NFL Week 10

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

You know, I'm tired of Mora and Vick getting tired of all the criticism about Vick's passing and thus doing more drop back stuff. Ok, we get Vick can be accurate (66% today), but I'd rather see the under 50% completion Vick who runs around and makes plays with his legs!

I mean there were bootlegs were the running lane was there and Vick would hold onto the ball looking for a reciever and getting KILLED a few times doing so. The offense didn't have the running game working because Vick wasn't running as he usually does. That opens up the inside game, but they wanted to prove a point. BAH!

****ing idiot coaching...

He did run 7 times which, I think, is about norm for him. In total yards, he had good numbers - stat-wise. Only so much he can do if the RBs and defense don't play well, as it appears from not watching the game.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

He did run 7 times which, I think, is about norm for him. In total yards, he had good numbers - stat-wise. Only so much he can do if the RBs and defense don't play well, as it appears from not watching the game.

More evidence that you don't have a clue regarding the Falcon offense, and also that a lack of knowledge is no inhibiting factor for you stating an opinion, Mr-I-didn't-watch-the-game-but-I-know-what-happened. Imran hit the nail on the head. He was wayyyy more tentative with regarding to running yesterday than I've ever seen him, from the very start. On the first or second offensive play of the game, he had room to run. He usually makes a fake throw right near the line of scrimmage to freeze a defender in front of him, then takes off for a nice run. This time, he made the fake, froze the defender, but then threw the ball--after he had past the line of scrimmage. It set the tone for the whole game, actually. Being a late afternoon game, I watched it on my new computer and let SWMBO have the TV, so I did a rare thing: listened to the Fox announcers, and they said it several times: Vick looked like he was trying to "prove something" with regard to passing, and made several decisions to hold the ball when he clearly could and should have run it, and as a result he and the entire offense looked out of synch, 20 for 30 for 209 yards with 2 TD's and 0 INT's notwithstanding. He had a key fumble trying to wait for a receiver to get open rather than taking off running. He threw down the gauntlet to the media last week. I hope he doesn't continue in this track: proving he can put up good passing numbers but not playing *his* game in order to do it.

[Buccaneer]

I just don't think those watching on TV, listening to the radio or those ignorantly just looking at the stats would know more than the coaches. But then again, fans do that all of the time.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I just don't think those watching on TV, listening to the radio or those ignorantly just looking at the stats would know more than the coaches. But then again, fans do that all of the time.

If you are Herm Edwards you don't know more. You definately know less.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I just don't think those watching on TV, listening to the radio or those ignorantly just looking at the stats would know more than the coaches. But then again, fans do that all of the time.

You don't seriously think that players 100% execute the plan every week, do you? It was clear as a bell to anyone watching that Vick strayed quite a bit from what has been successful yesterday.

[jeff061]

I can't imagine he'd change is style so dramatically without his coach asking him to or him asking his Coach. It had to be planned.

I'm not saying I like the change. I've always been a defender of Vick and his style in reguards to winning.

[Buccaneer]

I do understand the point. There is so much baggage regarding Vick, some real but mostly just perception. I think the coaching staff are having to listen to, not only the critics, but those expecting great things out of Vick. Too much investment have been made to not make it happen, whereas with other teams, they would pull the plug earlier - whether right or wrong. Maybe, as said before, there will come a day will a game like yesterday will be the usual gameplan (albeit several years down the line) but right now, I think there are too many voices to really know what he should do every game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

DISCLAIMER: I DID NOT WATCH THE FALCONS PLAY YESTERDAY

With the way Vick stood up to reporters after his previous game, I would imagine that he is trying to prove something to everybody. I don't know how many of Vick's runs have been part of the gameplan in the past, but it's always appeared to me that he has the green light to run during a pass play if he wants to. Now, that may not be case, but if it is, maybe he's discarding the option to run because he wants to show the world something.

Now I'm going to get really silly. Since Michael Vick "just wins games" (that's what everybody says, anyway), what would the coaches have done yesterday? Tell him to run MORE? He won his previous game by staying in the pocket and throwing, and the man "just wins games", so why question him if he decides to do it again? They're playing a 1-7 team, they're at home, and the quarterback "just wins games." For that game, if he chooses to stay in the pocket when he has a running a lane, I'd probably trust him until his passing goes downhill. Judging from the stats (remember, I didn't watch the game), his passing was fine.

Basically, my point is that I can see the coach allowing the QB to change his style in this case, at least for one game.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Judging from the stats (remember, I didn't watch the game), his passing was fine.

Mr-I-didn't-watch-the-game-but-I-know-what-happened.

[jeff061]

Because he never "just won games" as a pocket passer. One game is not nearly enough to reach the conclusion that he can win it either way.

I'd hazard to guess he was problably told to put more emphasis on his passing game, not to totally disregaurd the run.

[flere-imsaho]

Heh, the Bears' game was hilarious.

When I woke up on Sunday to the sound of the wind absolutely pounding the house, I had 3 thoughts:

1. What the heck is that smacking against the window (a tree branch, as it turned out)?

2. I don't think we're playing Ultimate Frisbee this morning (the only 2 thing that keep us from playing are lightning & high winds).

3. The Bears' game should be fun to watch today.

Poor Gould. That kick never had a chance.

[Daimyo]

I've lived in Chicago almost 10 years and I can only remember one other time the wind was as bad as it was over the weekend. Saturday night I was actually a little worried a window might break with as much noise as the wind was making. It died down a bit Sunday, but still pretty crazy. It looked like Vasher was lined up way deep in the corner of the end zone at the snap... smart thinking by the Bears coaching. I was watching it at a distance in a restaurant and actually thought it was a punt (based on there being a return man) until I got home and saw the highlights.

[JasonC23]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Still, the absolute best thing to happen was Robbie Gould's field goal attempt taking an almost 90-degree turn. I just wish that I could have seen that live and heard the commentary during it. The (AP?) recap of the game mentions the kick going "almost comically 20 yards wide right." I've never seen a better use of the word "comically" in my life. Over 18 hours later, I'm still here giggling my ass off at the sight of that kick. I am going to record it on my DVR off NFL Network On Demand and watch it again and again. That was the greatest kick I have ever seen. If that is the only football play I am allowed to watch for the rest of my life, I will not complain.

Robbie Gould. My hero.

This is so true. I watched the Bears game, then later NFL Primetime, a couple of local nightly news broadcasts, and the NBC Bears Sunday special, so I ended up seeing the kick a ton of times. And the damn thing got funnier every time I saw it.

Not funnier but perhaps an even more telling sign of the wind was Gould's second FG attempt, during which the snap was blown so far off course that the holder barely corralled it. I mean, a FG kick gets up in the air and usually goes a nice distance, but how high and how far does a snap go? Just an unbelievable game to watch.

[JasonC23]

Dola--can't wait to see Flere do his thing with the Bears game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Does anyone know when NFL Network On Demand puts up the highlights for all the games? I want to watch The Kick at the earliest possible time.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Ohbytheway, www.nfl.com/video has The Kick as the first highlight of the Bears-Niners game. Unfortunately, it's shitty RealPlayer quality, and you can't really see the actual football very well. You just see the camera kind of zip off to the right. For now, I'll take what I can get.

I also love how Gould looks like he's about to get blown across the field like a tumbleweed as he's setting up to try The Kick.

[Radii]

I think there may be something to the fact that vick is trying to "prove himself" and his passing abilities, but it seems to me since the first few games where he would pull up limping after a run, and after he missed the Pats game, that he is not running as decisively. This isn't new this week IMO.

Also, the fumble was bound to happen. Vick almost always runs with the ball in his left hand wide open to get knocked away. He's just usually more aware of his surroundings and pulls it in at the right time before he goes down.

[flere-imsaho]

Aarrgghh. I went to sleep about 1/2-way through the 3rd quarter of the Monday Night game!

[jeff061]

ESPN takes over Monday night next year right? What are the chances they move the game to a more reasonable hour? I hate having to take the following morning off of work just so I can watch a football game that's not over until past midnight.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by jeff061

ESPN takes over Monday night next year right? What are the chances they move the game to a more reasonable hour? I hate having to take the following morning off of work just so I can watch a football game that's not over until past midnight.

I'm finding it really hard to stay awake past halftime these days. In a way, it would almost be better if there were 2 monday night games every week, one being an "East Coast" game that starts at 7 PM(est), ends around 10:30. And the other being a "West coast" game that starts around 10PM and ends at 1:30. Too bad that will never happen. I hate having to take a big afternoon nap to be able to watch the game in its entirety.