. “It was nice to get off to a start like that. Somebody told me later on that that was our first series this year that we’ve had a first down and gone down and scored on it so to have both of those in the same game against the number-one D is nice.”
There are a number of encouraging signs for the Eagles heading into the regular season. One of them is that, come Week 3, they are a better team with Vick on the field. It’s almost a given that he will never play at the same level he once did, but the former Pro Bowler is still a threat. Opposing defenses are going to look clueless at times as to what type of play is being run when Vick steps on the turf – the Jets looked this way at points last night.
Vick still has a lot to prove on and off the field, but from the way it appears, this could be a win for the Eagles where it counts: the standings.
It had been nearly three years since Michael Vick scored a touchdown. He thought about the feeling often, wondering first if he’d ever get to do it again, and then, what he’d do if he actually got into the end zone. He thought about throwing the ball to one of his linemen, maybe a little dance. But when that time came Thursday night against the New York Jets, Vick simply did nothing.
Vick, who said his mind went blank after rushing two yards for the score, acted exactly like he should have. He didn’t put together an elaborate end zone number or bring his finger to his mouth to tell the crowd to be quiet. Instead, he just walked off the field.
It’s best that Vick keeps a low profile for the time being. After all, that score came just hours after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced he could begin play during the regular season in Week 3. Vick told me there were no surprises that came out that sit-down.
“It was a great meeting. As I expected, we talked about some things and basically he didn’t make his decision at that point in time, but I felt that was going to be the outcome,” he said. “I’ve been doing everything I could; I’ve been trying to do the right things to make sure that I stay on course and I’m happy with the decision.”
Vick said the commissioner called Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who was also at the meeting in New York, about three hours later to notify him of the ruling. It was with that question mark being removed above his head that Vick was able to play for a purpose, a place in time to continue on the path to resurrect his career.
As expected, Reid used Vick plenty in Thursday’s game. While the Jets played most of their starters for at least one series, the Eagles sat theirs, notably quarterback Donovan McNabb, DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook.
The Eagles first used Vick three plays into the game in a wildcat formation. Amid a half-stadium full of boos, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback ran up the middle for two yards. He’d play one more down on that series, this time for a one-yard loss on the ground.
Over the course of the night, Vick showed signs of his old self. There were other times when he looked like a free agent rookie playing against the number-one defense in the NFL. Two fumbles, an interception and four sacks definitely shows that Vick is less than the “90 percent” ready he feels right now.
The 11th year Eagles coach gave Vick control of the offense for much of the third quarter and some of the fourth. It was the first time Vick led an NFL offense on multiple series since December 31, 2006, when the Falcons played the Eagles.
“I thought it was great to get him the work,” Reid said. “He hadn’t played in a long time with that many snaps back to back. It was good to get him in there. I’m sure he’ll be a little sore tomorrow, but he’ll have a couple of weeks to recover from it.”
There was some good, however. Through the air, Vick was 7-for-11 with 26 yards. On the ground, he ran for 35 yards on seven carries, including that touchdown. It wasn’t a performance that left you in awe, rather it was encouraging.
Reid is now faced with a tough decision. Backup quarterback Kevin Kolb is a lock to make the roster, as is Vick. That leaves longtime Eagle A.J. Feeley as the odd man out. Feeley isn’t going to the practice squad, which leaves the team with two options: carry four quarterbacks or trade Feeley. The latter seems more likely.
Kolb had a nice game, completing eight of 10 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. More impressive, however, was the score he led to open the game. Philadelphia drove 79 yards on eight plays, including two defensive pass interference calls on the Jets, to go up 7-0.
“That was nice because obviously that was their first defense. We were pretty pumped when we heard that they were going to come out in the first series,” Kolb said. “It was nice to get off to a start like that. Somebody told me later on that that was our first series this year that we’ve had a first down and gone down and scored on it so to have both of those in the same game against the number-one D is nice.”
There are a number of encouraging signs for the Eagles heading into the regular season. One of them is that, come Week 3, they are a better team with Vick on the field. It’s almost a given that he will never play at the same level he once did, but the former Pro Bowler is still a threat. Opposing defenses are going to look clueless at times as to what type of play is being run when Vick steps on the turf – the Jets looked this way at points last night.
Vick still has a lot to prove on and off the field, but from the way it appears, this could be a win for the Eagles where it counts: the standings.
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