For years the popular assumption amongst NFL teams was that quarterbacks taken in the draft need to grab a clipboard and sit behind a starter for an extended period of time. Teams believed that their young quarterback could begin to learn the complex NFL defenses from the sidelines and then gradually step onto the field of play. However, the rookie quarterbacks this year have already proven that rookies don't need to sit behind a starter for an extended period in order to be successful in the NFL.
Although there are always exceptions like Aaron Rodgers, history has shown that quarterbacks who sit for the first few years of their career aren't guaranteed success in the NFL. In 2004, J.P. Losman was drafted with the number 22 overall pick by the Buffalo Bills. In 2004, Losman played sparingly as a backup behind Drew Bledsoe and attempted just 5 passes all season long. When Losman became the team's starter in 2005, he completed less than 50 percent of his passes and had as many touchdowns as interceptions, while leading the Bills to a 1-7 record in his 8 starts. By October of 2007, Losman was no longer the number 1 in Buffalo. In 2006, the New York Jets selected Kellen Clemens in the second round. They expected Clemens to sit behind Chad Pennington for at least a year and that is exactly what happened as Clemens attempted just 1 pass all season. When Clemens played in 2007, he threw 10 interceptions and had 3 multi pick games. Clemens fell into such low regards with the Jets that they traded for Brett Favre in 2008 and then drafted Mark Sanchez in 2009. In 2007, Brady Quinn was drafted number 22 overall by the Cleveland Browns out of Notre Dame. Quinn attempted just 8 passes in his first season in the NFL and sat behind starter Derek Anderson for the entire year. When Quinn finally got his chance to become the full-time starter two years later in 2009, he struggled so mightily that the Browns traded him to the Broncos the next year.
Cam Newton, the first overall pick of the 2011 draft by the Carolina Panthers out of Auburn, has made the NFL look way to easy in his first season. The starter for the Panthers since their opining game has been shredding apart defenses every week and the Panthers have been close in every game this season. Although the Panthers are 2-5, they have lost 4 of those games by one touchdown or less and their defense has really struggled, as they have allowed an average of over 30 points in their 5 defeats. Newton is leading one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL. The Panthers rank in the top 5 in total yards, total yards per game, passing yards, passing yards per game, and rushing yards. Cam threw for over 400 yards in his first two career NFL starts. His 422 passing yards against the Arizona Cardinals in week 1 broke Peyton Manning's record for the most passing yards for a rookie on the opening day of the season. Newton also became the first player in NFL history to begin a career with two consecutive games of 400 yards passing. To go along with his passing, Newton has 7 rushing touchdowns, which ranks second in the NFL only behind Adrian Peterson. For all of you fantasy lovers, Newton is only behind Aaron Rodgers in fantasy points and his main target, Steve Smith, is leading the NFL in receiving yards with 818.
Although Blaine Gabbert has not posted the flashy numbers like Cam Newton has, he has been very effective for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who took him with their 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft. After taking over the starting role from Luke McCown following McCown's 4 interception performance in week 2 against the Jets, Gabbert has thrown just 2 interceptions in the last 5 weeks including no picks in his last 3 games. Gabbert has already shown in his young NFL career that he knows how to manage a game. Despite having a completion percent under 50 last week, Gabbert didn't make any mistakes and threw no interceptions in a 12-7 Jaguars win over the Ravens, who are one of the best teams in the NFL. Although Gabbert is still learning how to play the quarterback position, the experience he is getting by playing is benefiting him much more than if he was sitting on the sidelines and watching.
Although the Vikings were at first content to let their 12th overall pick, Christian Ponder, sit behind Donovan McNabb for at least one season, they have realized that rookie quarterbacks can play right out of college and have made the switch from McNabb to Ponder. The Vikings have found a down the field passing game with Ponder that will provide some balance for a rushing game that ranks 3rd in the NFL. In 5 games with McNabb, the Vikings completed just 3 passes of over 20 yards. In Ponder's first NFL start against the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, he completed 4 passes that were over 20 yards including a 73 yard pass to Michael Jenkins on the Vikings first play from scrimmage. With McNabb under center, teams crowded the box and Peterson had just one game of over 100 yards. However, the threat of Ponder throwing the ball down the field, allowed Adrian Peterson to have his best game of the season, as he ran for 175 yards an added a touchdown.
Andy Dalton, the Bengals 2nd round selection out of TCU, has led the Cincinnati Bengals to an impressive 4-2 start, which is as many wins as the Bengals won in all of 2010, as they finished with a 4-12 record. Dalton has led the Bengals to 3 consecutive victories after a 1-2 start. He has shown that he can win in a lot of different ways as well. In a 23-20 win against the Buffalo Bills in week 4, Dalton threw the ball 36 times and had 298 passing yards. In the following week, Dalton was able to manage a hard fought game and completed more than 63 percent of his passes in leading the Bengals to a 30-20 victory over the Jaguars on the raod. Dalton has thrown 7 touchdowns and has just 5 interceptions to go along with his 62.4 completion percentage in 6 starts. Dalton and A.J. Green, the Benglas 2011 first round selection out of Georgia, are beginning to develop a very dangerous connection as well. Green is amongst the top 15 in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Newton, Gabbert, Ponder, and Dalton have all shown that rookie quarterbacks don't need to sit behind a starter for an extended period in order to be successful in the NFL. The college football defenses, like LSU and Alabama, are so good now, that the leap to the NFL is not as significant and kids can come in and play right away. It is also an advantage to start quarterbacks right away because teams don't have to hold onto them and wonder whether they can play or not in the NFL because they can see what they have right away. Of the 32 current starting quarterbacks in the NFL, 14 of them started at least 7 games (except for the current rookies) for their current team in their rookie season.
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Sabtu, 29 Oktober 2011
Kamis, 20 Oktober 2011
Sabtu, 30 April 2011
Prince Amukamara Going To The New York Giants Was The Steal Of The Draft
Prince Amukamara was projected to be a top 10 to 15 pick in the NFL draft. When it came around to the Giants pick at number 19, they were happily surprised he was still available. The Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said, "It was a shock. It was a shock. It was a shock. I know we come in and say, We picked the best player, and we were surprised. This one truly was a shock. Because you go through scenarios leading up to the draft where you kind of have realistic scenarios, somewhat unrealistic scenarios, of what could happen. And this one was just completely out of left field. We never thought this kid would have been still on the board at 19." Although the Giants weren't one of the teams coming into the draft that desperately needed help in the secondary, they couldn’t pass on a talent like Amukamara. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said about the pick, "The value of this pick, where he was ranked, there wasn't any question about the fact that this player should be on the New York Giants."
Amukamara is an NFL ready cornerback. He is quick but is also physical and strong. Prince says about himself, "I use my hands a lot with the wide receivers. And I really like to get after the ball." Marc Ross added about Prince, "He is kind of unique in that a guy with this size – and he is fast, fast – he is strong and plays with great instinct. And he has tossed the guys in the gunner on special teams clean off the field. And he is kind of unique." Tom Coughlin described Prince as "physical, he's fast, he has very good size, he's confident, which you have to be as a corner in this league. Sometimes when you look at him you say Jeez, he comes under control a little bit at the break point area. You say Wow, you better continue to give yourself a little bit of a cushion there, young man but then all of a sudden he makes a break on the ball and picks one off. He's physical. They bring him off the corner a lot. He's played in a division where there's all kind of wide open passing attacks, so you know he's defended a lot over the years."
Prince Amukamara will add to a defense that ranked 9th last season in opposing passing yards at 209.5 per game. Amukamara will join Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, and Terrell Thomas as the cover corners for the Giants. When asked if the Giants had to many cornerbacks, Tom Coughlin said, "You can never have enough cover guys because if you watch the way people play today with the addition of the receivers, they go one, two, three, four, until they figure out what you're going to cover some of these third, fourth receivers with. The more cover people you have, the better off you're going to be."
Da'Quan Bowers Is Worth The Risk For The Buccanners
Before Nick Fairley was considered to be the leading candidate to be selected with the number one overall pick, that position was held by Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers. Teams were very impressed with Bowers athleticism and top 10 level talent as well as his relentlessness to get into the opposing backfield. However, concerns began to arise about a worsening knee problem that Bowers has had since January of 2011. The questions began when Bowers had to miss the NFL combine as a result of having knee surgery on a torn meniscus. It got even worse for Bowers when teams learned that he may need additional surgery on the knee. Bowers stock began to plummet from out of the top 10 to out of the first round.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a steal by selecting Bowers with the 51st pick in the NFL draft. They got a top 10 talent 19 picks into the second round. Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik saw too much potential in Bowers to pass on him despite the questions over his knee. He said about Bowers, "Bowers has a good combination of speed to power, natural strength and length, and he’s physical. He’s the kind of guy that was obviously voted as team captain, so leadership was part of it. I know we’ve had a lot of texts the last five to ten minutes from former guys and players that we have on this football team that are fired up... We feel that the value of this pick is too strong for me and this organization to pass up. I think everybody felt the same way. Everybody thought that he was obviously a top 10 talent.”
Da'Quan's agent Joseph Flanagan said that there are absolutely no signs of arthritis in Bowers knee and that he will not need another surgery. Bowers said, “My health is fine, my knee is fine. It’s 100 percent. I’m still rehabbing every day just to make sure everything’s on time and on point, but there are no further issues with my knee." Dominik is hopeful that Da’Quan’s knee will continue to heal. He said, “Well right now, the idea behind it is ideally rehabbing and continuing to rehab, like he’s been doing. That’s what he’s done since he had his surgery and he had his pro day. He’s been rehabbing since then and is going to continue the rehab process until we’re comfortable putting him on the football field. When that day comes, we will absolutely put him on the football field.” Bowers led college football last season with 15.5 sacks and will be looking to continue to get to the quarterback in Tampa Bay.
Jumat, 29 April 2011
Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley Will Provide A Dynamic Duo in Detroit
Ndamukong Suh had a dominant rookie season. After being selected with the second overall pick, Suh won the defensive rookie of the year award and was a first team All-Pro selection. With the Lions 13th pick in this years NFL draft, they selected a defensive tackle in the first round for the second year in a row. They took Nick Fairley out of Auburn, who will create a dominant tandem with Suh in the trenches.
At the beginning of the draft process, Nick Fairley was considered to be the leading candidate to be selected with the number one overall pick. Fairley's explosiveness and quickness were very appealing. However, Fairley only had one really good season with Auburn, so his inconsistency and tendency to take plays off concerned some teams. Therefore, Marcell Dareus from Alabama became the first defensive tackle selected with the third pick by the Bills. Much to the Lions delight, Fairley fell to 13th, where they selected him. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz said about the pick, "The philosophy here was we're drafting to our strength. Defensive line is a strength of what we do. We won our last four last year and you can have probably a quiz show to find out who our corners were in those games, but we were good up front. Being good up front is what drives our defense. We have players that could be an impact player for us at a position. We didn't worry too much about what his [Fairley] playtime was going to be. We knew where he was on the board for us, how much we liked him and he fit really well, so we didn't hesitate to make the pick." Instead of drafting an area of concern, such as the cornerback position, the Lions drafted to the team's strengths and the best player available on their board.
The Lions also have defensive tackle Corey Williams, who will be apart of the Lions interior linemen rotation. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz said, "We play 130 defensive tackle snaps in a game. So, if we're rotating three guys through and they're playing 45 snaps apiece... No. 1, there'll be a little bit of pressure. We can keep rolling waves and waves. We probably -- even Ndamukong Suh -- probably played a little too much for us last year. Not that he wore down, but it was too many snaps in there. You're taking on 700 pounds of man every time you take on a double team and things like that."
The Detroit Lions defensive linemen have already embraced the pick. Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said, “I don’t care how many sacks I get. I want us as a group to get a ton of sacks. I don’t necessarily care about being the best defensive end in the league. I want to be a part of the best defensive line in the league. He’s going to be a part of that and he’s going to step in and be able to add to us and we welcome him.”
Ryan Mallett Falls Out Of the Top Two Rounds Of The NFL Draft
Ryan Mallett's free fall in the NFL Draft has continued into the third round. Mallett was projected by some to be the third quarterback taken in the draft and was even as high as number 12 in some projections. Through 2 rounds, there have been 6 quarterback taken and none of them have been the big 6'6, 253 pound Mallett. Character concerns have caused Mallett's stock to plummet.
The questions began when Mallett was asked at the NFL combine about allegations that he used drugs. Mallett said, “I said I’m not going to talk about it here.” After he was asked about the drug allegations for a third time, Mallett walked out of the media room and didn't answer any more questions. Mallett still hasn't squashed the rumors of the allegations in the media. He said in response a day later, "7,00-plus yards and 60 touchdowns in two season. That's how I respond to that." It was reported that during one of Mallett's pre-draft interviews that he admitted to using drugs. Mallett had previously been arrested in March of 2009 for public intoxication.
The questions continued when Mallett missed an interview with the Carolina Panthers because he said he was too sick to go. However, sources said Mallett was seen walking around town late the night before. Even though Mallett's agent denied the claim, it still raised questions about the character issues surrounding Mallett.
The gunslinger from Arkansas has a big arm and his passing accuary at the combine and his pro day at Arkansas were even better than expected. However, teams began to shy away from taking Mallett because of the off the field issues. Although it has come as a surprise to many fans that Mallett wasn’t taken in the first two rounds, NFL executives were not nearly as surprised. One source said, "I'm telling you right now, he could slip right out of the second round, entirely."
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| What team will draft Ryan Mallett despite his character concerns |
Kamis, 28 April 2011
NFL First Round Mock Draft
1. Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn
2. Denver Broncos - Von Miller, Linebacker, Texas A and M
3. Buffalo Bills - Marcell Dareus, Defensive Tackle, Alabama
4. Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green, Wide Receiver, Georgia
5. Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert, Quaterback, Missouri
6. Cleveland Browns - Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Alabama
7. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, LSU
8. Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley, Defensive Tackle, Auburn
9. Dallas Cowboys - Tyron Smith, Offensive Tackle, USC
10. Washington Redskins - Robert Quinn, Linebacker, North Carolina
11. Houston Texans - Aldon Smith, Defensive End, Missouri
12. Minnesota Vikings - Jake Locker, Quarterback, Washington
13. Detroit Lions - Prince Amukamara, Cornerback, Nebraska
14. St. Louis Rams - Corey Liuget, Defensive Tackle, Illinois
15. Miami Dolphins - Mike Pouncey, Center, Floirda
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Ryan Kerrigan, Defensive End, Purdue
17. New England Patriots - Cameron Jordan, Defensive End, California
18. San Diego Chargers - J.J. Watt, Defensive End, Wisconsin
19. New York Giants - Anthony Castonzo, Offesnive Tackle, Boston College
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Da'Quan Bowers, Defensive End, Clemson
21. Kansas City Chiefs - Nate Solder, Offensive Tackle, Colorado
22. Indianapolis Colts - Gabe Carimi, Offensive Tackle, Wisconsin
23. Philadelphia Eagles - Jimmy Smith, Cornerback, Colorado
24. New Orleans Saints - Muhammad Wilkerson, Defensive End, Temple
25. Seattle Seahawks - Andy Dalton, Quarterback, TCU
26. Baltimore Ravens - Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End, Iowa
27. Atlanta Falcons - Akeen Ayers, Linebacker, UCLA
28. New England Patriots - Mark Ingram, Running Back, Alabama
29. Chiacgo Bears - Derek Sherrod, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State
30. New York Jets - Phil Taylor, Nose Tackle, Baylor
31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Aaron Williams, Cornerback, Texas
32. Green Bay Packers - Danny Watkins, Guard, Baylor
Rabu, 20 April 2011
Top 10 NFL Matchups (Let's Hope We Have A Season)
1. New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers in Week 1: The last two Super Bowl Champions should provide a show on the opening night of the NFL. The Saints had a very disappointing end to their season last year when they were ousted in the NFC Wild Card Game, as they allowed 41 points to the Seahawks. They will look to sure up their defense this year when they play the defending champion Green Bay Packers. It will be one of the best quarterback matchups of the year when the two former Super Bowl MVP's, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, met up at Lambeau Field on September 8th.
2. New York Giants at Washington Redskins/ Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets in Week 1: The two cities that were directly affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 will be hosting games on the 10th anniversary of those attacks. Giant’s spokesman Pat Hanlon said, "For nearly 10 years, we have felt an obligation to use our platform to make sure none of us ever forget the tragedy and heartbreak and courage and heroism of Sept. 11. That responsibility becomes even greater." The always shy Rex Ryan said, "That stadium is going to be full of emotion, not only the people from the area but in the entire country. [It's] The fact that it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11."
3. Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons in Week 2: The Falcons home opener will be against a very interesting opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh yes, Michael Vick will return to Atlanta for the first time as a starter. Emotions will obviously be high especially with the game being on at primetime on Sunday night. Vick had 6 very memorable seasons with the Falcons before was implicated in an illegal dog fighting ring. The Eagles open the regular season for the first time since 2002 with two road games.
4. Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints in Week 7: The Sunday Night primetime game on October 23rd will feature a Super Bowl rematch from 2010 when the Saints beat the Colts 31-17. It will also feature a great quarterback battle between Drew Bress and Peyton Manning. Bress isn't the only one who sees New Orleans as special in this match up as well. Peyton's dad Archie played for the Saints and Peyton was born, grew up, and played high school football in New Orleans. The last time Peyton was playing in New Orleans against the Saints was in 2003 when the Colts beat the Saints 55 to 21 and he tied his career high throwing 6 touchdowns in one game.
5. San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8: Many people including myself were very surprised that Norv Turner retained his job after the Chargers failed to make the playoffs and were only 9-7 with all the talent that they had in their team last year. Although they scored the second most points in the league with 441 and were in the top 10 in points allowed, they missed out on the playoffs. The Chargers will try to take back the division title from the very surprising Kansas City Chiefs, who after a 4-12 season in 2009, won the AFC West at 10-6 last year. The Monday Night Football Game will be the second meeting between the teams and will be critical in the division race.
6. Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9: Since 2002, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens have won the AFC North 7 out of the last 9 years. They have dominated the AFC North. Whenever the Ravens and Steelers met you can always expect great defense, extremely hard-hitting, and the two teams playing to get on top of the division. Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said, "The last few times we've played them [the Ravens] it always comes down to close games, and when you're in games like that, it's very emotional. You learn to start disliking a team even more." The Ravens will have even more incentive to knock off their rivals, as the Steelers ended their season last year in the Divisional Playoffs.
7. San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens in Week 12: Thanksgiving commemorates a feast that the pilgrims shared with their "brothers" the Native Americans. On Thanksgiving, Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers will met his brother John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens. They will become the first pair of brothers to meet as head coaches in NFL history. The game has allowed the Harabuagh family to have a little bit of fun. The brothers dad Jack Harbaugh said when asked if he was going to attend the game, “No way. And Jackie [Harbaugh, his wife] and I have talked about it, and we will not be within two time zones of that venue, I promise you. We’re going to stay as far away from that as we can. We’ve seen these two guys compete for about 47 years, so… we’ll allow other people to enjoy it with us here in Milwaukee, [where we will be] watching on television.” John Harbaugh said though, "My dad and mom said they're not going to be within three time zones of the game, but we'll get them there somehow. What we're going to do is try to get Jim over to the house, get him some turkey, get some of that tryptophan working and get him a little bit tired for later."
8. Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots in Week 13: Many people consider this game the biggest rivalry in the NFL even through the teams aren't in the same division. The Pats have won more than 10 games ever year since 2003 and the Colts have won more than 10 games every year since 2002. These two teams have been the models of consistency in the NFL and they are lead by two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Brady and Manning have won 6 of the last 8 MVP's including the last 4.
9. Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos in Week 14: While the Colts and Patriots rivalry has been going on for the last ten years, a new rivalry will have its first square off in Denver on December 11th. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will finally return to the scene of the crime. Before the 2009 season, Cutler requested to leave Denver saying, "Really, it's best for me to move on. "Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said after they dealt Cutler to the Bears, "Obviously, the trade went through with another team. We moved on. I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed." Cutler will definitely face a very hostile crowd in Denver, as emotions are still very high over his departure.
10. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers in Week 16: The Packers-Bears rivalry dates all the way back to 1921 and they have played each other in the regular season and playoffs a record 182 times. Jay Cutler will return to Green Bay for the first time since he had to leave the NFC Championship game with a knee injury, which he has heavily criticized over. The Week 16 game that is primetime on Christmas will certainly have a big impact on the NFC North division crown.
Sabtu, 26 Maret 2011
The Comeback Of Michael Vick
Every football fan is wondering weather or not there will be an NFL season next year. The lockout has had a huge affect on fans and players, some of whom are resorting to boxing like Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski or soccer like Bengels wide receiver Chad Johnson. Everybody wants a football season and I thnk this piece on Michael Vick will remind people of the great stories of the NFL.
After just one season at Virginia Tech in 1999, Michael Vick was already beginning to be called the most electrifying player in college football. He was so impressive on the football field that in the 2000 MLB draft, the Colorado Rockies took a chance and chose Vick in the 30th round despite him not having played baseball in college. Vick led the Hokies to an 11-1 record, with their only loss coming against Florida State in the BCS National Championship game at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy, the highest finish for a freshman since 1980 when Herschel Walker of Georgia achieved the same feat. He returned to Virginia Tech for one more season and led his team to another 11-1 record. He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.
In 2001, the Atlanta Falcons, who owned the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft, became the first team in NFL history to trade up for the first pick. They dealt the fifth overall pick, a third round pick in the 2001 draft, and wide receiver Tim Dwight to acquire Vick. Some people wondered if Vick could succeed in the NFL with his mobile, athletic, and unique style of throwing as well as running. In 2001, Vick made his NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers and he completed his first touchdown pass against the Carolina Panthers on September 23.
The next year, Vick came onto the NFL scene as a major superstar. The Falcons had 6 wins and a tie from week 6 to week 13 of the NFL season. In week 13, Vick set an NFL record for most rushing yard in a single game with 173. The previous mark was 127 yards, set by the Chiacgo Bears' quarterback Bobby Douglass in 1972. After the game, Vick’s coach Dan Reeves said, "I've never seen anyone turn on the jets like that.'' Vick didn’t throw an interception for 25 straight quarters and 177 straight passes that season. The Falcons made the playoffs with a 9-6-1 record. In Vick’s first NFL playoff game, they immediately scored a major upset on January 4, 2003. The Falcons became the first road team in NFL history to defeat the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game at Lambeau Field. After the game, the Packers coach Mike Sherman said, "Michael Vick's a great player, he made some great plays, we couldn't tackle him.'' Their season ended the next week in Philadelphia as the Eagles won 20–6. Vick had a career high in completions, attempts, and passing yards that season.
In 2003, Vick suffered a fractured right fibula and the Falcons missed the playoffs as Vick only played in 5 games. In 2004, the Falcons were the second seed in the NFC playoffs finishing at 11-5. He became the first quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game against the Denver Broncos. Vick’s 902 rushing yards ranked third all-time by an NFL quarterback in one season. Hs 7.5 rushing yards per carry ranked first among all NFL players. Vick took the Falcons to the NFC championship game, but they fell to the Eagles. After the season, Vick signed a 10-year contract worth $130 million with a $37 million signing bonus. This made him the highest paid player in the NFL at the time. Although the 2005 and 2006 seasons were very difficult for the Falcons as they went 8-8 and 7-9 respectively, Vick still put up big numbers. He threw for the most touchdowns in his career with 20 in 2006. Vick also set the record for the most rushing yards in a season with 1,039 and the highest average yards per carry in NFL history with 8.4.
In April of 2007, the sports world was stunned when Vick was reported to have involvement in a dog-fighting scandal. He participated in an illegal interstate dog-fighting ring that had operated for more than five years. One of the members of the group said about Vick, "He's a pit bull fighter. He's one of the people that they call 'the big boys': that's someone who bets a large dollar. I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights." Aside from dog-fighting, Vick and three others killed the dogs that didn't show enough fighting spirit or that lost matches by shooting, drowning, or hanging them. Prosecutors alleged that on one occasion early 2007, Vick participated in killing eight dogs. In August of 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to a felony charge for his role in the dog-fighting ring. The NFL suspended him indefinitely. At a news conference he made a statement and said, “I offer my deepest apologies to everybody out there in the world who was affected by this whole situation. And if I'm more disappointed with myself than anything it's because of all the young people, young kids that I've let down, who look at Michael Vick as a role model. And to have to go through this and put myself in this situation, you know, I hope that every young kid out there in the world watching this interview right now who's been following the case will use me as an example to using better judgment and making better decisions. So I got a lot of down time, a lot of time to think about my actions and what I've done and how to make Michael Vick a better person.” While in prison, Vick filled for federal bankruptcy protection in July of 2008. He served 21 months in prison and spent two months under home confinement in Hampton, Virginia.
Vick was released by the Falcons and was suspended for two weeks by Roger Goodell. Former Indianapolis Colts head coach, Tony Dungy, began to mentor Vick to get him on the right path. He provided Vick with advice, direction, and support during his rehabilitation process after his release from jail.
On August 14, 2009, Vick signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. The first year of the deal was worth $1.6 million with the second-year option worth $5.2 million. Andy Reid said, “I'm a believer that as long as people go through the right process, they deserve a second chance.” In week 13 against his former team, the Falcons, Vick threw a touchdown and ran for a touchdown. These were his first scores since December 2006. However, Vick only played sparingly as a backup to Donovan McNabb. He had by far his worst NFL season completing only 46.2 percent of his passes and running for more yards than throwing. On April 5, 2010, Donovan McNabb was traded within the NFC East to the Washington Redskins. Although things were beginning to look up for Vick, the Eagles named Kevin Kolb the starter for the beginning of the season. When Kolb suffered a concussion in the first week of the season, Vick came in and threw for 175 yards and one touchdown, and ran for 103 yards in only one half. It became Vick’s seventh 100-yard rushing game, the most ever by a quarterback. Although Kolb was ready to play by week 3, Andy Reid had no chose but to start Vick because he was playing at such a high level. Vick didn’t disappoint his coach one bit during that week, leading the Eagles to a 28-3 win over the Jaguars. He threw for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns, and ran for 30 yards and another touchdown. Andy Reid said, "He played his heart out today, so it's more about him than me or anybody else. It's a tribute to what he's done and how he's handled things."
Vick was back on top of the NFL and was named the NFC offensive player of the month for September. The highlight of the season, and his return as a star in the NFL, came on Monday Night Football on November 15 against the Redskins and McNabb. Vick passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 80 yards and another two touchdowns. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio asked Vick for his game jersey to display after Vick became the first player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in the first half of a game. Last Thursday, Vick and the Eagles beat the Texans 34-24 and Vick once again threw for 300 yards with 2 touchdowns, and ran for 48 yards and a touchdown. After the game, Texans coach Gary Kubiak said of Vick, "This young man is playing as good as anybody I've seen play in the NFL and I've been doing it for a while. He's special and we just tried to contain him, but obviously he still had a big night.” While Vick has always been a fantastic runner, he has been showing some incredible accuracy passing this season. His quarterback rating of 100.2 was fourth in the NFL. He completed 233 of 372 passes for a 62.6 completion percentage, above his carrer average of 55.3. Vick threw for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions. He ran for 676 yards and 9 touchdowns. Vick accumulated all of these incredible numbers after missing 4 games due to a rib injury. After leading the Eagles to the NFC East divison crown at a 10-6 record, Vick was named the Comeback player of the year.
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