So, I'm sitting here, reading some articles while listening to ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown and a decent-sized chunk of the program has been centered around Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback, Michael Vick, his two injuries in two weeks (concussion and bruised right hand) and how to better protect him. Trent Dilfer, Keyshawn Johnson and Mike Ditka all made good points - Dilfer suggesting Philly goes into more empty sets and give Vick quick pass options, Johnson and Ditka both agreeing that the Eagles should utilize their strong ground game to make for a more effective play action game and to move Vick outside of the pocket with bootlegs and waggles. Cris Carter then said something along the lines of, "It's not the coaches responsibility to protect Michael Vick. It's not the league's responsibility. It's not the offensive line's responsibility. The only person responsible is Michael Vick. The Eagles didn't sign him to a $100 million contract because he's big, because he's a pocket passer. They signed him for his explosiveness, running ability, play-making ability and it's his responsibility to be protected and not get hurt."
I'm sorry, but how silly of a statement is that? Is it partially Vick's responsibility to protect himself? Yes, of course. It's his job to study tape, read defenses, audible and do all he can to get rid of the ball quickly to prevent big hits and when he runs with the football, to either slide or get out-of-bound before he takes a hit. So, yes, it's partly his responsibility. But, with Carter's logic, why in the world are the O-Lineman and coaches paid money? What about the league? The league wants to avoid big-name, big-ratings players from getting hurt, so they definitely take an interest in the Peyton Mannings, Tom Bradys and Michael Vicks of the world taking a lot of hits, making them more prone to injury than perhaps some other lesser-name quarterbacks. So, if the league notices Vick is getting hit late, they're likely going to do something about it, because the last thing they want is to lose one of their big ratings-generators. The league doesn't have a great deal of responsibility in cases like these, but they often times feel they do, because of what I just mentioned. The coaches and the offensive line, though? It's the coaches job to place their team in the best position to succeed in all phases of the game and in the end, be victorious. If they see their star quarterback getting hit time and again in the pocket, it's their job to make adjustments to try and prevent that from consistently occurring. So, along with Vick's, it is the coaches responsibility to protect their quarterback. ...and the offensive line? Seriously? If they're not paid to protect their quarterback, what in the world are they paid to do? Catch touchdown passes? Tackle? Punt? Do the riverdance on road trips? The number one responsibility of the offensive line is to protect the quarterback. In fact, of all the entities Carter mentioned, I think the biggest bulk of responsibility for protecting the quarterback is on the shoulders of the offensive line (with Vick being #2, the coaches #3 and league #4).
Carter may be partially right. Maybe Vick does need to do more to protect himself, but the offensive line play has been dreadful and the coaches haven't made many adjustments thus far. The three will have to come together in order to improve matters, most importantly, Vick's health and with that, the team's success.
I'm sorry, but how silly of a statement is that? Is it partially Vick's responsibility to protect himself? Yes, of course. It's his job to study tape, read defenses, audible and do all he can to get rid of the ball quickly to prevent big hits and when he runs with the football, to either slide or get out-of-bound before he takes a hit. So, yes, it's partly his responsibility. But, with Carter's logic, why in the world are the O-Lineman and coaches paid money? What about the league? The league wants to avoid big-name, big-ratings players from getting hurt, so they definitely take an interest in the Peyton Mannings, Tom Bradys and Michael Vicks of the world taking a lot of hits, making them more prone to injury than perhaps some other lesser-name quarterbacks. So, if the league notices Vick is getting hit late, they're likely going to do something about it, because the last thing they want is to lose one of their big ratings-generators. The league doesn't have a great deal of responsibility in cases like these, but they often times feel they do, because of what I just mentioned. The coaches and the offensive line, though? It's the coaches job to place their team in the best position to succeed in all phases of the game and in the end, be victorious. If they see their star quarterback getting hit time and again in the pocket, it's their job to make adjustments to try and prevent that from consistently occurring. So, along with Vick's, it is the coaches responsibility to protect their quarterback. ...and the offensive line? Seriously? If they're not paid to protect their quarterback, what in the world are they paid to do? Catch touchdown passes? Tackle? Punt? Do the riverdance on road trips? The number one responsibility of the offensive line is to protect the quarterback. In fact, of all the entities Carter mentioned, I think the biggest bulk of responsibility for protecting the quarterback is on the shoulders of the offensive line (with Vick being #2, the coaches #3 and league #4).
Carter may be partially right. Maybe Vick does need to do more to protect himself, but the offensive line play has been dreadful and the coaches haven't made many adjustments thus far. The three will have to come together in order to improve matters, most importantly, Vick's health and with that, the team's success.
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