Sal Paolantonio's Ridiculous Article

I've noticed this trend all season long with regard to ESPN (and other) analysts when talking about Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback, Michael Vick. It has seemed as if many are waiting for him to fail or possibly even wanting him to fail. This continued with ESPN analyst, Sal Paolantonio's most recent article, titled, "Michael Vick can win, or lose plenty - Beat Packers, comeback continues, stock rises; lose, and questions arise about value" (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=paolantonio_sal&id=5995891).

In the article, Paolantonio writes the following,

"A loss Sunday means the Vick redemption story that captured the nation - and even got the official White House seal of approval - will end where it began, with more questions than answers about Vick's long-term viability as a championship-level franchise quarterback. A loss Sunday, and the dream season dies. And next season, Vick is just another 31-year-old quarterback..."

He adds,

"But Vick knows he and his team cannot get knocked out in the first round. He cannot be one and done -- not after the meltdown against the Vikings raised serious questions about whether he is regressing, beginning to look like he did when he played in Atlanta, failing to read the blitz, turning the ball over too much, taking too many sacks."

So, that's it, is it Sal? Vick, likely the runner-up in this year's MVP race, behind Tom Brady, is "just another 31-year-old quarterback," due to the Eagles' 16-21 loss to Green Bay on Sunday? There are now more questions than answers about the MVP-candidate, Vick? This loss proves Vick is not a championship-level franchise quarterback? He's regressing and looking like he did in Atlanta?

I'm around exaggeration quite frequently. My mother's side of the family should change their last name to "Stretch" or "Exaggerate" or "Divide What We Say By About 7". Your article reminds me of them. So, what, if Tom Brady doesn't lead the 14-2 and top-seeded New England Patriots to a Super Bowl this year, will people start questioning if he's suddenly losing it? I don't think so. Peyton Manning failed to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a first-round home victory over the New York Jets last night. Has Manning lost his winning ways? Is he no longer a championship quarterback? Enough with the exaggeration, Sal. This loss doesn't prove anything. Let's look back at the season, shall we?

What were the expectations for the Philadelphia Eagles this year? They had just traded their quarterback, Donovan McNabb, to inner-division rival, Washington and were going to start the Kevin Kolb-era. Kolb is a very inexperienced quarterback at the NFL-level and with both he and a rather young defense, it was very unlikely that the Eagles would make the playoffs. Fellow NFC East team, Dallas, was a pre-season favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. The Giants were also expected to be competitive. Philly was picked by many to finish 3rd and sometimes even 4th, behind Washington, in the NFC East. So, let's not kid ourselves. Whether or not Michael Vick, whom wasn't expected to emerge as the starting quarterback this year, was the starter, the Eagles were not expected to be anything more than a mediocre 8-8-caliber team (if that). The fact that Vick led the Eagles to a 10-6 record, a NFC East title and a 3-seed in the playoffs, Vick helped the Eagles overachieve this season.

It's true, the Eagles have explosive players on offense: DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin, among others. However, Philly's offensive line was anything but stellar. This is one reason head coach Andy Reid stuck by Michael Vick after Kevin Kolb recovered from his concussion. With Vick's speed, it gave the Eagles a better chance at making plays when things broke down in the offensive line, which happened pretty regularly. The Eagles' kick coverage team was atrocious for most of the year. Their defense was average, to be kind. They ranked dead last in the NFL in red zone defense, as opposing offenses scored touchdowns 77% of the time.

So, Sal, are you truly trying to state that even with a mediocre line, a defense that allows touchdowns in the red zone almost 4 of every 5 times and a kick coverage team that was notorious for giving the opponent an edge in the field position battle, the Eagles' disappointment in the playoffs is all on Vick's shoulders and with the loss, he may not be a valuable quarterback for the future? If you were a woman, I'd be asking how many children you've given birth to, because I don't believe I've ever seen stretch marks like the ones you presented.