Michael Vick's Odd Relationship With The Media

When then Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick was drafted #1 by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001, there was a new found excitement in the Atlanta area. When he played sparingly in his rookie season, the excitement grew, amongst fans, players, the league, and the media.

This excitement expanded further when Vick was pushed into a full-time starting role in the 2002 season, ran for 777 yards, threw 16 touchdowns, and lead the Falcons to a 9-6-1 record and a playoff spot. In the first round, Vick lead Atlanta to a win over the Packers at Lambeau Field. It was the first recorded playoff loss for the Packers at their home stadium.

But, since then, the critics have been harsh and angry with Vick. He got injured in 2003 in the final pre-season game for the Falcons, breaking a bone in his leg. Atlanta went 2-10 without him, before he burst out onto the field and aided the Falcons to finish the season off by winning three of their final four games.

Even though, it was apparent how important and valuable Vick was to the team, critics bashed his playing style and claimed that he needed to be a pocket passing quarterback to prevent such injuries that occurred in the preseason game.

In 2004, Vick played all but two of the final three games, because Atlanta had already secured a first-round by in the playoffs. During the season, he ran for over 900 yards and lead Atlanta to an overall record of 11-5 (11-3 when he started) and a first-round by in the playoffs. They faced St. Louis in the second round and dominated from start to finish. On one of the first plays from scrimmage, Vick ran a designed run play to the outside, danced around in the backfield, before finding a microscopic hole, which he darted through. So, they were off to the NFC Title game, where they played competitively for three quarters, but got knocked out in the 4th.

Not too much was being said then about Vick, but there were still complaints regarding how he ran the ball too much.

In 2005, Atlanta started the season off with a record of 6-2 and looked poised to make another run for the NFC Title Game, but fell apart in the second half of the season, to finish at 8-8. Vick played all but one game and ran for approximately 600 yards, along with throwing for 15 touchdowns. What did the critics gripe about this year? Him not running enough.

Now, I read reports that the pressure is all on him this season and that he didn't produce last season, that he was a disappointment last year. What do they expect this guy to do? To scramble around in the backfield for a few minutes, making everybody miss and then heaving the ball 100 yards for a touchdown?

I completely agree that Vick needs to find some chemistry with his two young receivers, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins, but give credit where credit is due. The Atlanta Falcons have lead the league in rushing (by a long shot) the past two seasons and it's not all because of their tailbacks, Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett. Dunn is a very solid football player, but he can only take so many licks in a game and a season. Duckett is a solid #2 back. But, I guarantee you, if Kurt Warner was quarterback of the Falcons, Atlanta would not be the top rushing offense in the league. Many of the holes that open up for the backs are due to the defense keeping an eye on the quarterback, Michael Vick. If Vick wasn't there, not nearly as many holes would open up for Dunn and Duckett. Atlanta has that part of their offense down pat, along with Vick's chemistry with tight end Alge Crumpler and veteran wideout Brian Finneran. He just needs to work on finding chemistry with the two young receivers.

Also, here's a quick stat for the sports' "experts." Atlanta scored 351 points last season. That's an average of 22 points per game. For an entire season, that's very solid, especially for a run-dominated offense. The problem? The defense allowed 341 points last season, an average of almost 21.5 points a contest. It's hard to win 10 games if the defense is giving up over three touchdowns a game.

Until last season, Indianapolis' defense was asleep and the Colts had to score four to five touchdowns on a weekly basis to win their games. Because they didn't finish up top or beat the Pats in the playoffs, can we blame Peyton Manning for that? Edgerrin James? Marvin Harrison? Reggie Wayne? No. It's a team sport. If the offense does their job, the defense has to do their job and vice versa. Is it Brett Favre's fault that his offense was banged up last year, with star wideout Javon Walker and tailback Ahman Green hurt early and often? No. Just as it's not Vick's fault that the defense was banged up all last year and often times, it showed on the field.

Wake up. Michael Vick is never going to be a Dan Marino. Whoever expects him to be like that will forever be disappointed. He's not a drop-back passer, just as Peyton Manning isn't a scrambler. While Vick does need to improve some (3-4 percentage points) on his accuracy and needs to build chemistry with his young receivers, the guy simply needs to be himself out there and lead the team to victory. It seems like some people expect him to do everything on a single play and that's not possible. I think many have gotten spoiled with what Vick brings to the table on a weekly basis and anything less than exciting becomes a disappointment. If Jordan didn't hit a big shot or if Vince Carter didn't throw down a crazy dunk on a given night, some would leave the arena disappointed, even if they played solid games and did their part. Football is as much of a team sport as any. Thus far in his career, Vick has done his part to contribute and make Atlanta competitive (many times, victorious). Peyton Manning can't do everything himself. Neither can Brett Favre. Neither can Michael Vick. He's a great and exciting talent. Stop expecting him to do everything on a single play, just sit back, and let him be himself. Trust me, it'll make for a much more enjoyable game.