Three Reasons Why Michael Vick Will Not Survive Sunday Night's Game

By Joe Doris
Jennifer Stewart-US Presswire

Three weeks have already passed in the 2012 NFL regular season and Philadelphia Eagles’ QB Michael Vick has not missed an offensive snap. Isn’t there something wrong with this picture?

We’re all used to the familiar sight of Vick grimacing in pain, clutching his ribs, or ripping off his chin strap in frustration after being flattened to the turf. A few minutes later he is whisked away on a medic’s cart and all of Philly is left to wait for the diagnosis on what happened to the QB this time.

Shouldn’t this scene have occurred by now?

Not yet. But it will happen on Sunday night when the Eagles take on the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field, and these are the three reasons why.

1. The Eagles’ Injury-Plagued Offensive Line

The Eagles’ replacement offensive linemen, C Dallas Reynolds and LT Demetress Bell proved to us all in Week 2 that they are completely incapable of protecting Vick, and to put it lightly, neither of them really have any business being on a respectable NFL roster.

Maybe there is a reason why Reynolds went undrafted out of BYU in 2007, and why Bell barely made a roster before being snatched up by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh and final round of the 2008 NFL draft. I think so.

The overwhelming incompetence and lack of physical ability displayed by these two linemen make it impossible to believe that they will be able to keep Vick off the IR, let alone the turf. Replacement referees don’t seem to be a problem in Philadelphia, but the replacement offensive linemen are.

2. The Giants’ Vicious Pass Rush

For the past several years, the Giants have possessed one of the most dominant pass rushes in the NFL, and it seems like each year it gets even more impressive.

Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora lead this lethal attack. It is always a case of “pick your poison” when it comes to trying to fend off these beasts, being that any one of the three has the ability to blow by you or just simply run you over on his way to the quarterback.

If Bell decides to let any one of these mammoths breeze on past him (like Arizona Cardinals’ FS Kerry Rhodes did with ease last week), the medics are going to have to peal Vick off the turf. Literally. And seeing how hard Vick was lit up by Rhodes, I don’t want to even imagine the scene when Tuck, who is double the size, unloads on the QB.

3. Vick’s Injury History

As I sited at the beginning of this article, Vick is no stranger to injury. Just over the course of the last two seasons since Vick has returned as an NFL starter for the Eagles, he has missed 7 out of 32 regular season games. That means Vick has been on the field for just 78% of the time he could have been.

And on top of the time missed due to injury, the man is constantly banged up and playing through minor injuries after being jacked up and laid out on basically every other down.

It is always just a matter of time before Vick is carted off the field. And the time is this Sunday night. It may be on the first play from scrimmage, or late in the fourth quarter. But mark my words, Michael Vick will not be walking off the turf against the Giants when the game clock hits triple zeros.

 

Please follow me on Twitter @JoeD_Rant for all Eagles/NFL insight.

Share On FacebookShare StumbleUpon

You May Also Like