Always, always cover them no matter what the formation, for a quarterback run. Vick 0 then.
They lost, Saints won, yippie!
Tip #2: Never, ever, ever pick the Falcons to win at home against the Giants.
Corollary: Never, ever, ever pick the Giants to win at home against the Falcons .
Not that I’m some defensive genius, but for a couple of years I’ve been saying that teams just need to frequently play spy against Atlanta and contain the ends so Vick can’t get to the outside. See what the Eagles did in the NFC Championship game a few years ago.
That’s pretty much what the Giants did to them yesterday.
That’s pretty much why Warrick Dunn ran between the tackles all game long and was picking up about 10 yards per carry, usually about 6 of them before he was even touched. And, yes, his 90 TD run was up the middle.
They’re averaging 232.0 ypg on the ground right now.
So, everyone promoting the idea of keying on Vick every play, don’t get too carried away with that.
Oh, they won all right, but let’s not call that a successful game plan. ATL was terrible on 3rd downs, and they had 377 total yards. They’ll take that much yardage any week. They just couldn’t stop the Giants for shit yesterday. Give them 377 total yards each week, and they’ll be putting up more than 14 points.
Vick traditionally has a completeion percentage and QB rating in the lower 25% of starting quarterbacks, yet he makes 10 mil and is considered a star- why, because he can run? A QB is supposed to throw, I thought- if he is such agood runner, make him a friggin running back.
They still keep waiting for him to develop into a great QB. He’s in his 6th year…I say it ain’t happening. If the Falcons were smart, they’d dump Vick on some schlubs like the Raiders and start Schaub.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/VickMi00.htm
Vick’s a winner. 2002 he plays in 15 games, they go to the playoffs and win one.
2003, he’s hurt. No playoffs.
2004, he plays in 15 games, they go to the playoffs and win one.
That’s just about all I need to know right there.
2005, he played in 15 games and they finished 8-8. Right now, they’re 3-2 with a road win at Carolina, and losses to the 3-2 Giants, and the 5-1 Saints.
Vick doesn’t put up numbers like other QBs, but it’s the need for defenses to adjust to his strengths that make it possible for Warrick Dunn to gain 150 yards through the teeth of the defense.
Vick is a jersey-seller.
Even though Rush Limbaugh got canned for this and was talking about McNabb, I think this fits perfectly for Vick:
“Sorry to say this, I don’t think he’s been that good from the get-go. I think what we’ve had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn’t deserve. The defense carried this team.”
That’s the key here – Start Matt Schaub, and the Falcons win probably two games that they’ll lose with Vick.
Start Matt Schaub, and the Georgia Dome will have several thousand empty seats that would’ve been filled had Vick started.
Guess which situation Arthur Blank prefers?
You really think Schaub’s presumably better passing skills more than make up for Vick’s scrambling advantage?
Frankly, that was crap then and, IMHO crap now. Nothing personal to you at all - I am referring to the generic assertion that the NFL has “hope invested in promoting a black QB.”
Look, this is about Vick being a black QB - it’s about him being a running QB. People may want to link running with being black, but tell that to Tarkington, Steve Young, Bobby Douglas, etc.
There is always a struggle with how a running QB fits in the NFL. Because Vick is such a superb athlete - regardless of his skin tone - folks thought that he might be the one to reinvent the position. But that hasn’t happened.
Sometimes this stuff works - look at the emergence of the Super-Big-Ginormous wide receivers over the past few years, where if the guy wasn’t 6’6" and big, the teams weren’t interested. Sometimes those trends take root and that is the new standard for the position. Sometimes, though, what goes around comes around - and pint-size Steve Smith is bring the small back to the WR position at Charlotte. And players like Tom Brady and Chad Pennington are showing how a traditional pocket passer can still work in the NFL…
Oh, and apropos of nothing at all - Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot.
“this is NOT about Vick being a black QB” - NOT, NOT, NOT!!! :smack:
I even previewed but missed this…
Again, on re-read, I want to stress that there is nothing personal about this to you Hubzilla - sorry if it reads that way to you…
I didn’t take it that way. It can be hard to input race into a dialogue without being accused of racism. One of the most annoying hijacks I find in illegal immigration discussions is “admit it, you don’t want all these brown people coming in”.
Statistically-wise, I do see Vick as an underperforming QB, yet I see him in a lot of commercials and jerseys in the mall.
Can anyone name one running quarteback with questionable passing skills who has had big success in the NFL? Steve Young was also great passer. Guys like Vick, Bobby Douglass, Tobin Rote, Randall Cunningham may get you to the playoffs now and then, but not much further without the passing skills. And Vick being hurt a lot, being a running quarterback contributes to that, as he is taking hits other quarterbacks don’t take. And why is a running quarterback getting sacked seven times, as Vick did yesterday?
But I totally agree race is not the issue, it is him being a running quarterback. But I also agree that benching him for Schaub may impact the amount of fans in the stands- many fans prefer excitement over wins.
You don’t view Randall Cunningham as having “big” success in the NFL? Weird. What’s your standard?
Super Bowl trip?
That’s a high standard. I’m sure Warren Moon, Dan Marino, and Peyton Manning, among others, would be crushed to hear that they didn’t have big success in the NFL.
I was a big fan of Vicks,but his throwing sucks. He misses too damn many receivers that are open.
I love his running ,but I thought his passing would improve. It is difficult to defend him when his passing is on . That is getting rarer and rarer though.
I bet Moon and Marino would trade every stat for a Super Bowl ring- right or wrong, it’s how QB’s are defined. Ask Manning if his 49 td’s make him feel good about not winning a Super Bowl. And in Manning’s case, it may actually mean more- he didn’t win in college either, and a year after he left, a QB who couldn’t make it as an NFL third stringer wins it all! At least Moon has CFL titles and Marion won in college.
You would think the Titans would know better than to draft Vince Young at #3, who is just like Vick except taller, bigger and a worse thrower.