Vick: 'I don't know how you can stop us'
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Simple question, simple answer.
“How can defenses stop this offense?” Michael Vick was asked.
Pause. Smile.
“I don’t know,” Vick said. “I don’t know how you can stop us.”
This was on CSN’s "Daily News Live" on Thursday, and while it might sound odd coming from a guy whose team was 8-8 last year and didn’t make the playoffs, it’s just Vick being Vick. He’s supremely confident, and he can’t help it.
Here’s the rest of Vick’s quote about the Eagles’ offense:
“I think the thing we do sometimes is we stop ourselves,” he said after practice Thursday afternoon. “I can’t tell you how our defense plays us. And that was the reason why I made the comment about the dynasty, because I see how many great players we have and what we can build, and I said that as motivation not only for myself but for everybody on this team to look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘Look, we can create something that can be special, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work with no shortcoming and no shortfalls. We have to be dedicated and disciplined, and great things can lie ahead.’
“But it’s just one day at a time. It’s one play at a time and one game at a time. It’s easier said than done. But I think you have to have some sense of optimism.”
The Eagles are two weeks into training camp and just a few days away from the preseason opener at the Linc Thursday night against the Steelers.
Vick has had a good camp. He’s focusing on checking down, finding his underneath receivers and avoiding mistakes.
“I’m very confident,” he said. “I feel like we can play with any team in this league. All we have to do is work hard and prepare ourselves and make sure we game plan right. And that all starts in the film room. So I think we can play against anybody right now. Obviously, we still have work to do.”
Opening day is still five weeks away, and Vick said he’s in no rush to get there. Still plenty of work to do before the Browns on Sept. 9.
“I can concentrate on what I’m doing now,” he said. “I can wait for the first game. I think leading up to the game is a lot of work that has to be done, a lot of game planning. Right now, my mind isn’t on Cleveland. My mind’s on our defense every day. It’s on footwork, being accurate and doing all the right things with the football.
“And I’m just trying to work on making good decisions each and every day and getting better at controlling the offense.”
Vick is 32 and actually one of the older starting quarterbacks in the NFL. The only older QBs projected to start on opening day are Matt Hasselbeck and Peyton Manning, both 36; Tom Brady, 34; Drew Brees, 33; and Tony Romo, who is a few months older than Vick.
“But when you’re surrounded by young talent, it sort of makes you feel young,” he said. “And I feel good. I’m 32. And the thing that I understand and I feel like has helped me, in a sense, was taking two years off. So it rejuvenated me a little bit, gave me fresh legs. And the hard work I’ve put in to continue to keep my body in shape has helped me.”
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com
