Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Vick Offseason Update
Ahhh yes, NBA Finals. Perfect time for a Vick update!
AP reports Falcons starting QB Michael Vick was quick in his drop and even quicker with his release on Tuesday, almost always getting rid of the ball as soon as he had reached his last drop step. Vick also showed a distinct willingness to throw the ball away and take an incompletion to move on to the next play.
Ooooh!
Quarterback Michael Vick on practice
“It feels good to be back out here another day, another day of learning, another productive day. We came out here and worked on a lot of situational things and those are things that we have to do to be successful in this league. It’s a good system we’re working in and I can’t say enough about it.”
Vick on adjusting to the Falcons new offense
“I have adjusted. I still have to sharpen up on some things protection-wise and we’ve got all of training camp for that. I’ll use that time to make sure I have that down before our first preseason game when we open up at Baltimore. It’s a lot that I still have to work on, but not too much. I’ve pretty much got the basics down.”
Vick on what part of the system he is most comfortable with and what he needs to work on
“I’m just comfortable with the system overall. Like I said (I need to work on some things) protection-wise, knowing who’s blitzing. Certain teams pick up fronts and do things a certain way, so it’s just about adjusting to the way we pick up blitzes and the way we call out protections and the way we try and pick up those schemes.”
Vick on taking something off of his throws
“I have to for certain throws that we have to make in this system. You don’t have to gun the ball in there all the time; you can take something off it, which is good. It’s helpful for the receivers and it gives them an opportunity to catch the ball. No, it wasn’t difficult (to learn to do). I think all quarterbacks can adjust to making throws when you have to shoot it in there and throws you have to take something off. It’s just like throwing a check down to the running backs and tight ends, where we don’t have to throw as hard because they don’t get tight coverage. As a quarterback, it’s just something that you have to work on, but if you’re a natural quarterback, it only takes about an hour to do.”
Vick on the competitive nature of practice
“Every practice almost feels like a game. You hear some coaches refer to practice as being harder than the games and I can relate to that. You get out there playing the game and everything seems to click. In practice, it seems sometimes like you’re seeing ghosts, like 13 or 14 guys are on the defense because everything is moving so fast. It’s all about competing every day, coming to practice daily, being ready to work and ready to put in that time to take this thing to another level.
Vick on Ed Donatell’s new defensive scheme
“One thing they stress on the defensive side of the ball is getting takeaways, turnovers. Those are things that help you win football games in this league. The team that forces the most turnovers always ends up in the Super Bowl. If they’re stressing that, then I’m all for it. It’s going to allow the offense a chance to get the ball in the end zone more times than usual.”
Vick on throwing the ball away
“Growing up as a quarterback, it almost comes naturally. Throwing the ball away is something I did last year, it’s something I did in the 2002 season, it’s something a quarterback has to do in this league or else you’re going to throw a lot of interceptions and you’re going to take a lot of shots. That’s something I realize I can’t do as I grow and I mature as my career continues. Throwing the ball away is going to be a big part of my game and taking something off of it is going to be a big part of my game. I have to adjust to the system.”
Vick on his leg
“It’s feeling good. I haven’t had any problems with it the last two months. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I almost feel like it’s back to 100 percent. I haven’t had any problems. I’ve been icing it every day and doing everything I’ve been supposed to be doing: icing every day, getting treatment in the morning and icing at night, so it helps when you do what you’re told.”
Vick on Dez White
“He brings a lot to the table. He’s got exceptional speed and can catch the ball. The one thing we really like about Dez is the way he runs his routes. He’s up there with the best of ‘em. He runs some of the best double-stick moves in the league. Those are things that we’re looking for Dez to bring to the table. Some big play ability, going over the top to catch some balls…that’s what I saw him do in Chicago when I watched film on him, so I think he’s going to catch a lot of balls for us and he’s going to be really valuable to us.”
Vick on what excites him most about the new offensive system
“It’s just being able to become a quarterback, playing in this system that I think I’m going to play in for the next three or four years of my career, hopefully longer. That’s a blessing: to be able to stick within one system and play that system out. That way, you learn the ins and out of the system, what you can do and what you can’t do, and by the time you grow and you mature in this system, you can almost go out there and throw the ball blindfolded. Those are the things I’m excited about, just playing in one system consistently.” ¶ 6/09/2004 12:53:00 PM
AP reports Falcons starting QB Michael Vick was quick in his drop and even quicker with his release on Tuesday, almost always getting rid of the ball as soon as he had reached his last drop step. Vick also showed a distinct willingness to throw the ball away and take an incompletion to move on to the next play.
Ooooh!
Quarterback Michael Vick on practice“It feels good to be back out here another day, another day of learning, another productive day. We came out here and worked on a lot of situational things and those are things that we have to do to be successful in this league. It’s a good system we’re working in and I can’t say enough about it.”
Vick on adjusting to the Falcons new offense
“I have adjusted. I still have to sharpen up on some things protection-wise and we’ve got all of training camp for that. I’ll use that time to make sure I have that down before our first preseason game when we open up at Baltimore. It’s a lot that I still have to work on, but not too much. I’ve pretty much got the basics down.”
Vick on what part of the system he is most comfortable with and what he needs to work on
“I’m just comfortable with the system overall. Like I said (I need to work on some things) protection-wise, knowing who’s blitzing. Certain teams pick up fronts and do things a certain way, so it’s just about adjusting to the way we pick up blitzes and the way we call out protections and the way we try and pick up those schemes.”
Vick on taking something off of his throws
“I have to for certain throws that we have to make in this system. You don’t have to gun the ball in there all the time; you can take something off it, which is good. It’s helpful for the receivers and it gives them an opportunity to catch the ball. No, it wasn’t difficult (to learn to do). I think all quarterbacks can adjust to making throws when you have to shoot it in there and throws you have to take something off. It’s just like throwing a check down to the running backs and tight ends, where we don’t have to throw as hard because they don’t get tight coverage. As a quarterback, it’s just something that you have to work on, but if you’re a natural quarterback, it only takes about an hour to do.”
Vick on the competitive nature of practice
“Every practice almost feels like a game. You hear some coaches refer to practice as being harder than the games and I can relate to that. You get out there playing the game and everything seems to click. In practice, it seems sometimes like you’re seeing ghosts, like 13 or 14 guys are on the defense because everything is moving so fast. It’s all about competing every day, coming to practice daily, being ready to work and ready to put in that time to take this thing to another level.
Vick on Ed Donatell’s new defensive scheme
“One thing they stress on the defensive side of the ball is getting takeaways, turnovers. Those are things that help you win football games in this league. The team that forces the most turnovers always ends up in the Super Bowl. If they’re stressing that, then I’m all for it. It’s going to allow the offense a chance to get the ball in the end zone more times than usual.”
Vick on throwing the ball away
“Growing up as a quarterback, it almost comes naturally. Throwing the ball away is something I did last year, it’s something I did in the 2002 season, it’s something a quarterback has to do in this league or else you’re going to throw a lot of interceptions and you’re going to take a lot of shots. That’s something I realize I can’t do as I grow and I mature as my career continues. Throwing the ball away is going to be a big part of my game and taking something off of it is going to be a big part of my game. I have to adjust to the system.”
Vick on his leg
“It’s feeling good. I haven’t had any problems with it the last two months. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I almost feel like it’s back to 100 percent. I haven’t had any problems. I’ve been icing it every day and doing everything I’ve been supposed to be doing: icing every day, getting treatment in the morning and icing at night, so it helps when you do what you’re told.”
Vick on Dez White
“He brings a lot to the table. He’s got exceptional speed and can catch the ball. The one thing we really like about Dez is the way he runs his routes. He’s up there with the best of ‘em. He runs some of the best double-stick moves in the league. Those are things that we’re looking for Dez to bring to the table. Some big play ability, going over the top to catch some balls…that’s what I saw him do in Chicago when I watched film on him, so I think he’s going to catch a lot of balls for us and he’s going to be really valuable to us.”
Vick on what excites him most about the new offensive system
“It’s just being able to become a quarterback, playing in this system that I think I’m going to play in for the next three or four years of my career, hopefully longer. That’s a blessing: to be able to stick within one system and play that system out. That way, you learn the ins and out of the system, what you can do and what you can’t do, and by the time you grow and you mature in this system, you can almost go out there and throw the ball blindfolded. Those are the things I’m excited about, just playing in one system consistently.” ¶ 6/09/2004 12:53:00 PM
