Michael Vick

            In the Philadelphia Eagles' most recent game versus the New York Giants, the Giants defeated the Eagles 29-16.  Michael Vick left the game with a bruised right hand (his non-throwing hand).  The week before, he left the game with a head injury.  After Sunday's tilt versus the Giants, Vick was pretty banged up, and he had some words to say to the media about it...

            "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."

            These comments left many people outraged.  For him to publicly say that he has been unfairly treated, and unfairly tackled by opposing teams, has only made him an even bigger target.  In one article, Mike Pereira, who is the former NFL vice president of officiating, called Vick's comments "ridiculous", and said that he has put officials in an uncomfortable position because they may feel pressure to call penalties a certain way.  If a ref calls a defensive player for roughing the passer, then it appears that he has given in to Vick's rants.  However, if he doesn't make any calls on penalties that concern Vick, then he is seen as just another ref who Vick can rant and complain about. 

            Because Michael Vick is a constant running threat on the field, he is bound to be hit more often by opposing defenses.  For this reason, many analysts believe that he will continue to be hit hard.  It is amazing how comments made in the public sphere resonate into the people's minds so quickly.  Vick obviously made these comments out of frustration, but because they were made publicly, they were that much worse.  Though most analysts say that he was making a direct dig at the officiating crew, I think that he was just frustrated about losing to the Giants, and getting knocked out of the game for the second straight week.  Still, he made the comments, and all he can do now is move on.