Just an observation...

For anyone who's read this blog in the past will know, I'm quite the Atlanta Falcons and a big supporter of Falcons' quarterback, Michael Vick.

As opposed to many critics out there, I have not harped on Vick's passer precision or passer rating or how he plays the quarterback position. But, I got to thinking about things and think I know the area where Vick can genuinely be criticized and that deals with his leadership.

This probably deals with the media, as well. In Vick's first couple seasons starting for the Falcons, the media was excited and he hardly received any criticism. There was no talk about back-up Matt Schaub taking his place. It was Michael Vick's team. There was some talk and worry that, due to Vick's playing style, he would be prone to getting injured, but other than that worry, the media didn't bash on him too often.

Life was good during his first two full years starting. He led the Falcons to a 9-6-1 record and a playoff win at Lambeau Field. He then led Atlanta to an 11-5 record, a first round bye, and a whooping of St. Louis. The 2005-2006 season started off very well for he and the Falcons, as they started the season 6-2. But, the defense was depleted by injuries in the second half of the year, en route to an 8-8 season.

The 2006-2007 season started off rather similarly to the previous one, as the Falcons started the year off 5-2 and Vick looked poised to break some records on the ground and some personal records through the air. During this season, I just think he lost focus of what was truly important. He was all smiles following a loss to Baltimore. Throughout the season, it felt that Vick was more focused on proving critics wrong than he was on leading the team to victory. I just didn't feel that passion for winning this past year as I had in the past. Vick set an all-time record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. This came in a loss and even then, he seemed very content on the record. Veteran kicker Morten Andersen broke a record in that very same game and he responded very differently, as a veteran and as a leader.

Next season, if I was coach Bobby Petrino, I would cut the team off from the media. I know that sounds extreme, but they never found a consistent rhythm as a team last season and why? They didn't have a true success formula that they attempted to go by each and every week? Why? They attempted to just prove skeptics wrong on a weekly basis. If a group of reporters thought they couldn't pass the ball, Vick would come out and throw seven touchdown passes in wins over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. If critics then claimed they weren't running the ball enough, they'd go back and pound the ball at the defense for four quarters. The media should never dictate to a team or coach how they should play football, but they did with this group of players a year ago. Vick is very sensitive about his play and the media made him larger than the team last year. It was never about defensive issues, offensive line problems, the running game being less effective in the second half of the season and in the red zone. It was almost always about Michael Vick and the comments weren't typically very kind. Whenever Atlanta's offense lined up against a defense, Carolina for example, Michael Vick and the team weren't out there trying to beat the Panthers; they were trying to prove skeptics wrong. Doing this, they lacked an identity last year. Who can we pin the blame on? A host of people. The coaches, the media, and the players.

Coach Petrino and the guys will have to stay focused on what the team identity is and stick to it. They can't waver week in and week out like they did a season ago.

There was a certain electricity and charisma Michael Vick displayed when he stepped onto the field in his first two and a half years starting. The fans would erupt. The media would be all smiles. The team itself would always believe that they could win the game. With all the criticism that's been directed toward Vick over the past year and a half and his high level of sensitivity, Vick has appeared to be more flustered than anything else.

What Petrino has to do is bring the team concept back and make sure that Vick truly shrugs off the critics and just plays football. He spoke up last year about how the negative talk didn't bother him, but there was no hiding that it irked him immensely.

Most of these critics are traditionalists in the game of football. Even if a quarterback is a legitimate dual-threat, they believe the QB and team would be better off if he were to develop into a pocket passer. Vick will never be that type of quarterback, so if he stays focused and doesn't allow the critics to bother him, the way he can truly shut them up is by winning a Super Bowl. Traditionalist or not, they'd have to give the guy and more importantly, the team, credit.