Vick injured in Eagles' shootout loss
Falcons 35, Eagles 31
Vick injured in Eagles' shootout loss
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
“Michael Vick has a neck injury. He has been taken to the locker room for observation.”
-- press box announcement/annual refrain
ATLANTA -- They booed Michael Vick as he walked to the locker room, a doctor and a trainer and a security guy clearing a path. Vick acknowledged his taunters by pointing to the scoreboard, which showed the Eagles leading at the time. In a back-and-forth game, it was temporary consolation. The homecoming was short-circuited by more of the punishment that seems to be Vick’s destiny to endure.
The evening was bloodsport, nothing less, and Vick did not survive intact. The Atlanta Falcons came at the Eagles with a physical ferocity that danced near the line of propriety for much of the night, and which stomped over the line once or twice. Dunta Robinson, who gave DeSean Jackson a concussion last season with an illegal, head-to-head hit, clobbered Jeremy Maclin just as illegally last night. That was the most notorious act, but not the only one.
Vick was banged around and then banged around some more. The play on which he was hurt, deep into the third quarter, was more of the same -- thrown to the turf, kind of whipped around, his head maybe then colliding with teammate Todd Herremans. The result was the quarterback, laid out in a pile, and then unsteady on his feet, and then escorted to the sideline where he reportedly was spitting blood.
That was his night, then: booed by his former fans in his former hometown, then bloodied, then banished to a medical evaluation.
And with that, and the Eagles’ 35-31 loss to the Falcons, we are now to be consumed with the doubt about Vick that follows this quarterback like a shadow.
What now?
What, again?
Vick got hit too much last year, and he got hit too much last week against St. Louis, and he got hit too much against the Falcons. He missed four games last year and was less effective at the end of the season because he was so beaten up. He knows the issue, everybody knows the issue, but here we are again. Here we are, wondering if they can count on him being there long enough, and healthy enough, for them to win a championship.
This was going to be his night. The No. 7 jerseys came in two denominations and at least four colors: red, white, black and green. For all of the people wearing them in the Georgia Dome, and for everyone else watching, Vick meant something just a little bit different.
Hero, villain, victim, role model, convicted felon, reformed citizen; those are just some of the sociological labels that people will argue over for as long as Vick is a public man. That is a given. That is not the issue.
Because here is the other list: dynamic, fearless, reckless, careless, courageous, confounding. They are not about the man, but about the football player. That is the problem.
Vick is in his third season of his second professional lifetime, and we still do not know. He is at the beginning of a significant financial agreement with the Eagles at a critical point for the franchise, and we still do not know.
Breathtaking runner. Then turnover-plagued runner. Then fearless pocket passer willing to take a wallop. Then author of a brutal interception.
Red, white, black, green. Which?
And can he stay healthy?
This is more than about the ups and downs of playing the hardest position in professional sports. Quarterbacks make mistakes. Everybody gets it. The difference here is that Vick always seems to be on the high wire, always seconds away either from taking our breath away or leaving us to let loose with an anguished gasp.
Maybe the problem is that all of us watch the game through eyes accustomed to Donovan McNabb, who played a steady, predictable, effective style of game for years with the Eagles. That might be some of it -- because Vick is admittedly so jarringly different.
Whatever the reason, here we are.
Mike Vick has fallen off of the high wire, again.
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#EAGLESAFTERMATH: Be heard on the Birds
Up by 10 in the 4Th. Vick or not a good D protects the lead. Oh yeah Vick is not a superbowl caliber quarterback. He is not dependable and consistent.— mlbsurf- Now you see why the Falcons dumped Vick (other than he is an animal murdering cowardly criminal thug). Your team lives by Vick; your team dies by Vick. For every exciting play he scores on, there will be 3 other big fumbles or interceptions just like we saw tonight. And Vick is fragile and soft. Tonight when his team needed him, where was Vick? He couldn't tough out his bit tongue and come back for a final drive? Nope. Matt Ryan took hit after hit...where was Matt Ryan? Out there driving the ball down the Eagles throats for 2 HUGE drives to pound Philadelphia into submission. Good luck, Eagles fans. Your idiots duplicated the ATL mistake and gave softy, fumbly Vick a huge contract he will never earn. Have fun watching him not come out to play when he gets hit, and have fun watching him lay that ball on the ground time and again like he did tonight! FALCONS OWNED!— mburton
- look freaks, I hate to say I told u so, but u know what? I TOLD U SO!
hmmm. lets see. we invest 100 mil in mikey v. and then we got an o line that SUCK. fat boy andy draft a guy that old but who can step right in, but then he dont step right in. hmmm. when u freaks gonna finally learn? god hate ur team! yep thats right!
1960
nuf said.
WOOT!
dream team my @$#!!!!!
andy brain about half the size of billy b brain.
but hey we got the best corners in the world!
we gonna win the big one this time!
i know it! i can feel it! this time it gonna happen for real!
=)
turn off that iggle @$%# NOW!
same ole iggles. same ole iggles. same ole iggles.
- Once again clock management haunts us again....it just repeats itself season after season— joeyrofrano
- Compared to the clubhouse cancer Kolb's debut, Kafka looked like an All Pro. Don'tbe surprised if he pulls a Kolb and starts bellyaching about how he deserves to start over a better player.— Astro Jones
- I watched the Bear's just take this Atlanta team apart last week. There is no excuse for giving up 35 points to this team, none. This defense has way too many holes in it. If the Birds give up 35 points to a team like this how many points will they give up to the Pats, Packers or Saints? Warbiscuit has it right and a lot of us long, long, long time Bird fans said this before the season even started this is just another 10-6, 11-5 season with a playoff loss. The Birds have talent, but not enough to play with the real big boys. For heaven's sake they couldn't even beat the Falcon's and I had this one in the W column for them.— golson@florida
- Rich, Until we know the extent of Vick's injury, this column should have focused on the Eagles' defense - or lack thereof. Giving up 35 points -- and 14 in the 4th quarter -- is inexcusable.— DPinDC
Comment removed.- Vick certainly has learned humility. A fan base he admitted stealing from (due to his laziness) and gave the middle finger to boos him a little andhe can't just walk off with class. You got yourmoney ConVick ... now let your real personality shine through!— Scope33
- Eagles let up -- didn't play very hard in the 4th quarter. It's that simple.— mrnmkr
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- Once again Andy -can't game coach if his life depended on it-threw away a game. Yes all the other factors were there but in a one score game it is UNCONSCIONABLE that you or your coaching staff can't catch the fact that an apparent interception hit the ground.
I will dance with joy when Reid leaves town. Over weight. Over rated. Cannot game day coach to save his a--. Unbelievably inept.— kenkapkk - Somebody from Atlanta must have bribed Reid with a sandwich so he wouldn't throw the flag!— Geno D
- The irony of Vick pointing at the scoreboard as he bails on the game because he bit his tongue when his own guy banged him in the face is not lost on Atlanta fans. Falcons owned him. Eagles fans will see every D in the league owns Vick because Vick lays moree balls on the carpet than John Holmes! Maybe he was pointing to his parole officer.— mburton
- They will hold Vick for weeks because think A concussion is the only injury were you feel fine. He wont be uncomfortable his body will heal we can beat NY next week with VY an then we play San Francisco, Buffalo,Wash.,then a bye he misses 4 weeks so he can be fresh for the tough strecth Dallas,Chicago,Arizona,New England Then rest him week 15 if division is secure and 16 ready for playoffs hopefully NFC is stacked with 8-8 and 9-7 teams so we can geta #1 or #2 seed. Lets Go Philly— #5 fan for life
