Tag: Michael Vick

Petition with 220,000 signatures wants Michael Vick out as honorary Pro Bowl captain

A petition seeking Michael Vick’s removal as an honorary Pro Bowl captain has more than 220,000 signatures.

Sports fans are willing to forget and overlook a lot. One thing they will never get over, however, is Michael Vick’s involvement in a dog-fighting ring that landed the then-Atlanta Falcons quarterback in prison. The issue is back as a petition demanding Vick be removed as an honorary Pro Bowl captain has gotten a storm of signatures.

The 2020 NFL Pro Bowl will take place on Jan. 26 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The other captains selected are Terrell Davis, Darrell Green and Bruce Smith. They are expected to serve a variety of roles, including as mentors to players during the game and participate in events leading up to it.

The petition was started on Change.org by a woman. It currently has more than 220,000 signatures.

“Just saw this on Facebook and was absolutely disgusted,” she wrote on the petition page, referring to a social media post about Vick’s inclusion. “When is the NFL going to take any responsibility for the behavior of it’s current and former players? To honor a man who had zero regard for animals is unacceptable and I would like your help to make sure he is not honored at the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl.”

Vick served 18 months in federal prison after admitting in 2007 that he participated in killing dogs and operated a business enterprise that involved illegal gambling. He was suspended by the NFL.

CNN reached out to the NFL, FOX Sports, which employs Vick, and the former quarterback’s representatives but did not receive a response as of this writing.

If you would like to learn more about the petition, or sign it, click here.

Even with an eye on Michael Vick’s record, Lamar Jackson staying humble and focused on winning first

With just 63 more yards Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will break Michael Vick’s rushing record. But he’s focused on winning

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson needs just 63 yards over four more games and he’ll break an NFL record not many thought would ever be broken. Yet with Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks seemingly on the horizon, Jackson is keeping a cool head about the situation and focused on his team’s goals above his own.

When asked how he felt about possibly breaking Vick’s record, Jackson was his usual humble self. Though Jackson said Vick was his football idol growing up and “it would be an honor” to break his record, Jackson focused on the Ravens picking up their 11th win.

This is just the latest showing of Jackson’s singular focus and humble outlook. While having perfect games and setting records is cool and all, Jackson has often followed the praise heaped upon him with talk about winning being more important. In this day and age with a franchise quarterback who could very well sign a record-breaking contract in a few short years thanks to his individual play, that attitude is pretty refreshing.

Don’t get me wrong, NFL players have been trained since childhood to give media-friendly non-answers. It’s why the guys who don’t give canned responses or allow their emotions to control their mouths tend to find themselves on the front pages of newspapers and websites. But I genuinely get the feeling these types of answers aren’t PR provided team-first talk but legitimately the way Jackson feels about this team and his teammates.

Just look back to when coach John Harbaugh was pumped up for Jackson on the sideline, giving him individual praise. When told by his coach he’s changed the game and that children would be wearing his jersey for the next two decades pretending to be him on sandlots around the country — something absolutely any player in any sport would love to hear and has likely aspired to since they were kids themselves — Jackson simply said “I can’t wait to see it when I get older, but right now, I gotta get to the Super Bowl.”

Who the hell, when in a candid moment in the heat of battle, says that to that type of praise? Seriously, how many franchise quarterbacks would brush off being called a living legend by their own coach to talk about the team winning a Super Bowl? Not many, and that’s part of Jackson’s charm as he reaches this level.

He has this innocent “awe shucks” attitude in spite of being arguably the most electric athlete in the sport of football in a generation. He doesn’t shy away from showing some fire, like you’ll see when he spikes the ball out of frustration when there’s a pre-snap penalty. He doesn’t pretend he doesn’t want to be the best player to ever play the game, like when he put in serious work this offseason to improve his play. But he continues to put his team and teammates above his individual play and accolades. When he’s had awe-inspiring games this season, Jackson has often recounted specific plays where he could have been better and helped a teammate out. Again, I’ll ask . . . Who does that after throwing five touchdowns in a game?

At a time when so many skill position players talk about “getting that bag” when they play well and even coaches are wearing stupid, cocky shirts intended to provoke and take attention away from the team, Jackson sees Baltimore’s success is more important. In spite of potentially not only breaking but shattering an NFL record that could stand for decades, Jackson doesn’t seem to see that as a way to get more money, earn more television commercials or drive his own fame. Instead, he sees that as a way for the team to reach their collective goal and everyone to get some of the praise.

They don’t often make em like Jackson and in spite of how he’d probably move beyond the compliment, he deserves special praise for his attitude and outlook. It’ll serve him well over his career and likely see him breaking even more records as he goes along while winning plenty of games.

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Mike Vick passes torch to Lamar Jackson as Madden’s fastest QB ever

If you played sports video games during the early-mid 2000s, then you probably remember the sensation that was playing as Michael Vick in Madden football.

If you played sports video games during the early-mid 2000s, then you probably remember the sensation that was playing as Michael Vick in Madden football games

Never before did the EA Sports classic have such a fast player at the quarterback position. In fact, Vick’s 95 speed rating nearly broke the game when he first entered the league.

Playing against Vick in Madden was infuriating because he could run backwards halfway down the field and scramble around until he found someone open. There was no defense for it.

That’s why the game designers were hesitant to make Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson as fast as he truly was during his rookie year. After last week’s dominant performance over the Rams, Madden updated Jackson’s speed rating to 96, breaking Michael Vick’s record.

Vick had fun with it and sent out a congratulatory video to Jackson, which you can see below:

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WATCH: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson breaks ‘Madden’ record

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will hold the highest-ever speed rating for a QB at 96 in the new “Madden NFL” update.

Lamar Jackson’s mark on the NFL is now moving from the football field to the virtual world.

When the “Madden NFL” video game franchise makes its latest round of updates on Thanksgiving day, the Ravens quarterback will hold the highest-ever speed rating for a QB at 96. Michael Vick held the previous record at 95.

Vick told USA Today Sports that he’s honored to be part of Jackson’s rise:

“It’s like the passing of the torch. I’m gone, but not forgotten. Look, with every highlight that Lamar makes, it reminds people of me. It will remind people of Cam (Newton). It will remind people of Russell (Wilson). It will remind people of (Randall) Cunningham. Donovan (McNabb), all the mobile quarterbacks who came before us and who are going to come after us.

Watch Vick’s message to Jackson here:

And here’s a closer look at the Nike cleats:

Michael Vick passes torch to Lamar Jackson as the fastest QB in “Madden”

With a bump in his speed rating, Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson is now the fastest quarterback in Madden history, surpassing Michael Vick

Throughout Lamar Jackson’s early career, he’s earned non-stop comparisons to Michael Vick. But in Jackson’s second season with the Baltimore Ravens, he’s quickly surpassed Vick in a number of ways, including virtually.

Vick was on the field for Monday night’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, as an official EA Sports ratings adjustor. After seeing Jackson put up 95 rushing yards on just eight carries, it was apparently enough to boost his overall speed rating to 96, beating the adjustor himself.

To help commemorate the occasion, Nike and EA Sports created a pair of cleats for Vick to ceremoniously pass the torch.

With five games remaining, Jackson needs just 164 rushing yards to top Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks. However, Jackson is on pace to put up 1,274 rushing yards, which would not just beat, but shatter, Vick’s 1,039-yard record.

At the same time, Jackson is currently proving his doubters wrong as a passer as well. He’s tied with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for the most touchdown passes thrown this season, albeit on 53 fewer attempts for the league’s top TD% rate. Jackson is also tied for the third-highest passer rating thanks in part to his two perfect 158.3 passer rating games this season.

With his rushing prowess and efficient passing this season, Jackson is currently the frontrunner both for the MVP award and in Pro Bowl voting.

With Vick passing the torch to Jackson in multiple ways, it might be time to officially stop comparing the two. Jackson is a far more developed passer and dynamic rusher than even Vick’s best seasons, setting the tone for generations to come.

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Lamar Jackson is the NFL’s best quarterback in 2019

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s arm and legs combine to make him the most efficient and effective quarterback in the NFL.

Entering Week 12, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was already the frontrunner for the NFL’s MVP award. Though he didn’t need to prove himself further as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Jackson did exactly that against the Los Angeles Rams and their vaunted defense.

He ran around them with his legs and was just shy of perfect through the air en route to a 45-6 dominant victory that saw him relieved by backup Robert Griffin III in the fourth quarter. Jackson finished the game, going 15-of-20 for 169 passing yards, with five touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 139.4 passer rating. He added another 95 rushing yards on eight attempts just for good measure.

With yet another amazing game, Jackson has proven himself to be the best overall quarterback in the league.

Each and every week we hear how Jackson is going to get figured out or excuses for why someone isn’t a complete believer yet. Whether it’s people saying to throw out extra defensive backs to contain him in the pocket or to load up the box to force him to throw under duress, no defense has really figured out how to stop Jackson, and it’s not for a lack of trying or talent.

Against the New England Patriots’ top-ranked defense, Jackson torched them for 224 total yards and three total touchdowns (rushing and passing) in a 37-20 rout. Against the Texans’ solid defense, Jackson had a combined 301 yards and four touchdown passes, knocking Houston’s rankings down a few pegs. Against the Rams’ 11th-ranked defense, Jackson threw five touchdowns and nearly had 100 yards on the ground in spite of playing just three quarters of football.

Yet, we’re likely going to hear about how Jackson and the Ravens need to beat the San Francisco 49ers in dominant fashion for people to truly believe. And when asked why someone isn’t fully on the Jackson-train, it’s his passing yardage that gets called into question.

Passing yards are far too often used as the biggest metric to determine a quarterback’s worth in the NFL and by some of the most notorious of pundits. With Jackson on pace to barely crack 3,500 passing yards this season, it’s far too easy to dismiss what he’s done in 2019. Yet, it’s the efficiency at which Jackson has struck that should really impress.

Jackson’s TD:INT ratio is nearly 5:1 right now. He’s tied with Russell Wilson for the most touchdown passes in the league but Jackson has the highest TD% among quarterbacks with more than 13 attempts. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 5, though he now has two games with five touchdown passes this season. He has two games with a perfect 158.3 passer rating this season — something just two other quarterbacks have ever done before (Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger). He’s tied for the third-highest passer rating in the NFL.

That right there is already enough evidence to at least put Jackson in the discussion as the best quarterback in the league. But he’s so much more than just his arm, even if Jackson really wants people to assess him as a passer first and foremost.

Jackson currently has 876 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 124 carries this season. He’s ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing yards, tied for 11th in rushing touchdowns and his 7.1 yard-per-carry average is first by a wide margin (1.3 yards-per-carry over second place). Jackson is on pace to not just beat Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record but blow it completely out of the water.

There’s not another quarterback like Jackson in this league and that’s often the problem when trying to compare and rank him. The name we most often seen thrown around is Vick for obvious reasons. But even taking the best separate passing and rushing seasons from Vick’s career and combining them wouldn’t match what Jackson’s on pace to do this year.

Like it or not, we can’t look at Jackson and measure him by the same exact metrics as the rest of the league’s quarterbacks. We have to combine his rushing and passing totals and where they rank to get even the slightest insight on how impressive Jackson actually is. When doing that, it’s crystal clear that Jackson is the NFL’s best quarterback at this point.

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Michael Vick on Carson Wentz: “He will fail in Philadelphia” trying to live up to Nick Foles

Michael Vick thinks Carson Wentz will fail in Philadelphia

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Philadelphia can be an unforgiving sports town and Carson Wentz is all the rage after his disappointing outing against the Seattle Seahawks in which he accounted for four turnovers and missed several easy throws in the process and seemed to be pressing all afternoon.

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Wentz has been without his full arsenal of offensive weapons and his game has suffered without DeSean Jackson or Alshon Jeffery for long periods of time. Wentz is already taking heat from the local media and now one former Eagles star believes he’s destined to fail in the City of Brotherly Love.

While a guest on FS1’s Speak For Yourself, Vick was asked if Wentz would fail in Philadelphia, and his response is likely to once again divide the fan base.

Vick on Wentz:

“He will fail in Philadelphia.” “I think the bar has been set so high by Nick Foles, who won the Super Bowl and now a ceiling has been set.”

Vick went on to allude to anonymous reports questioning Wentz’s character and leadership skills over the past two seasons as well.

Vick believes that Wentz is fighting an uphill battle trying to impress teammates, the fans and the city, all while trying to win games and that illustrious Super Bowl that Foles was able to bring home.

Michael Vick responds to Jalen Ramsey’s question on defending Lamar Jackson

Jalen Ramsey asked Michael Vick how he would stop Lamar Jackson, and he doesn’t know what he would do.

When the Los Angeles Rams take the field on defense Monday night, they’ll have one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league staring them down. Lamar Jackson has been the best player in the league this season, as declared by the Rams themselves, and has looked particularly unstoppable in the last four games.

He’s not your typical quarterback to defend, and devising a game plan to stop him is a great challenge. Jalen Ramsey resorted to asking a quarterback who played similarly to the way Jackson does, requesting some help from Michael Vick.

Vick was in attendance for the Rams’ win over the Bears on Sunday night, and in Ramsey’s caption on Instagram, he asked the former Falcons star for assistance.

Vick actually responded to Ramsey’s request, saying he’s not sure how he would defend Jackson, either. He called Jackson the 2019 version of himself, which is essentially the same thing Wade Phillips said on Thursday.

“Tough question bruh… see the reality is this… Lamar is Mike Vick 2019, but with an offense built around his skill, which makes it hard to say. I wouldn’t know what to do against a guy kinda like myself. 😂 #giveiteverytingyougot”

The Rams will have their hands full with Jackson and the Ravens offense, which is averaging 39 points per game in the last four weeks.