Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are a scary duo
If you want a lesson in how to return and start a game after an injury, look no further than Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Both
are arguably the most exciting players to watch and are making a strong case for the league’s most potent quarterback-receiver combination.
In Vick’s first game back after sustaining a rib injury against the Washington Redskins which sidelined the mobile quarterback for a month, Vick returned to form. He immediately shook some of that rust
off as well as a few Indianapolis Colts defenders in the process. Vick rushed for 74 yards, including a touchdown and completed 17 of 29 attempts for 218 yards and one touchdown pass.
After juking an oncoming tackler in perfect position to bring him down and spinning away from others, Vick was in for the score. He did get up slowly after a few hits and appeared gimpy at times, but it’s
safe to say that Vick is back.
"I play this game the way I play it, and I'm not going to change," he said. "I'm not going to play this game scared or hesitant or conservative. Regardless of what happens out there, whether I run and
get hurt or I don't, it's just me playing my game."
He looked every bit as explosive as he was at the start of the 2010 season and some of that magic rubbed off on Jackson, who returned from a concussion. Jackson showed no ill effects of that vicious collision
between him and Atlanta’s Dante Robinson a few weeks back on October 17.
Jackson is a playmaker and the Eagles wanted to get him the ball early and often. Both players were instrumental in Philadelphia’s win over Peyton Manning and the Colts. This
was perhaps the biggest win of the season for Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid and a Philadelphia team who currently sits second in the NFC East division with a 5-3 record.
Vick is developing a strong rapport with Jackson, who hauled in seven receptions for 109 yards and a major.
"Me and DeSean, we have chemistry," Vick said. "I know where he's going to be and it's funny, because 90 percent of the time, when I throw the ball to him deep and I think I overthrow him, he just goes
to get it. He's a very dynamic player and I'm just glad to have him on my team."
At the beginning Kevin Kolb was the projected starter. However, an injury sidelined Kolb and Vick was thrown into the mix. He has never played football at such a higher level
throughout his career in the NFL.
"If he's not [at the same level as a runner as he was with the Falcons], he's as close as you can be," said Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. "He's worked very, very hard and very diligently,
really for a year and a half, to get to the level that he's at both physically and playing that quarterback position."
But if the Eagles want to make a real run in the post-season, they will have to add a ground game to their one dimensional offence. Philadelphia is in desperate need of a running-back that can carry the
load and take some pressure off Vick.
As of now, LeSean McCoy is the starting running-back and has carried the ball 121 times for 572 yards. Vick is second on the team for rushing yards with 261 yards on 36 carries. The Eagles are going to
have to try to keep Vick in the pocket and try to run the ball more with McCoy.
He is a runner that gets stronger as the game progresses and as we head into heavy weather during the months of November and December, a good running game is a quarterback’s best friend.
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