When you’re sacked 7 times, the chances of winning a game reduce significantly. This has been the kind of physical abuse Michael Vick has been exposed to all season, and you can’t expect your quarterback to not make mistakes when he’s running for his life over half the time. The Philadelphia Eagles have run out of excuses, and Andy Reid seems to have run out of answers.
An offensive line, a beaten up and depleted one, isn’t something you can really improve during the season. It takes time teaching O-Liners the job, but Reid and his crew didn’t even make an attempt to possibly trade for one, as weird as actually trying to make that kind of move sounds.
The talk kept revolving around Vick, instead of the two biggest factors – the lack of protection he’s getting and everyone in general, which leads to poor execution no matter if you agree or don’t with the play calling. The plays will look bad each and every time if there’s no one to block the incoming blitz, which the Saints did very well, unlike most of this season. It’s good to play the Eagles to get your defense to feel confident again.
LeSean McCoy led the Eagles with 119 rushing yards, and Philly finished with 221 yards on the ground. The Saints can’t stop the run, but they could stop Vick from getting comfortable, and the two turnovers, one by Vick, throwing an interception to Patrick Robinson who took it back 99 yards for the touchdown, and one a fumble by Brent Celek. When out of your four visits to the red zone all you get are two field goals and two turnovers, there’s not much you’re going to get.
Vick: It’s very frustrating. These are games that we have the opportunity to win, or get back in the game. At this point, everything has to be dead on. You can’t miss, and you almost have to be perfect on every drive.
Vick finished the game with 22-41, throwing for 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception, also adding 53 yards on the ground. It didn’t matter, as the Eagles lost 28-13, making it a fourth straight loss for the team that is failing to meet the high expectations for a second straight season. The defensive unit that was holding the Eagles together during the first four weeks of the season is a mess since the firing of Juan Castillo. Andy Reid has nothing more to say but saying Vick will continue to be the quarterback.
With the team in this shape, in this kind of confidence level, it really doesn’t matter that LeSean McCoy is getting things done despite getting hit behind the scrimmage line each and every time. He had 119 yards on 19 rushes despite being contacted behind the line of scrimmage on eight of them, tied for second most in a game this season by any running back. McCoy has been contacted in the backfield on 26.7 percent of his rushes this year, second most among qualified running backs behind LaRod Stephens-Howling (32.4).
Michael Vick isn’t the problem here. It’s a beaten up team that doesn’t find answers coming from the coaching staff, looking beyond desperate at this point regarding problems at both ends of the field. The end of Andy Reid’s tenure at the club looks closer than ever now.