The NFL needs to get off of Vick's jock.

[Dave Gray]

I know we've all done our bitching about Vick, but after reading NFL.com's latest headline, I shit myself, and now I have to get a new office chair.  It said something along the lines of Vick's performance in the Pro Bowl reminding us that he was a force.

To be fair, I didn't watch the entire Pro Bowl, but what I saw from Vick was absolute trash.  I saw him complete a 50 yard pass falling down, where Larry Fitzgerald came back to the ball, double covered, and made a disgusting play to not only save the sure INT, but to make the catch.

Vick made a poor decision, and a crappy throw on top of it.  ...and then he almost got picked again throwing at the goal line.

I think I watched two drives total or his performance.  ...did he end up pulling some babies out of burning buildings when I turned my head?

[Brian Fein]

I have been a Vick apologist on these forums in the past.  I like watching the guy, I think he's exciting to watch.

Now, that said...

Vick, tonight, was horrid.  I watched most of the game.  I flipped it on in the 2nd quarter when the score was 10-7.  I saw Vick and Manning exchange picks back and forth, and I saw Vick overthrow man after man downfield.  I saw one nice throw to Crumpler at the end of the half, where Crumpler had to make an amazing catch for the TD.

That was it.

He's good, but he's not a "force in the NFL"

Would I take him if he wanted to be a Dolphin?  In a second.  The guy makes plays, period.  He's above average as an athletic talent, and can make things happen on the field, but he's not the league's elite QB. 

But, considering that Jake Delhomme and Trent Green were also out there, I think Vick absolutely belonged in Honolulu.

[Frimp]

I cant believe they said anything good about ANY of the QB's play today.

Manning, 13 of 26 for 139 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Green, 5 of 11 for 30 yards, 0 TD, 1 pick 6
McNair, 2 of 8 for 25 yards, 0 TD, 2 fumbles, both lost.

Hasselbeck, 10 of 17 for 85 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Vick, 4 of 12, 69 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Delhomme, 7 of 10 for 53 yards, 0/0

[crazy_scar_man]

Looks like Delhomme made the most of his chances.

[Dave Gray]

Manning had protection problems.


 

[crazy_scar_man]

How in the hell did McNair make it into that group? Alot of people that vote for the pro bowl remind me of that one guy every fantasy football season that inevitably drafts an all star team from years past.

[Frimp]

Rothlesberger, Brady, Plummer and Palmer were all hurt.

[run_to_win]

Manning had protection problems.

 

[run_to_win]

Vick is a force .... as a runner.  He'd be lucky to win 4-5 games a year if you took away his mobility.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Final score:  NFC 23   AFC 17

Are you seeing what I am seeing.... a defensive battle in the Pro Bowl??  Since when does this happen???

[jtex316]

Vick is a force...as a runner.

Yeah but he's a shit Quarterback.  Like I said in another post, he'll be out of the NFL by the end of the 2007 NFL season.  Since joining the league, he has not improved on anything, and has just been told to "run the system" (typical Mora family coaching right there).

Mike Vick has too much of an ego to adapt to become an actual winning QB, and by the end of 2007, he'll be gone from the NFL, or at best a backup QB.

[Brian Fein]

Final score: NFC 23 AFC 17

Are you seeing what I am seeing.... a defensive battle in the Pro Bowl?? Since when does this happen???

if by "defensive battle" you mean "QB's that can't throw to their own team," then yes, it was a defensive battle.

[ADeadSmitty]

I have ripped Vick before and still think he is overrated, but I would say this in his defense: Part of the reason he consistently underachieves compared to his physical talent is that it is difficult to design an offensive system that takes full advantage of his abilities. The easy cliche for Mark Schlereth to spit out is "Michael Vick is a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators." Probably true. However, Vick is also very difficult on his own offensive coordinator. Most modern offensive schemes are designed around short, controlled passes. This is precisely what Vick is not good at. If an option-based attack like a wishbone or (super old school) single wing was a realistic possibility in the NFL, Vick would be a dominant player. He is as fast and agile as the most elusive running backs, and has the cannon to loft the ball over defenses.

However these schemes in general just do not work in the pros because defenses are too fast and sophisticated. A lot of Vick's abilities go to waste simply because, the way the modern game has evolved, they're not the most important abilities for a quarterback to have. So it's not that surprising that Vick doesn't really perform at the level suggested by his awesome physical talent.

[run_to_win]

Smitty, in your opinion, does Vick's awesome physcial talent include the ability to consistently throw the ball accurately?

[ADeadSmitty]

Smitty, in your opinion, does Vick's awesome physcial talent include the ability to consistently throw the ball accurately?

Nope. Hence, he cannot really run modern offenses the way most NFL teams have them set up.

However, he is amazingly fast and agile, and has a gun for an arm. My point was, that's not actually worth as much as you'd first think, given modern game plans.