Darrl Webb/Reuters
Michael Vick's stock takes a dip through NFL Week 3. Don't expect the trend to change this Sunday night.
You wanted to believe Mike Vick had one more magical year left in his battered, 32-year-old body. You wanted a reason to invest in the Philadelphia Eagles QB with the great wheels.
So you drafted him. And now, three weeks into the season, you’re experiencing few benefits, while other names — think Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco — have dominated.
I don’t think things will get any better. Vick is off to a terrible start, and he’s hardly the lone veteran QB who hasn’t made the fantasy dent his owners were expecting. You won’t find Vick among fantasy’s top 10 QBs, and you won’t find Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady there, either. None of the four have accounted for more than four TDs, and combined, they have just two 20-point fantasy outings, one less than rookie Robert Griffin III has all by himself.
But I’m worried about Vick. Brady and Rodgers have still flashed the tools that make them studs. Rodgers is completing a boatload of passes (67.8%, to be exact), so he just needs his receivers to heat up. Last season, 45.3% of Green Bay’s passing yards came after the catch. Down to 38.3% this season, that stat should improve.
Brady has yet to eclipse 20 fantasy points in a game, but look at the opposition. He faced a scary-good Cardinals ‘D’ in Week 2, then battled Baltimore on Sunday. But the coming weeks bring two games against Buffalo (19th in pass yards allowed), two contests against the Revis-less Jets, and matchups with the Colts and Rams. Oh, and Brady’s still completing 66.9% of his passes. Count on a rebound.
The story isn’t nearly as positive for Vick. He’s hardly the same scrambler he was a few years ago, and he’s not making lightning-quick decisions to avoid hits.
If you own Vick, you know the concern on every hit, that he’s suffered a rib injury, or a wrist injury, or a concussion. You’ve felt that fear the 36 times that Vick has been hit or sacked in his three outings this season, and you’ll feel it again when Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants come this Sunday. (Side note? RG3 owners will know this fear in a few years, when Mike Shanahan’s ridiculous option offense catches up with Griffin, too).
It’s no wonder Vick was a nervous wreck against a good Cardinals defense on Sunday, and no wonder he’s committed nine turnovers (six picks and three fumbles). And can you really blame Andy Reid for barely giving Vick a vote of confidence this week?
There’s a chance that Vick can turn this around, because he is surrounded by talent. But he’ll face fierce pass rushes often this season, with two games each against DeMarcus Ware’s Cowboys and the Giants still ahead. It may take a philosophical change in Philly, a concerted effort to release the ball more quickly.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NydnRss/~3/837vfcNwP_I/story01.htm
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