Game 1 criticism not getting to Eagles' Vick

MICHAEL VICK did not lunge for the TV remote to try to avoid NFL coverage the past few days, in the aftermath of his four-interception performance in the Eagles' season-opening victory over the Browns.

"I watched it," Vick said after Wednesday's practice. "It doesn't bother me. I spent 2 years in prison. You think I care what somebody says?"

The people on TV weren't saying anything Vick didn't already know, as the quarterback noted earlier Wednesday, to a throng of reporters pressing around his locker stall.

"I watched the film. I'm the one who lived it. Everyone else just kind of watched it from afar, they're just speculating about it . . . I'm the one that's got to deal with it and go out there and make it right," Vick said.

He also said he "can't dwell on last game, because I just don't plan on having that type of ballgame again."

"Every game is not going to be easy, every game is not going to be what everybody thinks [it should be]. Sometimes, it just may not be easy on the eyes," Vick said.

There were no revelations, as the Eagles convened to prepare for Sunday's visit from the Baltimore Ravens. There is no magical explanation for what happened to Vick in Cleveland, no simple technical adjustment offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg or quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson could make to his delivery that would suddenly make the ball stop going to linebackers, or allow Vick to get through progressions faster and with better judgment.

"It happened because it happened," Vick said, when asked if he'd gained any insight into why the game was such a struggle. "There's nothing you can change about it. There are plenty of throws that I wish I would have had back and that I wish I would have pulled down and maybe checked it down or run with it. It's options.

"The thing is, I know why I did the things I did, and it wasn't, like, mental errors . . . I think it's decision-making, pressing . . . to try and make things happen when things aren't going your way.

"One thing you can't do in this league is, you can't force throws and you can't try to stick a ball in a tight spot when a guy is not really open . . . You just have to work your way down the field and take what the defense gives you. Play keepaway and keep it simple."

Eagles coach Andy Reid said Vick "came in early Monday and knocked out the tape and worked on fixing the problems."

Yes, there was Vick's lack of work in the preseason because of injuries. Some people have said rust would only affect things like accuracy, not decision-making. Others contend that if everything around you is going faster than you anticipated, you might be rushed into bad decisions, that rust isn't purely physical.

What seems clear is that the Birds' offense is going to have to be way better against Baltimore, a widely acclaimed Super Bowl contender that many Eagles fans watched blow away visiting Cincinnati, 44-13, Monday night.

Vick seemed to agree with reporters suggesting more balance might help, in the aftermath of Vick throwing 56 passes in Cleveland.

"I think we could balance it out a little bit, but if coach wants to call 56 pass plays, then that's what it is," Vick said. "We're going to have fun doing it, go out and try to make it work . . . You'd like to see some balance, but at the same time I'm never going to complain about throwing the ball."

Right tackle Todd Herremans said he wasn't surprised the Eagles got away from the run during their disastrous third quarter in Cleveland.

"I know Marty's mentality. It's not like he was calling foolish plays," Herremans said. "The plays that he called would have worked if we'd all done our assignments up front."

Herremans said nothing that happened Sunday changed anyone's confidence in Vick.

"We all know how capable Mike is," Herremans said. "He's back at it, preparing, this week. He's not happy with his performance. There's plenty of members of the offense that aren't happy with their performances . . . we're not sitting here worrying about one another."

Veteran backup quarterback Trent Edwards is new to the Eagles. This is the first time he has been around Vick in the wake of a poor effort.

"I think he's very even-keeled. He has a lot of confidence to him," Edwards said. "After a game like that, there are plays that everybody wishes they could have back . . . I don't think he's any different than anyone else in this locker room. There were a lot of opportunities out there that we could have taken advantage of, but that's just the nature of the game. The bottom line is, we found a way to win."

Reid continued the theme Mornhinweg sounded Monday - that the 91-yard, game-winning drive was as important, or more important, than all the mistakes that preceded it.

"You see this all the time in basketball where shooters, the great shooters, they're going to have an off day and they keep shooting," Reid said. "When it comes down to the end, the great ones end up sinking the winning shot . . . you didn't see him hesitant at the end of the game, when everything was on the line."

The Browns were woeful offensively but their defense was second in the NFL against the pass last season. The Ravens, much better on offense, ranked fourth in pass defense in 2011, so it won't get a lot easier for Vick, especially with top Week 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin likely to be sidelined with a hip injury.