Andy Reid reiterated yesterday Michael Vick will remain the Eagles’ starting quarterback. What the Eagles coach called “bad semantics” was left open to interpretation because of Vick’s poor play this season, in which he has had nine turnovers (six interceptions, three fumbles) compared with four touchdowns (three throwing, one rushing) in three games, prompting discussion of the 32-year-old’s decline.
But Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said he doesn’t believe Vick has changed much. He just thinks the way defenses play the Eagles quarterback has.
“It used to be try and contain him, don’t pressure him because he’ll get by, but now it’s more like, just go after him,” Kiwanuka said after yesterday’s practice. “We’ve had that philosophy here for a while. We don’t change that. We do that no matter whom we’re playing. I think you’re seeing other teams adopt that same game plan. I think it has just become a point of emphasis for everybody.”
Kiwanuka, and several other Giants, discussed Vick as if he is still the ultra-mobile threat who burned Big Blue in 2010 with 500 yards passing, 164 yards rushing and five touchdowns in two wins. Last season, Vick missed one game with injury against the Giants while being knocked out of the other, and this season, behind a decimated offensive line, Vick has continued taking an inordinate amount of hits.
Vick said he doesn’t know if the hits have affected his play, but it’s something he knows will continue as long as he plays and something he will have to play through.
“I just have to keep fighting, keep pushing, and keep trusting in my guys,” Vick said on a conference call. “Hopefully my guys do well up front and take care of their defensive ends and the big guys on the inside of the defensive line. If I have to run, then I’ll run. I’m just going to approach the game with an open mind. I feel good this week going into this game; my body feels good.”
Though the Giants may face problems against Vick on the run, Kiwanuka said the quarterback’s style could cause issues for a group with more than enough problems already — the replacement referees.
“When you have a guy who is a running quarterback like that, it creates problems because you don’t know if he’s running the ball or if he’s looking to throw the ball,” Kiwanuka said of the potential for increased penalites. “Is he a defenseless player, is he a runner? Those kinds of calls are difficult for anybody to interpret in real time.”