Mike Vick Soars Like an Eagle

A couple years ago no one thought Michael Vick would ever be seen in a NFL uniform again. Last year Vick was signed as free agent to the Philadelphia Eagles following his release out of jail.

If you didn’t know, Mike Vick was the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted first round, first pick out of Virginia Tech after his sophomore year.

However at the time of his return he was behind the Eagle’s leader and former Joliet Catholic quarterback Donovan McNabb and a young, rough and ready Kevin Kolb. Then the unimaginable happened when the Eagles traded their veteran McNabb to the Washington Redskins, putting Vick at the second string position for the start the 2010-11 Philadelphia season.  

In the first game of the season Kevin Kolb got injured early in the game. Vick went in and almost won the game against the Green Bay Packers. He put up great stats showing a strong arm and that he hasn’t lost his speed. In this game he would complete 16 passes out of 24 for 175 yards with 1 touchdown. He also would rush for 103 yards on 11 carries.

However Kolb would be only out for that game, bringing up the tough question of which quarterback to start? Andy Reid chose Vick and that proved to be a great choice.

In the second week the Eagles were matched up against the Detroit Lions in the motor city. The Eagles won 35-32. Vick proved himself yet again throwing for 284 yards, with an impressive 21 completed passes out of 34. He threw a pair of touchdowns and run a touchdown in.

Showing his true colors and earning his starting position he again proved himself worthy in week three against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Vick led the team to a strong victory 28-3; Vick was a part of every score this game. He would threw three touchdown passes and rush another in.

Mike Vick is definitely one of the biggest surprises early in the NFL season this year. He is the second highest rated quarterback in the league just behind Peyton Manning with a 110.2 passer rating. Vick has yet to throw an interception this year and with his momentum he could definitely lead the Eagles to the playoffs.

Fantasy got you down?

Do the names Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte, and Maurice Jones- Drew mean little to nothing to you? However, do you still find these men along with the other mesomorphs of the NFL and NCAA to be the main topic when conversing with the men in your life? 

“More than 27 million players play fantasy football,” said Colin Cowherd of ESPN. “They [players] spend an average of nine hours a week during the football season…playing fantasy football.”

Boys, girls, teachers, parents, we are all equally affected by fantasy football. For those that are indirectly affected by this time consuming hobby, this can be a trying time of the year. You know you want to understand, but you don’t know how.

“I am completely clueless when I’m sitting around with the guys and they go on and on about the trades and who’s playing who this weekend,” said senior and second hand fantasy victim, Victoria Zeman. “I love football just as much as anyone, but enough is enough.”

There are two types of competition formats. First of which is Head-to-Head, where weekly games are played against specific opponents, much like the NFL. The second being Total Points, in which cumulative points during the season determine winners, or playoff teams.

“My team is really good this year, and all my players are performing at a very high level,” said Senior and fantasy owner, Matt Scott. “I beat Mark [McDonagh] this weekend in the head-to head, and he was previously undefeated.”

Participants, “owners,” earn “fantasy points” by using the statistics of real football players. Each “owner” designates which players from their roster will be starting each week. These are the only players who can score any points for that week.

Typically the starting lineup goes as followed-

One Quarterback (QB)
Two Running Backs (RB)
Two Wide Receivers (WR)
One Flex (a position which allows you to play an additional RB or WR)
One Tight End (TE)
One Placekicker (K)
One Team Defense/ Special Teams (DST)

So stay informed and after the Super Bowl, savor that precious month of February, because March Madness is right around the corner.