As to Vick, Reid expects team to "make it work"
Posted by Mike Florio on August 28, 2009 7:58 AM ET
Though Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb expressed concern regarding the ability of the team's offense to establish a rhythm with Mike Vick being shuttled on and off the field, coach Andy Reid made his position on the matter clear.
Basically, McNabb and everyone else needs to deal with it.
"If you're going to use that a little bit, then you have to work it in there," Reid said after Thursday night's game against the Jaguars. "That's what we're going to do as we go down the road here. I expect the guys to make that part of the rhythm and make it work. That will happen there."
Reid disputed the notion that McNabb one-handed, under-the-chin "kill it" gesture to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg pertained to Vick. (ESPN's highlight package contains images of the moment, but the sock puppets have yet to focus on it.)
"That had nothing to do with Michael," Reid said. "[The media] can ask [McNabb]. He was fine with it."
As Tom Curran has explained, it sure doesn't sound like McNabb was fine with it.
"We want Vick" chant erupted during Thursday night's game
Posted by Mike Florio on August 28, 2009 6:30 AM ET
For many reasons, it's not surprising that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb already is bristling about the use of Mike Vick in Thursday night's preseason game against the Jaguars.
Still, McNabb's decision to vent regarding the disruption to the rhythm when Vick entered the game represents a stunning failure of the long-time starter to say all the right things when the red light is on.
Is it a coincidence that McNabb was miffed after a game in which, as Clifton Brown of SportingNews.com points out, the crowd at one point chanted "
we want Vick" after a McNabb miscue?
Vick, of course, is signing a far different tune.
"The sky's the limit," Vick said after the game, per Brown. "I sat on the sidelines today, thinking about so many things that we can do. It's almost scary."
What's scary is that the home crowd already has used Vick as a vehicle for voicing their displeasure with Donovan, and that the totality of Thursday night's circumstances prompted McNabb to gripe (indirectly for now) about Vick's presence.
So while Vick's arrival feature a parade of happy faces and positive words, the bottom line is that McNabb will tolerate this thing only if the coaching staff uses Vick the way McNabb wants him to be used, and only if Vick knows his place and stays there.
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McNabb says using Vick upset Eagles rhythm
Posted by Tom Curran on August 28, 2009 6:14 AM ET
A lot of effort and air has been expended in explaining how the mere presence of quarterback Mike Vick makes the Eagles offense a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators.
Less of the same has been spent examining the cost of getting Vick involved for the rest of the Eagles offense.
Thursday night, the Eagles' first offense was too often sloppy and out of sync in the first half against the Jaguars.
After the game, Donovan McNabb took care not to tread on the implementation of plays involving Vick. But he also clearly stated that shuffling Vick in and out -- at least in this first game -- was disruptive.
Jeff McLane of the
Philadelphia Inquirer relayed this answer from McNabb when asked if he felt the Eagles' offense needed to get back to basics near the end of the first half, after Vick was sprinkled in liberally during the first few drives.
"Absolutely, absolutely. I did," said McNabb. "In that situation, it's needed. I know what we were trying to do [with Vick] and we were able to get that done. I thought it was time for us to kind of get our offense going."
McNabb then pointed out that, running their normal offense, the Eagles began to move the ball better.
"I think that's very important in a game, whether it's in the regular season or the preseason, to get that rhythm going. If you're going to show different looks, make sure it's the right time. That's what the preseason's for to make sure you know when that time is and we'll get that time together. I thought it was important at that time to get out and run our offense."
When asked if it was hard to get a rhythm with Vick mixing in, McNabb said, "It was tough. I think in any situation, honestly, when you're trying something new, it's important that you get into a rhythm first and then try to work it in there in the offense. Offensively, we just can't get that going consistently and I thought we did some great things that presented pressure to the defense but at some point you have to get into a rhythm and get things going down the field and move the chains."
Eagles coach Andy Reid was asked about the rhythm of the offense regarding Vick and said, "If you're going to use that a little but, then you have to work it in there. That's what we're going to do as we go down the road here. I expect the guys to make that part of the rhythm and make it work. That will happen there."
Certainly this was a night for trial-and-error in Philly. And it will likely get tuned up. But it's also worth pointing out that, the third preseason game is the one in which you want your team to closely resemble what it's going to be when the regular season starts.
The Eagles are implementing gadgetry that would have been better worked in during OTAs, minicamps, and training camp. But it wasn't. And it's worth wondering: (1) how long it will take; (2) how much it will impact a team with Super Bowl aspirations in the early part of a season that, for the Eagles, begins in 16 days.
