Albert McClellan-US Presswire
The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 2-0 on Sunday with a come from behind 24-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens, but not without consequence. The match-up was a hard-hitting, smash mouth affair that featured Michael Vick laid out on the canvas countless times, and starting center Jason Kelce with a season-ending knee injury.
We all know that Vick is known to take a beating every time he takes the field, ranging from his shifty scrambles that end in him getting popped helmet-to-helmet, to the QB being knocked on his back after mostly every pass attempt. In any respect, the man takes lick after lick, play after play, but continues to pop up and get back in the huddle.
The biggest fear for Eagles fans is during that one play every couple of games where he remains on the turf a little bit longer, either motionless, or squirming in pain, and every heart in Philadelphia skips a beat.
No matter how many layers of Kevlar are loaded into Vick’s new and improved flak-jackets, or how much technology goes into the protective design of his helmets, he is going to get hurt sooner or later. It’s just going to happen.
He has certainly proven to be highly injury prone over the course of his career, and his style of play continues to remain the same, opening the door for more and more trips to the sideline.
With that said, Vick is anything but fragile. Nobody in the league finds themselves on the ground as much as he does, or with as many face masks to the chest and back as he does. It is remarkable that he is not waiving the white flag after every series he is on the field.
It is just the fact that the more hits any player takes, the more likely it is that one of those hits is going to be the one that ends in them being carted off the field. And in Vick’s case, that scene is all too familiar.
It is hard to suggest that head coach Andy Reid have Vick drop back less or hand off more, but there has to be some way to help preserve the health of their star a little bit better. In the end, a lot of the blame does fall on the QB for his reckless playing style and ‘every yard counts’ mindset.
Sometimes it is better for the team to take the slide instead of lunging forward for two extra yards, and getting clobbered by a linebacker just looking to get you on the sideline.
There is no question that Vick is one of the most explosive and dynamic players in the NFL, and whenever he is on the field there is a good chance the ball is getting into the end-zone one way or another. But he must stay healthy in order to remain the threat that he is to every defense in the league.
