Vick: Offensive line coach change is reason for decline
Former and soon-to-be former Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks are reminding fans why they aren't, and won't be, missed.
Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick made headlines this week for defensive comments in which they attempt to rehabilitate their Philly images, yet manage to do the exact opposite. Vick blamed his decline on a coaching change from last season, while McNabb, in a separate interview, is appearing to revel in the team's misfortune.
Michael Vick, to The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Because [offensive line coach] Howard [Mudd] and [former offensive line coach turned defensive coordinator] Juan [Castillo] are two totally different personalities and two totally different schemes. And they like their own caliber of players. It was different. But we lost Juan to the defense, so I had to go with what I had to go with."
Obviously, yeah. Just being honest and candid about the situation. Things changed dramatically. It is what it is. [...] We all kind of gradually worked out way into it until we got comfortable. I had to learn new protection schemes, verbiage. And we shuffled around a lot of players. So everybody had to start all over."
You've gotta feel for Vick. He lost his offensive line coach in February of 2011 and was expected to learn new verbiage and protection schemes by the start of the season seven months later. Usually that sort of thing takes six or seven years, minimum. Sure, the lockout and entire 2012 offseason happened, but that's not nearly enough time. Look how tough it's been for quarterbacks with new line coaches this season. Peyton Manning. Robert Griffin III. Andrew Luck. Russell Wilson. They've all been awful for a reason.
Donovan McNabb, to Comcast SportsNet:
"Making it to the NFC Championship is not easy, and I think they're starting to see that right now, that getting to the playoffs and going to the NFC Championship consistently, it's just not that easy. There are teams right now who have winning records, like the Atlanta Falcons, they've done it for so many years, and they get to the playoffs and all of a sudden they're one-and-done.
"Myself, Dan Marino, there are a lot of quarterback who have gotten to that point and just haven't been able to bring it home. People want to make it look like you have nothing to show for it. Well, we have a lot to show for it."
I'm interested to hear how the "your team is terrible now that I'm gone" taunt plays in Philly. I'm going to go out on a limb and say "not well." There's a reason the saying is "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and not "absence, plus constant reminders, makes the heart grow fonder."