Marty Says Vick's Right
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Marty Says Vick's Right
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
When Michael Vick spoke Thursday about needing to be more aggressive, more of a risk-taker, after just his second turnover-free game of the season, a lot of us wondered if this was really what the coaching staff had in mind.
Marty Mornhinweg assured us Friday that it was.
"We've talked about that ... that's necessary," the Eagles' offensive coordinator said. "You know our mentality, we've talked about that before. We want to be aggressive, aggressive, aggressive. Unafraid to make a mistake. When we make a mistake, we try to swiftly correct it and we move on. It's that simple.
"There's reasons why these things have occurred. Excellence is all about attitude. We've discussed that as a unit -- that is important, that attitude and that certain mentality.
"I thought last ballgame, at a certain point in that ballgame, we needed more of it."
The implication was that Vick and other players on Mornhinweg's unit maybe got a little discouraged. LeSean McCoy talked after the game about playing with pride and heart, in the aftermath of the 30-17 loss to the unbeaten Falcons.
Mornhinweg referenced "a certain attitude, that we're the baddest men on the field. And that mentality that we're going to be aggressive, aggressive, aggressive."
Mornhinweg noted that problems are "highlighted when you don't get many chances," that you have to make the most of limited opportunities. The Eagles had the ball just once in the first quarter Sunday, as the Falcons built a 14-0 lead.
Mornhingweg said he has had "a couple of private conversations" with Vick lately, did not want to characterize them. He said the Eagles "typically have" the attitude he referenced. "We've gone through some hard times as a ballclub in the past, and then come out of it and played well down the stretch. Last year, it was too late when we put it together. We've got to put it together now, get going."
Asked how much of a distraction criticism of the team has become, Mornhinweg said: "Very little. I will say this, that there are some players that can't play in this city. It's that simple. The tough guy, physically and mentally, can thrive, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and this city. I've been here a while now, I've built up a lot of respect for our fans. They are passionate. It's almost like they can say anything they want about their players, but nobody else can. We understand that. It's very simple: outside influences distract us zero."
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Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said missed tackles were the culprit when it came to Atlanta's repeated success with screens. He said the changed rotational numbers on the defensive line reflected the Falcons' tendency to run the ball; he indicated those trends might not hold for Monday's game at New Orleans.
Asked about defensive end Brandon Graham, whose 31 snaps were his most of the season, Bowles said: "Brandon did a good job. I don't know if it was so much an increase as it was different personnel groups require different people. If you get caught out there on a long drive, your snaps may tend to get skewed a little bit more."
Bowles said that in allowing Atlanta to score on its first six drives of the game, "there were a lot of things (from) training camp and OTAs, Day 1 kinds of things that shouldn't have happened ... we corrected them in the meeting, and we'll go from there."
But is Marty right? I think Andy fired the wrong coordinator.
What a stale offense we have!— EmanuelP- When this paper has to resort to New York Post style "sensationalism" to get your attention ( not to mention all that "hard work" ) which went into redesigning a simple web page ), it isn't only the Eagles which are in trouble.
The article screams about potential busts who just can't cut it in Philly, yet you find it is a segue, a non-connected aside comment having nothing to do with 99.9% of the article.
As to the team, how Mornhigweg keeps his job, is only surpassed in absurdity, by Big Red keeping his job. This season is exposing everyone, from coaching to GM, players to those without a heart.
One thing Philly fans can never accept is playing on any Philly team, and doing so without heart ( see Ricky Watters, Terrell Owens ). Give me a squad with 22 Dawkins. - "...aggressive, aggressive, aggressive". It seems Moronweg has learned nothing all these years and that he intends to continue his down range bombs on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd downs as always even in the face of evidence to the contrary that the OL is incapable of holding their blocks until Vick makes up his mind. Is it no wonder the Falcons scored every time they had the ball? The ONLY way to slow them down was to incorporate strategically placed running plays into their scheme. But, the Eagles simply refuse to run the ball unless they have the lead (which is seldom) and even then, they rarely practice ball control or try to balance their offensive strategy. You're right. The Eagles did fire the wrong coach but Reid and Moronweg are joined at the hip. The only way to get rid of Moronweg is to get rid of Reid.
— essell - Fire them all and let the man upstairs figure it out if we were wrong. It's enough already with this regime.
- When the circus comes to town, it only stays for a couple of weeks. The acts get old and stale. fourteen years of this circus is just too much. Please pack it up and leave and don't forget to take the side shows.— Carlos2
- This is like that lousy second rate circus that would come to town, just a step above a carnival. Only it won't leave.
Send in the clowns ...
Don't bother, they're here.
New Eagles fight song.— s - Groudhog day all over again.
What will be the excuse du jour on Tues?
O-Line? Will Babin shut up and play? Will Marty run the ball?
Vick abandoning all caution?
Bad feeling about a bad team in a hostile stadium.— drenner - Where's Rich Kotite when we need him?— 4thand10
- At home....where he should be. — MrJayScott
- Carlos 2 said it best. This show needs new writers and maybe some new cast members.
— boris - Marty is a moran and the main reason the Eagles season is in the crapper! His play calling SUCKS! You can't be aggressive and have a vertical game when the line can't provide time for WR's to get open! We need quick slants and screens like the Falcons used against us where the ball comes out quickly. Mostly we need to run early and use our linemen to the best of their ability. They are much better run blockers then pass blockers. Marty totally ignores the line as part of the play call equation and thus exposes Vick to a lot more pressure which leads to turnovers. Don't you get it Marty! Run the ball early. Use McCoy and keep the other team's offense on the sidelines. Start with short outs and slants as well as screens and then go for longer vertical later when we have a lead and want to put teams away rather then allowing games to come down to a field goal. Marty has be horrible!!!!!!!!— connorjr
- who is Morningwig to talk about anything, he has not had a lick of success in the nfl, yet reid talks like this guy is bill walsh reincarnated. I can't wait till marty is fired.— Da-chimer
- Wow... we've had the pendulum swing all over this season between risky and conservative, but the right balance of risk, not so much. Now the risk comes from the O-line, the D-line, the corners.... Vick is defeated and deflated and so is the team. I'm afraid a players only meeting will not fix the morale problem with this team. Do you ever want to put them all in a room, coaches included, and MAKE them watch how winning teams do it?! Atlanta, NY, Houston, SF, NE ....— JDonPhilly
- morn-HIN-weg— JimEisenreich
- morn-loser-weg — justacarpenter
