I'm fatigued by Mike Vick, and there's a decent chance you are, too.
Beyond some skepticism about what kind of offense Chip Kelly plans on running in the NFL, much of the dissatisfaction surrounding the Eagles' decision to hang on to Vick — at least for now — is that fans are just tired of watching this guy try to play quarterback.
We've seen what we assume to be his ceiling, we've seen what we assume to be his norm going forward, and we've heard, on far too many occasions, Vick talk about his injury history.
It's that last point that has me most wanting to part ways.
Vick was a guest of ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning on Tuesday. These quotes courtesy Reuben Frank:
“You have to be very cautious and meticulous about what you’re doing on the field but not to a point where it takes away from your game because once you try not to get hurt, that’s when you get hurt."
“What I have to do is go out and play lights-out football and not worry about getting hurt. I think over the last two years I was trying to protect myself, trying to make sure I was out on the football field with my teammates and putting too much effort into not being injured.”
Nah.
Look, first he was going to play it safe. Then he said playing it safe was holding him back from playing his best football. Then he got hurt (again). And now he's back to saying that he's been overly cautious.
He's played a full season only once in his 10 years. His career has been marred by injury, and he's been trying to "protect himself" off and on, by his own admission, since the 2003 preseason, when he still ended up breaking his leg and missing 11 weeks.
I believe him when he says he's been concerned about his health. Still, there's never been much evidence to suggest that caution has impacted his performance, as he's rarely, if ever, actually played with it. Even the President has pleaded with him to slide.
So does anyone really believe Mike Vick's problem is an overabundance of caution?
We've been here before, too many times, and the answer to his identity crisis hasn't changed since I asked this question last September:
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At some point, is it fair to conclude that -- both inside and outside the pocket -- he's just poor at making decisions with the football (holding the ball; throwing across his body) and his own health (refusing to slide with his legs first) regardless of whatever mindset he's talked himself into playing that week?
He's not the first guy to get outside the pocket and run. He's not the first guy play behind an awful offensive line. And he's not the first guy play quarterback at his size.
None of his problems are new — to him, or the league — and if he hasn't figured out how to address them by now, he isn't going to.
The rest of this talk about what kind of quarterback he wants to be is just noise.
Previously: Today in Mike Vick's Ongoing Identity Crisis: The Whole Being Careful Thing ... Again