Roddy White comes across better with words, not Tweets
Hello, world! It's me, Roddy White! I was just kidding!
The day after his name became the two most hated words in New Orleans since “last call,” Roddy White played it perfectly.
He laughed. He cracked jokes. He admitted he goofed and apologized to all who want to dunk him in a pot of gumbo.
When asked if he planned to launch any more missiles on Twitter this week, he responded: “No. I’m done for the week.”
Then after a smile: “Tuesday, I will Tweet.”
Oy.
Say this for White: While several athletes or celebrities would’ve avoided the media Thursday or launched into a tirade about how something they said or did (or Tweeted) was somebody else’s fault, the Falcons’ wide receiver handled things like he graduated with honors from the school of public relations.
To New Orleans residents and Saints fans he might’ve offended: “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to offend anybody with that stuff, especially the city of New Orleans. Some people just take things out of context. That’s not where I was aiming at.”
As to whether he sometimes regrets things he says on Twitter or his video blog: “Um, yeah. A couple of times. I wish I wouldn’t have said [perceived derisive comments] about [the Saints] winning the Super Bowl and [the city]. I really didn’t say anything about the hurricane but they took it that way. I wasn’t trying to say anything mean about the city. I’m a football player and this is a sports topic. Everybody took it like, ‘He hopes the city of New Orleans dies or something.’ I mean, come on, are you serious? Seriously? That’s not me.”
White’s not a vicious or mean-spirited guy. He has some goofball in him. That’s both one of his charms and, in the case Wednesday, something that makes you slap your forehead occasionally.
He jumped the rails Wednesday and he knows it. Trent Dilfer, a former NFL quarterback and ESPN commentator, said some things and White reacted with a humorous assault on Twitter. (”No chance in hell the Aints come into the dome and win once trent dilfer.”)
The Saints’ Will Smith, taking exception to the “Aints” comment, fired back. Then White fired back just a little too much. The comment he regrets the most: ““The grace of god gave them [that] championship so [the] city wouldn’t fall apart and now they think they’re hot [stuff] …”
New Orleans residents took it as a slap at the city being left in ruins following Hurricane Katrina. They returned fire on Twitter, bombarding @RoddyWhiteTV with some of the most vile and profane comments he had ever seen.
In the overwhelming understatement of the day, White said: “They don’t like me over there,” adding that he’s glad Monday’s game against New Orleans is a home game because, “They [Saints fans] would probably throw some things at me. That would be bad.”
He lamented that some fans on Twitter took his comments way too serious, saying, “They took it to a whole nother level. [But] I guess you get what you deserve when you say stuff.”
For Falcons management and coaches, this was a rare firestorm in a pleasantly quiet season. They would prefer things be kept low key. It’s one of the characteristics that has helped this team to a 12-2 record.
Still, some teammates had some fun with the story. Tony Gonzalez, who dresses a few cubicles down from White, joked: “It’s just like boxing. We’re promoting the fight. Roddy’s promoting the fight. He’s our Don King.”
Actually, that wouldn’t be a bad career option for White. Probably better than politics.
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101 comments Add your comment
Predictions: Falcons, Dogs, Jackets win; Rex plays footsie | Jeff Schultz
December 23rd, 2010
4:36 pm
[...] – Roddy White comes across better with words, not Tweets [...]
WHODAT
December 23rd, 2010
4:38 pm
“Their one Super Bowl win last year does NOT make them Kings of the NFL World. It does not put them on the same level as the Steelers, Cowboys, Patriots and 49er’s, but more on the same level as the 1970 Kansas City Chiefs – One title does not a dynasty make. ”
Nobody in New Orleans says that we have a dynasty because of last year’s Superbowl. We ARE however the CURRENT Kings of the NFL and are in the process of building a dynasty. Quit trying to provide nuance and excuses for Roddy’s comments. He’s a 24 year old idiot with too much money and too much time and too much ego. He screwed up. Then, when he was called on his BS, he screwed up AGAIN. Now he puts out some limp apology for his comments, after asking the AJC to stop printing stories about his foot-in-mouth disease? What a joke. We’re going to pound you into oblivion.
Saints Fan here
December 23rd, 2010
4:44 pm
Well, I think that Roddy is a knucklehead. In this competitive NFL, the Saints players are going to use it as motivation as is Sean Payton. I think the Falcons have been very good this year, but we will see how they do this Monday. You have to admit, Falcons fans, that the comments were stupid. Making excuses for them is lame. he trashed the city and disrespected a team that JUST won the Superbowl. I mean this is not like the Saints are the Bucs who won years ago. We JUST won. then he gives that stupid apology and asks that the AJC stop reporting on this? he’s just dumb. Plain dumb. Particularly after your coach has done such a good job keeping the payers’ noses clean. I’m sure Mike Smith has something to say about it to him. Congratulations on going 12-2. You beat some good teams and won on the road, but something tells me that this game is not going to go well for you (which makes me happy). Merry xmas!
ATLFalcons3Eva
December 23rd, 2010
4:50 pm
To WHODAT @ December 23rd, 2010 4:34 pm and all other Saints Fans here on our blog…..
—————–
Last years FLUKE championship don’t mean JACK this year. Period. Go ask the 1970 Kansas City Chiefs. Who cares in 2011? So what have you done lately? Your team has already lost 4 times this year and counting. They might not even make the playoffs this year. You certainly won’t play any playoff games at the SuxDome in New Orleans.
So why don’t you go back to your rat-infested city and hole in the wall trailer and press re-wind and replay last years fluke season over and over. In the mean time, you might want to switch teams and jump on the Eagles bandwagon after we beat you guys for the division in 4 weeks and watch how a real champion march it’s way all the way to the championship this year.
Now deal with dat.
Geaux Falcons.
Geaux Roddy
T.H.W.T. Saints and all their fans.
Oh by the way, here is some truth serum for you:
Although our team don’t have a Superbowl ring yet, we still get to wake up in beautiful Atlanta 365 days of the year, while you are still STUCK in crappy New Orleans terrified of the next rain storm.
Felix the Cat
December 23rd, 2010
4:59 pm
WHO DAT??? WE DAT!!! and we will be DAT again on Monday Night.. Go Coons!!
GT Alum
December 23rd, 2010
4:59 pm
Saints Fans,
1 Super Bowl does not wash away the years of failure. I’m not even a die-hard Falcons fans, but, until they win consistently, they’re still the Aints as far as I’m concerned. Funny how such a confluence of events turned a team that people were ashamed to support into a symbol of the city’s civic pride.
Oh, and Roddy, you’re not out of the woods as far as taking abuse from Saints fans Monday. You should know that the Dome will have plenty of Saints fans who fled NO in the wake of Katrina and have decided to stay in our apparently second class city instead of returning to their beloved homeland.
WHODAT
December 23rd, 2010
5:02 pm
@ATLFalcons3Eva
Really dude? That’s your comeback? Let me explain something to you in a simple way (since you probably can’t read too good). There is NO SUCH THING as a FLUKE Superbowl. You have to win over and over and over and in the play-offs you have to win at least FOUR in a row to be the champ. We were the best team PERIOD, and we WON. You have NOT. You just have to deal with it. The 1970 KC Chiefs??? huh? Who cares? YOu’re one of 4 or 5 teams that have never won the Superbowl (and the Jags and PAnthers have been around a LOT less than the 45 years you have). As for our city, what do I care what you say about it? Its the greatest city in America, period. Best food, best music, best parties. Am I going to trash Atlanta now? No, its a fine city too, just not the same as New Orleans.
So….calm down, take your pill, ask mommy for a glass of warm milk. Chill out. Monday night is coming. We’ll see how big your mouth (and Roddy’s) is on Tuesday morning.
Dirty Bird Killer
December 23rd, 2010
5:06 pm
Super Bowl wins: Saints (1) and the Dirtybirds (0). Thats all I have to say! WHO DAT !!!!!! Oh by the way i have been to the ATL. Not that impressive to be dissing NOLA.
truth
December 23rd, 2010
5:14 pm
All this coming from people in a city watching people float by while they’re stealing TV’s!!!! That’s the real shame.
GEAUX FALCONS!!
truth
December 23rd, 2010
5:15 pm
Oh shoot momma’s floating by but I can’t put down this new tv a just stoled.
BravesFan79
December 23rd, 2010
5:16 pm
New Orleans is where i choose to move to for my job trasfer back in 2001. What a shtholte that place was!! I did highspeed internet installs, everywhere. I wasnt in some office couped up. God did that place a FAVOR by flooding it. 2 bad other crappy cities like Detriot arent as close to the ocean. Guess not every state can get so lucky.
Im a Falcons fan that gladily cheered for the Saints last year in the playoffs. But its a new year, Go Falcons!!
Saints Nation
December 23rd, 2010
5:17 pm
@truth
“All this coming from people in a city watching people float by while they’re stealing TV’s!!!! That’s the real shame.”
Unlike you guys who watch them steal TVs all year long in English Ave and Vine City?
You have NOTHING. No come-backs to speak of, just like your stupid WR. You know why? Because you DON”T HAVE A SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONSHIP. That is all there is to it. YOU DON’T. So instead, you resort to this low brow, pathetic garbage about Katrina. That is all you have. We are the REIGNING SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS, and you are not. NOTHING you say about the city or New Orleans, or our people can changes that EVER.
Anderson
December 23rd, 2010
5:18 pm
*Sigh* I’m as big an Atlanta Falcons fan as there is (been one since 1978) but until the Birds actually win a Super Bowl (hopefully in Feb. ‘11) the New Orleans Saints and its city and fans have bragging rights. I think Roddy White’s anger/frustration/motivation should have been targeted at ESPN’s Trent Dilfer who is obviously creating storylines for his network which is broadcasting the game.
BTW,I visited New Orleans this summer. I enjoyed my time there. A very fun and energetic city.
Go Falcons!! All the way to the Super Bowl in Dallas. Bring the Lombardi trophy to the A.
SaintsFanHere
December 23rd, 2010
5:24 pm
Wow, you Falcons fans have really learned how to show your colors. You should take a page from your own team. They seem to be a decent hard working no nonsense bunch who do a lot of charity work and seem to be winning with a great coach. The only problem you have is a WR with diarrhea of the mouth, who just said some really DUMB things. Now you want to emulate him? By trashing a city that experienced the greatest natural disaster in our nation’s history? And by making jokes about people stealing TVs?
I guess our Championship really got to you all. The fact is we are the Champs and that can never be taken away from us. And the fact ALSO is that whatever losing ways we had before we won that championship are pretty much erased BY that championship. You guys have finally put together three back-to-back winning seasons. Great job but….that’s it. That and a loss in the Superbowl a decade ago are all you have to hang your hats on. Try being a little humble. Wait until you have really done something great before you mouth off, and when you do (if you do) try to do it with grace and class, not this sleazy talk.
Good luck on Monday (you’ll need it)
SaintsFanHere
December 23rd, 2010
5:26 pm
@Anderson
Now THAT is a classy Falcons fan. Good luck to you on Monday night. I appreciate your maturity, honesty, and sense of honor.
Anderson
December 23rd, 2010
5:49 pm
@ SaintsFanHere,
Thanks. The way I look at it like this…this year is the Falcons’ turn to reach the promised land. A Falcons’ SB win would keep the world championship in the NFC South.
Hey,we (Falcons) reached the Super Bowl first but you all (Saints) won the SB first.
ATLFalcons3Eva
December 23rd, 2010
5:51 pm
@WhoDat Don’t even try to challenge my I.Q.
Your ignorance shows. You’re the idiot. Case in point: You stated: “…. you have to win at least FOUR in a row to be the champ” You don’t know shyt do you? The number of victory a team needs to win the Superbowl does not necessarily have to be 4. Your team (and the number 1 seeds) only have to win 3 games: You won 1.) Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional playoffs, 2.) the NFC Championship Game you defeated the Minnesota Vikings. 3.) and you defeated the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl. I realize that the schools were destroyed there, but really, can you not count? That’s totals three – NOT 4.
My next point, yes, I say it again, your “Season” last year was a Fluke, and will ALWAYS be viewed as a fluke by everyone in the media. You know it, we know it, everyone knows it. The turnover you defense came up with last year – where are they this year? That’s partly what made your season a total fluke. That’s why your team was not picked before the season began to even finish first in the NFC SOUTH, let alone were not favored to repeat as champions.
That’s why the Falcons were preseason favorites to win the NFC South, and are now poised to play in the NFC Conference finals at the Georgia Dome and why YOUR Saints are still struggling to make it to the playoffs. Why is that genius? Your team already lost 4 times and counting. So if I were you, I pray that another act of God intervenes again on your teams behalf that you make it to the playoffs again. Only to get bounced right back out in either by us (Falcons or the Eagles).
And my final point. You wonder why I brought up the 1970 Kansas City Chiefs? You made my point when you said “The 1970 KC Chiefs??? huh? Who cares?”…..That’s my thoughts and the Falcons thoughts EXACTLY about the Saints, who care’s about the 2009 Saints being Fluke Champions of last season.This is NOW, 2010. That fluke championship and 50 cents still won’t get you into the playoffs this year, and certainly YOUR TEAM WILL NOT host a PLAYOFF GAME IN NEW ORLEANS.
Deal with DAT !
Oh by they way, you still live in the dump of New Orleans, and I still live in beautiful Atlanta….
Home of Braves, Hawks, Thrashers and tens of thousands of refugee low life criminals from New Orleans still living here. GO HOME why don’t you!
ATL HOME GIRL
December 23rd, 2010
5:57 pm
@ATLFalcons3Eva
You’re making us sound like idiots. Please stop speaking for the Falcons fans. We ain’t won nothing yet. They have. They were unbelievable last year. I rooted against them and they kept winning, and I was heart broken when they won the SB because I knew they would throw it in our faces. And you know what? THEY EARNED IT. They got bragging rights. We don’t. I wish Roddy just shut his stupid mouth, and now I wish you would shut yours too.
ATLFalcons3Eva
December 23rd, 2010
6:02 pm
@ATL Home Girl – You’re not fooling anyone here with your sympathetic ramblings towards the Saints. You certainly don’t speak for the Falcons Fans. So Take your fat, stupid Saints Kissing Butt back to the projects /ghetto you came from. You are trash just like they are.
WHODAT
December 23rd, 2010
6:05 pm
@ATLFalcons3Eva
You are right, it was three in a row not four. I guess I forgot that we didn’t need to win four in the play-offs because we were the TOP SEED AND HAD A BYE. My bad. LMAO.
BTW, shouldn’t the name be ATLFalcons4Eva??? What does 3EVa mean?
Also, why do you care what the media thinks (re: preseason rankings)? Trent Dilfer is a member of the media and he says the Saints win on Monday. So do a bunch of others. Last year the Saints were not the preseason favorites and they won it all. You guys are this year, so does that mean another team not named will win it all? Why do we play the game if the preseason favorite wins? And are you really the preseason favorites? Hmmmm…I just went back and looked at Fox Sports adn ESPN, and CNNSI, and a bunch of others and I see something ELSE.
Finally, the Braves? Hawks? Thrashers? You got ONE championship between all three (WS for the Braves). That is IT. Do you talk this way to Celtics fans? Red Sox Fans? Penguin Fans? How about Mets Fans? When (IF) the Falcons ever win the SB, will it just be a fluke?
Dude…arguing with you is like shooting fish in a barrel.
ATL HOME GIRL
December 23rd, 2010
6:08 pm
@ATLFalcons3Eva
I suspected you were a white trash racist, now we all know it for sure. It really bugs me that I have to root for the same team as someone like you.
BTW, I have TWO Masters degrees and own my own business and live in Alpharetta. You WISH you get a piece of this fine jelly you little redneck punk. Thanks for representing our city in such a positive light. No wonder the New Orleans fans laugh at us. Sistah OUT!
Falcon Fever
December 23rd, 2010
6:11 pm
Roddy please shut up until after the game. We don’t need to tick off these Saints. They are plenty dangerous without the bulletin board material. Unfortunately, the apology won’t do anything. Sigh.
Falcons2thesuperbowl2010
December 23rd, 2010
6:16 pm
Well written ATLFalconsS3eva…enough cant be said for a majority of Saints fans thinking they belong with teams that won multiple SB. So many of them believe their franchise now sits with a winning tradition when both my beloved falcons team history wise sit around with around .500 records…yet their SB ring gives them a slight advantage i guess.
With that being said this is the most under rated rivalry in the NFL thanks to so many futile seasons between the two…yet ask any Falcon or Saint fan and the records never meant much…it was always a war.
This Monday night that will all change…both teams and the entire nation will be fired up!!!! What do these teams have on the line…Well the Falcons would like to wrap up home field the bye and be able to rest the starters if they want…The Saints are battling to stay in playoff contention…Monday night is the biggest game of the year hands down as both teams have something to prove to the rest of the NFL and its fan base.
Conner Huffman
December 23rd, 2010
6:19 pm
OK. What team is 12-2? And what team is is 10-4? Didn’t the Falcons GO INTO THE DOME, and take down the Saints? Just wondering, because I’m seeing lots of New Orleans faithful running their mouths. I think winning 8 straight games gives you a little room to talk.
JSS
December 23rd, 2010
6:23 pm
@ Chattanooga Chuck…
“Saint fans, for the most part, have a wild, irrational hatred for all things Falcon.”
I would say that is true for some very immature bloggers on both sides of the fence… Just go read Braves Fan 79 comment on this blog. What rational person with a proper sense of social thought makes that kind of a comment?
As far as for the respective histories (failures mostly), so what of them? I laugh when Falcons fans call out the really bad Saints teams. The Falcons were equally as bad! I remember when Bum and Mora were hired, this town went into a depression because they were scared of a competent coach. Exactly how long did it take the Falcons to get to back-to-back winning seasons? The only thing that could be said was that neither had won the Super Bowl… Oops, go ask the Steelers, who were bad for a very long time what having Lombardi in the case washes away… Sorry, the Saints won, it was no fluke… I remember the pre-season of 2009, a number of people were warning people that the Saints had what it took to win the whole thing… All you read on the Falcons blog was for no better (polite) word was tripe! The Falcons finally got their consecutive winning seasons monkey off their back last year. This year, the Falcons, Bucs, and Saints have shown that they can win anywhere for the most part. It reminds me of the old AFC Central of the late 70’s and the early 80’s, you just never know…
GAMER
December 23rd, 2010
6:25 pm
WAY TO MAN UP, RODDY…NOW PLAY LIGHTS OUT FOOTBALL…SNATCHING EVERY PASS WITH MADNESS!!!TAKEN IT TO THE HOUSE….
Falcons2thesuperbowl2010
December 23rd, 2010
6:27 pm
Well being from California I dont get to attend many games and don’t have the same hatred for the Saints…My hatred has always been against the 49ers from the days we were in the West…that all changes this week…Christmas Day after dinner I smash to the Airport to catch a flight to Atlanta to not only attend my first Atlanta home game but to also visit and see what Atlanta has to offer….Hopefully Santa will bring me a late Christmas gift while I am there….GO FALCONS!!!!
ATLFalcons3Eva
December 23rd, 2010
6:30 pm
@WhoDat -
Again, you miss my larger point. And that is, I was defending Roddy Whites right to say what he said, and that what he said had some truth in that:
1.) His comments was NOT at the Saints Fans or the city and unfortunate victims of Katrina, but Trent Dilfer, who by the way has been SO over the top and wrong ALL YEAR long about the Falcons.
Dilfer, it should be mentioned all year have said the Falcons would lose every game it appeared on paper we would lose to: Baltimore (whom we defeated and the Saints lost to), Said that we would lose to Green Bay, Tampa Bay the 2nd time, and that we would lose to the Saints and Seattle.
So I can understand why he (and Falcon fans) would be “competitively bothered” by Trents stupid comments that had no basis in fact, in rationale or insight as why he thought the Saints would beat the Falcons two times (Monday and in Division Championship). Just hatred for the fact that the Falcons are a bore to watch on TV and simply a fundamentally sound football team.
As for the other professional sports team here in Atlanta, and whether of not I talk trash to the Celtics fans? Red Sox Fans? Penguin Fans? No. Absolutely not. Why? They are not our rivalry. We don’t have history with them. But the Mets? You bet your butt I do. Same with the EAGLES.
Will our SuperBowl victory be a fluke if we win this year? Let me put it this way. If we beat the Saints, Eagles AND the Patriots on our way to winning the SB, to use Roddy White Words:
It will be by the “grace of god that gave us the championship”.
Take care.
Truce?
JSS
December 23rd, 2010
6:36 pm
“my beloved falcons team history wise sit around with around .500 records…yet their SB ring gives them a slight advantage i guess.”
Around .500? When, where, how? The Falcons and the Saints will have to win 11 and 10 games a year respectively for 10 straight years to sniff the other side of .500… Thank goodness for the horrible Cardinals terrible history after they left Chicago to the Bears in the late 1950’s… 1,2, and 3 for the worst winning percentages in professional football history!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 23rd, 2010
6:37 pm
Why are you delusional CHOKE fans get so upset, when the world “outside” of Atlanta are realist and don’t drink the Falcons bug juice. “AMERICA HAS SPOKEN” and Vick is the word
Deal with it!
KimZ'spackage
December 23rd, 2010
6:46 pm
The Falcons don’t have RINGS, but do Saints fans have houses in NOLA?
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 23rd, 2010
7:06 pm
ANALYSIS
By Mike Tanier
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 10:47 a.m. ET Dec. 21, 2010
Mike Tanier
Attention, Michael Vick skeptics: It is time to stop holding out.
If you are like me, you adopted a wait-and-see attitude on Vick during the first half of the season. Sure, Vick can stun defenses with his scrambling and create some electrifying highlights. But the Eagles were beating bad teams like the Lions early in the season. We have all seen Vick turned into the scared rabbit on the freeway once opponents adjusted, so we needed a little more evidence that he had changed his playbook-ignoring ways before hopping on the MVP Express.
The past few weeks, including Sunday’s 21-point comeback against the Giants, have closed the case. This has been a truly unique season. Vick is a new quarterback.
Vick is so dazzling, and his backstory is so murky and complex, that he is hard to analyze: We either lapse into oh-my-gosh superlatives, or fall back on his “after-school special” redemption tale, or rewind the game film and micro-scrutinize how he no longer takes one step to his left when dropping in the pocket. To really see what is different about the new Vick, you have to dig deeply into the numbers.
The right way to run
Scrambling isn’t always a good thing, even when it results in a few first downs. The old Vick ran so much that the Falcons passing game never established a rhythm. Sometimes, he would escape the pocket and rush for 51 yards, which was certainly productive. But other times, he rushed for 8 yards on third-and-15, or picked up a few yards on second-and-long while wide-open receivers did jumping jacks in the end zone. A game against the Saints in 2006 tells all you need to know about the old Vick: He ran for 166 yards, but he completed just 9-of-24 passes for 84 yards, and the Falcons lost 31-13.
Michael Vick’s runs
No Gain/Loss 7
1-3 yards 26
4-6 yards 14
7-10 yards 13
11-20 yards 13
20+ yards 8
Vick has become more selective — and effective — as a rusher. As the table to the left shows, Vick is no longer a boom-or-bust runner. Nearly 60 percent of his runs gain 4 or more yards, moving the Eagles offense steadily down the field. (End-of-game kneels are not included in the table, which is why Vick has only 81 carries). Those 26 gains of 1-3 yards were more productive than they look: seven resulted in a first down or a touchdown. There isn’t much fluff in Vick’s rushing totals: He is generating meaningful yardage on a consistent basis.
Vick has also been effective in short-yardage situations. He is 6-of-8 as a rusher on third- or fourth-and-less-than-2-yards. He has scored six touchdowns on nine carries in goal-to-go situations. The Eagles have struggled in the red zone and on third-and-short for years, but Vick’s running has added a much-needed element to their short-yardage offense (Donovan McNabb ran well early in his career but wasn’t nearly as effective from 2006-09). Most of those short-yardage runs are not scrambles; they are designed runs, meant to fit within the flow of the offense.
As for third-and-long, Vick has rushed 20 times, converting nine first downs. That’s a solid first-down rate, but the number of rushes is also informative. Vick has thrown 78 third-down passes, completing 46 for 35 first downs. He isn’t panicking in the pocket on third-and-long like he used to: He is staying in the pocket, delivering more passes, and picking his spots when running.
Using all his weapons
When Vick isn’t scrambling, he can be seen on the Sunday highlights throwing bombs to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Vick’s long touchdown throws can be breathtaking, and those bombs to Jackson and Maclin are a major part of the Eagles’ success this season, but there is more to Vick’s game than what you see on the highlight reel. (That is something no one could say in 2006).
Vick’s other targets
Players other than DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to whom Michael Vick throws
Player Attempts Completions Yards TDs First downs Interceptions
LeSean McCoy 55 47 346 2 15 0
Jason Avant 48 32 375 1 20 0
Brett Celek 39 20 286 2 8 1
Owen Schmidt 13 10 66 1 4 0
Others 24 15 161 1 5 0
Total 179 124 1,234 7 52 1
Let’s remove Jackson and Maclin from the equation for a moment. The table at the left shows Vick’s passes to the Eagles secondary receivers, including running back LeSean McCoy (who leads the team in receptions), third receiver Jason Avant, tight end Brent Celek, fullback Owen Schmitt and others. The “others” category includes everyone from rookie receiver Riley Cooper to offensive lineman Todd Herremans, who caught a touchdown pass.
The first thing to notice is how well Vick is distributing the ball. The Eagles’ secondary weapons aren’t hurting for opportunities; you don’t think of guys such as Schmidt as major contributors, but Vick is generating first downs by tossing short passes to role players. The old Vick had one or two favorites, such as tight end Alge Crumpler, but even starting wide receivers were lucky to catch 40 passes per season while Vick danced around. The new Vick can even get offensive linemen involved in the action.
The second thing to notice is Vick’s efficiency: He has completed 69.2 percent of the passes he throws to players who are not the Eagles’ top two receivers. Those short passes have been effective enough to produce first downs or touchdown on 33 percent of his attempts, and they have been so low-risk that Vick has thrown just one interception when targeting his second-tier weapons.
The table illustrates Vick’s growth as a passer. He gets the ball to his check-down targets and goes deeper into his read progression before scrambling. Vick has essentially traded three or four scrambles per game for passes to players such as McCoy and Avant. That trade-off has made Vick one of the hardest quarterbacks in the NFL to defend: Teams cannot just flush him from the pocket and wait for him to get flustered anymore.
A multiple-choice headache
So how does an opponent solve the Vick problem? Force Vick to stay in the pocket, and he will distribute the ball to his receivers, some of whom can turn any catch into a big play. Force him to run, and he is still as deadly as ever. The “make him roll to his right” theory sounds great on the pregame shows, but Vick is no longer predictable: When he sees a heavy blitz from his left, he is just as likely to wait in the pocket for Jackson or dump the ball quickly to McCoy as he is to try to escape to his right.
The only thing that has stopped Vick in the second half of the season has been slick turf: cold, muddy conditions at Soldier Field slowed him a few weeks ago, and the whole Eagles offense gets bogged down when receivers such as Jackson cannot twist and turn on a dime. Frozen conditions might not help the Vikings this week — Vick is happy he did not have to play at University of Minnesota on Monday — but NFC foes are looking for any edge they can get. Unfortunately for the rest of the conference, the road to the NFC title probably travels through the one place where Vick is most comfortable: the Georgia Dome.
Maybe the Falcons should move their home games to Saskatchewan. It makes as much sense as waiting for him to revert to his old ways, because that isn’t going to happen.
“AMERICA HAS SPOKEN – YET AGAIN”
JSS
December 23rd, 2010
7:07 pm
@ Chattanooga Chuck…
Add any comment by KimZ on any blog subject to that list too… Geez, grow up!
ATLFalcons4Eva
December 23rd, 2010
7:22 pm
@ Matt”CHOKE” Ryan
I’ve been reading your crap all year and never dipped into your crap conversation because I too am a fan of Michael Vick, but I am a bigger fan of the Falcons and ALL THINGS ATLANTA.
You were never worth my time and energy before, so I refused to participate in your stupid post and comments.. Until now. Here’s the deal. Let it go brotha. Your hatred for the Falcons has been eating you up for 3 years now.
The fact of the matter is, we have dealt quite well with dropping Vick from our team. It must really pisssses you and other die hard Vick fans and former Atlanta Falcon fans off that the Atlanta Falcons still have **TRUE Fans of the TEAM** still rooting for our Falcons. You hate with all your heart that we are a good team. Well hate on brutha. Keep the hate coming.
You are like my daughter. A die hard Vick fan and new converted Eagles fan. She’s 30 and it kills her each week to see the Atlanta Falcons continue to win. Your worst fears are coming true…and that is, the FALCONS did not FALL completely apart after Vick was drop kicked from the team.
The fact is, the Falcons are doing just fine without Vick and doing well without you supporting the team. Your bitterness is priceless. The more you post your ramblings about Vick and the Eagles, the more I laugh at you stupidity. You’re pathetic. You wish so bad Vick was still here so you can go see him in person at the dome don’t it?. Yes it does. ha ha ha ha. NEVER AGAIN dude. Deal With That.
We (the Falcons I should say) have robbed you of your clowns of Sunday Tailgate fun at the dome. And now you’re pisssed. You’re still pissed and will forever be pissed. So now you can’t come out to the dome and tailgate like before…ha ha ha ha. Tuff luck. Deal with that!
Now you have to stay home or go to a bar somewhere to see your Vick/Eagles while we still get to enjoy great football at the dome. TRUE Fans of the Falcons still get to go to the DOME and Tailgate and have fun. A place where we WIN EVERY GAME WITHOUT VICK at the DOME, Week after week after week, and it Kills you don’t it? ha ha ha. Deal with That.
Now on Monday Night, we get to enjoy a game with the New Orleans Saints. Oh how you wish it was Vick and you could be there to witness his exploits. Sorry dude, It’s the Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michale Turner show. Deal with That!.
Tell you what, why don’t you come on out anyway to the Dome Monday night and cheer the Saints – YOUR OTHER TEAM!! Ha ha ha. You’re good at switching teams anyway. And if the Saints can’t beat us, you can always come the following week and cheer for the Giants when they come to the Dome and get a beat down after they put the Eagles out their misery.
Now here is your assignment for tonight:
Go back to Philly.com and get another worthless article about Vick and the Eagles and post it to AJC blog like you seem to get a kick out of doing. Also, while you at it, go find other articles about the Saints on Nola.com, or the Bears and Giants and post them here to. If that don’t work, you can always get articles about Tom Brady and the Patriots and post them here. Your other team-of-the-week you are praying will be able to beat the Falcons.
Ha ha ha ha
Go Falcons.
T.H.W.T. Saints
T.H.W. Matt “Choke” Ryan
So Matt “Choke” Ryan go get some Who Dat paint and gear, paint your face black and gold and learn the Who Dat chant. I guarantee you will be a Saints fan in 4 weeks when Vick and the Eagle lose.
Deal With DAT !
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 23rd, 2010
7:44 pm
Jerry Jones’ nightmare: Eagles in Super Bowl
Thu, Dec 234:22PM ET
by Matt Mosley
With all due respect to the great Roger Staubach and the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee, it’s time to back out of the big game. As I watched in person quarterback Michael Vick do the unthinkable and bring his team back from a 31-10 fourth-quarter deficit to the New York Giants in the Meadowlands, it became clear to me that the Philadelphia Eagles would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in early February.
Barbara Johnston/US Presswire
Jerry Jones’ nightmare scenario: Michael Vick and the Eagles in the Super Bowl in Dallas.
This is Jerry Jones’ doomsday scenario. He’d dreamed of watching his team play in a Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium. Now, it’s almost guaranteed that the Cowboys’ most hated rival will come swaggering into town. We know that Jones is close friends with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and often plays elaborate pranks on him during expensive dinners, so that’s who he’ll be rooting for in the playoffs.
Jerry will be so determined to keep the Eagles or New York Giants out of the Super Bowl that he might allow Jason Garrett to consult with the Saints in the playoffs. I realize the Atlanta Falcons will be the No. 1 seed from the NFC, but they’ve already lost to the Eagles this season. And that was when Kevin Kolb was filling in for an injured Vick. The Falcons and their affable coach, Mike Smith, would be no match for the mighty Vick, who is making a run at the MVP trophy.
________________________________
Hold up – did I read that correctly?
The Falcons would be N-O-M-A-T-C-H for Vick and the Eagles?
“AMERICA HAS SPOKEN – AGAIN & AGAIN”
Sports Review
December 23rd, 2010
7:45 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 23rd, 2010
7:50 pm
NFL Week 15 Players of the Week: Michael Vick is the NFC’s Best…
Again
by Steve Tomassetti December – 22 – 2010
The NFL has named it’s AFC and NFC offensive and defensive players of the week for week 15 of the 2010 football season. Michael Vick, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles and Brent Grimes, cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons have earned the NFC honors. In the AFC, it was Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice, and Kansas City Chiefs’ linebacker Derrick Johnson.
In case you weren’t paying attention, this is Vick’s third time being named offensive player of the week this year, and seventh time in his career. Picking him every week in our Jagermeister contest is probably a good strategy since he won the award 20% of the time so far. Some of you are catching on because he was the second-most picked player in this week’s contest, behind the weekly favorite, Tom Brady. 17% of entrants picked Vick, while 20% went with Tom Brady on offense.
Unfortunately, no other player of the week from week 15 was guessed other than Vick.
“AMERICA HAS SPOKEN – THEY JUST KEEP ON SPEAKING”
Bird Droppings II
December 24th, 2010
12:26 am
Roddy your comments are to totallly correct, the Aints players and fans talk trash but can’t take it. If their feelings are hurt now, wait until Monday night.
Clearly, Roddy is still upset about the Aints mocking us in the last game, when we beat them in NO. The Aints players were mocking us by doing the dirty bird, in particular Lance Moore.
falconfan 24-7
December 24th, 2010
12:29 am
Matt Ryan is a winner.
falconfan 24-7
December 24th, 2010
12:31 am
The Aints will take a severe beaten Monday night. The Falcons in a laugher 34-7.
Falcon- licious
December 24th, 2010
12:32 am
The Aints are last year’s garbage.
falconholic 2
December 24th, 2010
12:35 am
New Orleans is full of career criminals. They continue to steal from the Government and each other.
Matt Ryan will put them out of their misery on Monday night. No chance in hell, will they win in our Dome, like Roddy said.
falconfan 2986
December 24th, 2010
12:37 am
Reggie Bush is a cheat and a liar.He has disgraced the NCAA, USC and his race.
Bigg Bird
December 24th, 2010
12:39 am
The Aints lost to the sorry Browns and Cardinals, and they think to can beat us. Get real. Go Falcons.
Who Dat Nation
December 24th, 2010
12:42 am
The falcons are nothing but trash
kaminari
December 24th, 2010
9:59 am
All these idiot Saints fans who keep talking about “their” rings and the players who tweet pics of their rings are just stupid. What more bulletin board material does a team without a ring need. Getting to the SuperBowl is the ultimate motivation for football players and their fans. So keep showing the Falcons your 2009-model rings, cause it’s like a showing greyhound a rabbit.. We’re gonna chase it all the way to the finish line.
What Roddy White did was actually genius. With his tweets, he actually exposed the Saints as a defunct team that needs any other motivation besides the motivation to make it to the big game. The Saints fans on our boards saying “Our Time” will find out, regardless of what happens on Any Given Monday Night, that the Falcons have only one goal and they won’t say but we all know what it is: Win the Super Bowl this year. I seriously doubt anyone will get in their way, but this is the NFL and anything can happen.
kaminari
December 24th, 2010
10:03 am
I meant 2010-model ring. Saints ain’t as old as I thought.
Dennis
December 24th, 2010
3:45 pm
Funny thing, when you look at the NOLA blogs, you don’t see a bunch of rude, misguided Falcons fans acting like the Aints dorks do here.
real falcon fan
December 25th, 2010
2:47 pm
TRENT DILWEED IS AN IDIOT! FALCONS ROLL ON MONDAY ,GO RODDY!I’M SUPRISED REGGIE DIDN’T SELL HIS RING !I KNOW HE JUST GOT IT BACK FROM WHAT’S HER NAME [MILES AUSTIN'S NEW SQUEEZE] THAT’S WHY REGGIE DIDN’T SELL HIS RING!GO MIGHTY FALCONS ,THE DEFENSE BRING’S THIS ONE HOME FOF MIGHTY FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ALONG WITH MATTY ICE AND ERIC WEEMS,60 MIN, ALL OUT BIRDS PLAY ALL OUT LIKE THE CHAMPS THEY ARE!
L.R. Glass, Sr.
December 26th, 2010
11:52 pm
I just perused the opposition’s blogs at NOLA.Com. Boy, those folks are scared ####less of the Falcons. No wonder they’re talking so much trash on our site. Where I come from, that’s called whistling past the cemetery. We’ll see who crows come 12:00 am Tuesday morning. GO FALCONS!!!! Riiiiiiiiiiiise UP!!!!!!!!