In his interview with James Brown of CBS, Eagles quarterback Mike Vick admitted that he didn’t work as hard as he could/should have during the first phase of his NFL career, with the Atlanta Falcons.
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who was traded by the Falcons to Houston weeks before authorities tripped over a remake of 101 Dalmatians (without the Dalmatians) on Vick’s rural Virginia property, has confirmed Vick’s observations.
Said Schaub, on Wednesday’s edition of The Dan Patrick Show: “There were definitely signs of that. He’s such a phenomenal athlete. No matter what happened on the field, he could always overcome it with his athleticism. That was always his fall-back.”
We prefer to think of it as a crutch. When the pocket started to crumble, Vick routinely relied on his uncanny ability to escape the pressure and then gain yardage. He never developed the patience required of a pocket passer because he rarely stayed in the pocket. He rarely stayed in the pocket because he knew he was far more likely to make something out of nothing with his legs than with his arm.
But if Vick had spent more time working on his weaknesses, he could have become one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
Schaub first noticed Vick’s habits as a rookie, but Schaub opted to say nothing. “I’m a rookie, what do I know?”
Later, Schaub realized it was a problem. “It got to that point, in my second or third year, where guys took more notice of it,” Schaub said.
Schaub said he eventually tried to encourage Vick to put in more time at practice or studying film. “You can only say so much to someone until a light clicks in their brain,” Schaub said.
For Vick, it never clicked. Supposedly, it now has. And we’re all waiting for proof that the light is indeed on.