The Patriots are, and likely always will be with Tom Brady at the helm, a solid pick to make it back to the big game, one year after losing to the Giants (again), courtesy of Eli Manning’s late gate heroics (again).
So confident are they that Hall of Fame lock, Tom Brady, did not even suit up for the game. Watching from the sidelines, Brady saw his team lose to one of the most talent-laden rosters in the NFL. But although the Eagles finished the game with a win, they left it feeling uneasy about the durability of incumbent starter, Michael Vick.
Vick has had one of the true rollercoaster careers. When drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, he made the headlines on an almost weekly basis for all the right reasons. His scintillating play, shifty, flat-out running style and game moxie made the Falcons a success. Despite his unprecedented athleticism, the team suffered from his errant passing and questionable leadership. They never won a championship, and before long, things turned really, really sour.
Vick was convicted of funding and organising a dog-fighting ring. His sentence sent shockwaves around the league and many understandably assumed his days as a pro were over.
No one handed Andy Reid, the long-tenured coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the ten foot barge pole with which no other team was prepared to touch Vick. Reid, famed for his forgiving nature, took a punt on the player who had managed to keep himself in excellent shape while inside, and the gamble looked to have paid off. He once again lit up the boards on his return to the NFL, and also seemed to grasp the idea of a Quarterback actually passing the ball. The presence of wideouts, Maclin and Jackson certainly helped Vick along, but the team lacked true depth at several positions, most notably on an aging defence.
Reid restructured the team in time for Vick’s second season running the show in Pennsylvania. He brought in several Pro Bowl calibre players and turned the Eagles into a Dream Team, for whom it was quite obviously the Super Bowl or bust.
Well, they went bust (and boom) that year, finishing a head-scratching 8-8 and missing the playoffs by a whisker. But with a season of gelling so many egos, and some excellent performances down the stretch, the Eagles looked finally ready to do what they have never done and win it all.
Along comes the 2012 preseason and expectations are running high. Michael Vick is deployed in Week 1 and plays passably before leaving the game to have X-rays on his throwing thumb.
Week 2 and the Patriots soon rolled around and Vick was on the field again. What happened? He went down with what was later diagnosed as a rib contusion (ouch). The Eagles are thought to be annoyed with the way Vick has risked his body in meaningless situations. Personally I would give him credit for wanting to play the game hard at all times, but it does show a lack of professional maturity. More of concern than his attitude, which although slightly silly is at least a mark of passion, is his ability to take shots.
It’s impossible to say he’s getting hurt in soft tackles. Fair enough, the preseason means nothing for the team’s ultimate fortunes, but it means a hell of a lot for the players who are yet to make the roster or lock-down a starting spot. These guys will be playing HARD and any player – especially a man of Vick’s playing style – is in danger of getting hurt before the regular season kicks off. But whether or not he got felled by a fly, or mowed down by a runaway juggernaut, one thing is certain: Michael Vick is banged up and he might not be ready to step out in Week 1.
So what will the Eagles do at the Quarterback position if Vick is unable to get, or to stay healthy? They NEED a contingency plan given that Vick has played 16 games in ONE of his NINE seasons.
Ahem. Ladies and Gentleman, please give a warm round of applause for Nick Foles, rookie sensation, who has thrown not only a bevy of brilliant balls, but also his name into the hat for consideration.
Foles performance against the Patriots was good. Sure, he threw a pick, but he did throw a pair of touchdowns to go along with a completion ratio of 18/28. I like those stats from a young guy. I think he is just the right kind of back-up for this team.
Just as Ryan Wilson is turning heads in Seattle and challenging expected starter Matt Flynn for the job, Foles is a rookie with the bit between his teeth.
Michael Vick will of course start if he can, but if he does go down when the Eagles are mired in a scrap for the division, there appears to be no need to panic. The Texans limped over the line with back-up TJ Yates last year. The Eagles could hope for at least the same service from Foles on the back of his play so far.
Turning attention to the Brady-less Pats, it has to be said the Super Bowl runners-up look ready to play. For elite teams the preseason is not often a great litmus test of how they are faring, but while playing a host of second strings the Patriots look comfortable with the system that has brought them great success over the years. With Josh McDaniels back in his more familiar role of Offensive Coordinator, expect this intelligent team to be even better than last year and to snatch the division with relative ease.
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