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Mike Check: Trying to defend Vick

Here's a detailed look at Michael Vick's play last week and on the season. What's the right way to defend him? And what will the Giants try on Sunday?

The Eagles had three drops, and Vick threw one ball away, so really Vick's line could have looked more like 20-for-23 instead of 20-for-28. Of the eight overall incompletions, one had a chance to be intercepted, but as you can see, Vick was extremely accurate.

Sometimes, it's tough to define the blitz for our purposes. For Sunday's game, I counted a blitz as any time the Redskins rushed more than four players. Keep in mind that they tried to disguise their looks, using different defensive fronts and sending different players. But they only rushed more than four on three occasions. Vick went 3-for-3 for 64 yards on those plays.

On the season, he's 32-for-52 (61.5%) for 477 yards against the blitz, and that doesn't take into account the plays he's made with his legs against the blitz.

In the last two games, the Redskins and Colts sent more than four rushers after Vick only nine times. It looks like defenses are going to stay away from blitzing him for the most part, fearing that Vick will burn them for big plays.

As a team, the Eagles were 8-for-13 on third downs. On 10 of those plays, Vick dropped back to pass, and on six of them, the Eagles picked up a first down.

He was 6-for-8 for 46 yards on third down. Vick also converted two third downs with his legs - one on a 21-yard run and another on a 13-yard run.

On third down this season, Vick is 27-for-42 for 443 yards, averaging 10.55 yards per attempt. His favorite third-down target has been Jackson. Vick's 8-for-12 for 198 yards to Jackson on third down. Maclin and Avant have each been targeted eight times, and Celek six.

The Eagles converted all four red-zone trips into touchdowns. Vick was 4-for-6 for 27 yards inside the Redskins' 20, and his legs were a huge factor. Vick had a 7-yard TD run and a 6-yard TD run.

He also hit McCoy on the 11-yard shovel pass and connected with Avant for the 3-yard TD.

Before Sunday's game, I'll provide a full red-zone breakdown for the season so far.


Hmm... 4-for-5 for 183 yards on throws that traveled more than 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. I guess that's OK. And 3-for-4 on throws that traveled more than 25 yards. Yeah, that's not bad either.

This was the Eagles' big-play offense at its finest. On the season, Vick's percentage on Bombs (66.7%) is higher than his overall completion percentage (62.7%).

On the season, Vick has eight completions that have gained 40-plus yards. That puts him at fourth in the league, but the three quarterbacks who have more have all attempted at least twice as many passes.

Vick's performance on Sunday was every bit as impressive as it looked. His decision-making was virtually flawless. His accuracy continues to be off the charts. And he is picking the perfect times to use his legs.

But let's step away from the numbers for a minute. When I re-watched the game, what I noticed was the body language of the Redskins' defenders - hanging their heads, throwing their arms in the air. They looked helpless. That negative body language was evident on plays when the Redskins thought they had the Eagles stopped, and Vick found some way to make a play with his legs and extend the drive.

Which takes us back to the all-important question: What is the right way to defend Vick? And no one has an answer - yet. Rest assured that teams will continue to try different things on a weekly basis, and chances are that some team will have success. That will be when we see how the Eagles and Vick adjust.

The Redskins tried using a spy at times on Vick, but whoever the deisgnated player was couldn't keep up with him. Later in the game, they tried to stay disciplined on pass plays and not really rush upfield, in an effort to block running lanes. But Vick just sat back and found his receivers. The problem with that strategy is that the Eagles receivers are too good to cover for an extended period of time.

I don't know what the answer is in terms of stopping Vick, given the way he's playing right now. I do know that the weakness of the Eagles' offense is still the line. Teams need to find a way to bring pressure, while limiting the number of big plays Vick makes with his legs. Easier said than done. But given the way he's slinging the ball from the pocket, I almost wonder if the right strategy is to force Vick out of the pocket and make him run 15-plus times a game. Maybe he'll rack up well over 100 yards, but at least it makes the Eagles one-dimensional.

We'll see what the Giants try on Sunday night.