Michael Vick doesn’t bury his head in the sand. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback says he’s motivated by what’s being said about him in the media after a four-interception performance in his team’s 17-16 Week 1 victory against the Cleveland Browns. Read more after the jump.
“I’ve always dealt with the things surrounding being a quarterback in the NFL and all the scrutiny,” Vick tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s a part of it. And if it don’t drive you and motivate you, I don’t know what else could.
“It’s all just talk. It’s all speculation. It’s everybody saying what they don’t know anything about.”
Critiques of Vick’s game were numerous and diverse following the narrow victory.
Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote Vick takes unnecessary hits when “bravado takes over and common sense is tossed into the breeze like some ill-fated pass.”
Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks wondered if Vick can fit in a “pass-first system, which requires and rewards accuracy and timing.”
It was reminiscent of the book on Vick in his early years with the Atlanta Falcons, before his incarceration on dogfighting charges. He’s since earned positive reviews for revamping his game after passing for more than 3,000 yards with Philadelphia in 2010 and ’11. Still, he threw a career-high 14 interceptions in 13 games last year.
“I’ve been doing it (being a pocket passer) for the last two years, so what’s changed?” Vick says. “Throwing for 3,000 yards in a season don’t come from scrambling and throwing on the run.
“I’m not focusing on being a pocket passer. I’m focusing on being the best quarterback who can win the game when it’s all said and done.”
In addition to the Vick ribbing, there was former Eagles quarterback turned NFL Network analyst Donovan McNabb saying Philadelphia coach Andy Reid has always leaned too heavily on his quarterbacks, hoping they can throw their way out of slumps. Vick fired a career-high 56 passes Sunday before leading the Eagles on a 16-play, 82-yard game winning drive.
“That’s his philosophy,” Vick says of Reid. “We let the coaches coach, and we just get out there and play. Even though I threw 56 passes, it didn’t seem like it. As the season goes on, you get better and you figure out what you do best, other teams’ tendencies, and you exploit it.
“It’s all about the next game, getting out there and doing it right.”
Getting the job done against the Browns and getting it done Sunday vs. the Baltimore Ravens are two different tasks. The Ravens are fresh off a 44-13 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
Vick says he’s had a productive week of practice, and he won’t be forcing anything on Sunday.
“The most important thing is you’ve just got to win football games,” Vick says.
“And as long as we’ve got that one in the win column, that’s all that matters.”
