Michael Vick: Stop Whining and Play

Now Michael Vick knows how the dogs felt.

Vick, formerly the Don King of dog fighting, let out with a number of “howling” rants after he was pummeled around by the New York Giants' defense this past weekend, as his underachieving Philadelphia Eagles lost, 29-16.

But more to the issue than the defeat was Vick's whining, and his “dogging” of the game officials.

Here is a sampling of Michael Vick's howls immediately following the loss:

"I just think more precautions should be taken when I'm inside the pocket. If you look at all the replays, I'm on the ground every time and it's unfortunate for myself and it's unfortunate for my team and I'll be lying if I said I wasn't, if I were to sit here and say I wasn't frustrated right now because of that."

Further:

"Why? I mean, you all see it. There's no reason for me to go into a big dissertation about why I'm not getting the calls.  The refs, they have to do their job as well. I even mentioned it in training camp to the refs when we had our little meeting, so just for precaution. But hey, I don't know."

It seems Vick's demise last Sunday was a case of the chickens—or dogs—coming home to roost.

Or maybe in reality, Vick just got too much of a “sniff” of the Giants front seven, and needed an excuse, a face-saver, for the Philly faithful to latch or “leash” onto.

In any case, Vick needs to stop “whimpering” and play up to expected standard.

In quarterbacking the Eagles thus far in 2011, Michael Vick is showing a 59% completion percentage, a 7.29 passing yard average, and a passer rating of 87.7. He is the fifteenth rated quarterback overall.

For someone who just signed a five-year, $80 million contract, one of the more lavish deals in the NFL, these statistics are way below expectations.

The 2011 NFL season has merely begun, but with a record of 1-2, the high-priced, star-studded Philadelphia Eagles need their QB to start dominating. Now.

The way the Eagles will reach the Super Bowl is with Michael Vick thoroughly confounding defenses by using his unequaled, superior running and passing gifts.

In the past when he was with Atlanta (and, such as in 2010 when he runner-up in the MVP voting to Tom Brady), Michael Vick outperformed what critics had foreseen or particularly cared about.

But in the glow of 2011 conjecture and forecast, in the national spotlight, he has to produce now more than ever when his team is one of the three or four favorites to win the Lombardi Trophy.

Vick is quickly discovering that no matter your physical ability, it is harder to achieve when all eyes are on you.

In the end, Michael Vick still has to be a better decision-maker on the field by using those unparalleled talents without worrying about the consequences.

A good example would be a quarterback like Fran Tarkenton, who scrambled for more than a decade and threw for over 40,000 yards.

Gritty, championship-level NFL quarterbacks don't complain about being “pawed” by an opposing defense on a particular Sunday. What great quarterbacks should do is set a better example for their teammates by acting as the captain, so that the team as a whole can follow in his footsteps and work towards focusing and winning the next game.