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Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Vick ‘overcomes’ sparingly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you interested in Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s comments following Atlanta’s 24-14 victory over Washington Sunday, when he said that sometimes players have to overcome coaching, they were not as inflammatory as they may have read or sounded.
In fact, some coaches today said they actually tell players to overcome their coaching. Translation: If you feel like you can make a play, go for it - just make sure to make the play.
Just about every coaching staff in the NFL gives players some latitude to alter a play, route or rush based on the flow of the game, coverage or something they have picked up on that maybe the coaches didn’t.
Vick’s decision to break off a screen play and hit wide receiver Michael Jenkins for a go-ahead, 22-yard touchdown pass was borne off that freedom.
Vick said he saw a favorable coverage the last time the Falcons lined up in a certain formation and told Jenkins that if the Redskins came out in the same alignment, to run a deep in route and be ready for the ball.
Vick said today that he rarely changes plays and that doing so more than a few times every few games would be undermining the coaching staff and the team’s philosophy.
