Was Vick overrated? Only because media made him that way.
There’s something that still chaps my hide whenever the topic of Michael Vick (the quarterback, not the dog fighter) gets brought up.
ESPN.com is running an “All-Decade” feature this week and for one of their topics they listed the top 25 most overrated NFL players of the decade (Insider subscription required). Who is No. 2 you ask? Well the dog fighter former Falcons quarterback himself, of course.
2. Michael Vick: Even before Vick’s sordid off-field activities came to light, he was a disappointing No. 1 overall pick. Vick was a great runner, sure, but when he dropped back to pass, he turned into Tyler Thigpen or Derek Anderson, quarterbacks who are close to Vick’s career averages of 6.7 yards per pass attempt, 1.4 touchdowns for every interception and 52.8 completion percentage. His upside at this point is “Best Wildcat Quarterback,” not best NFL quarterback.
What I’ve always found funny is that the media was the one that built Vick into this Super Jesus Quarterback (SJQ) coming out of college, then when he never lived up to their lofty expectations, they were the first to say he was one of the most overrated signal callers ever to lace up the cleats.
The media were the ones who said Vick would reinvent the quarterback position, find a cure for lupus and solve the world’s hunger problem. And some fans bought into that because of all the hype that surrounded him coming out of college.
But what was he at Virginia Tech? A runner. And what was he in Atlanta? A dog fighter. A runner. So how is he overrated? Because he didn’t live up to the media’s expectations? That’s what makes him overrated?
Why is it such a conundrum that Vick wasn’t a great passer? Frank Beamer only gave him six plays to learn at VA Tech, so it’s not like Vick was Peyton Manning (a great passer who put up great passing numbers at Tennessee) coming out of college. Dan Reeves and Jim Mora did their best to try and make Vick a quarterback, but obviously he just didn’t have it in him.
The media saw Vick’s big arm and thought, “passer.” But the fact of the matter is that Vick was an athlete first and always. Fans are partially to blame in all of this because they hyped him up too, but they mostly loved his athletic ability and marveled at what he could do with the ball in his hands. It was the media that wanted him to reinvent the position as both a runner and a passer. Now they want to claim, “Vick wasn’t a good quarterback – he was overrated.” Really, Captain Obvious? Well you made him that way.
You know what’s overrated? The term “overrated” in sports. A player is only overrated when the media over hypes him and he fails to live up to those expectations. So let’s relax with all the overrated talk and just enjoy the damn games for once. Either that, or let’s only talk about the players who are underrated, because at least it focuses on those who deserve more attention for what they can do on a field.
Isn’t this just a case of media on media crime? Not everyone in the media thought he was going to re-invent the position, so aren’t the “I told you so” types just taking shots at the ones who proclaimed him to be a SJQ?
If you’re waiting for the use of “overrated” or “underrated” to cease, you’re going to be waiting a long time. It’s a constant tug of war between the believers, the haters and the truth.
I’m not waiting for those terms to cease – I know they’ll be ingrained in sports talk forever.
Your point on this being a case of a media on media crime is a solid one. Either way, the media is making a point that others in the media made in the first place.
It’s maddening!
Media on media crime – I like that one.
The list is pretty stupid. Jamal Lewis? He helped Baltimore win a Super Bowl and he had a 2,000 season. They actually criticized him for having lots of long runs?!?!
“4. Jamal Lewis: Lewis is remarkably inconsistent for a guy who is supposed to be a big, bruising back. When he rushed for more than 2,000 yards in 2003, he gained a lot of that yardage on a few long runs. The Ravens led the league in rushing yardage that year, but were tied for ninth in rushing first downs. (As an added non-bonus, Lewis fumbled nine times that season.) Lewis has never finished in the top 10 in running back DVOA. Compare that to Marshall Faulk and Priest Holmes (five times) or LaDainian Tomlinson (three times).”
Someone should explain to them that if you have a bg back who also gets lots of long runs, you have Jim friggin Brown or Earl friggin Campbell. One can say Lewis has been inconsistent, but calling him overrated is just silly.
Whatever Vick is/was, he is personally scum who tormented animals who “underperformed” (i.e. didn’t kill other dogs as well as he thought they should).
He’s one sick individual.
First day off probation and where is he? At a strip club. Yeah he has changed. If it wasn’t for the NFL he would have been hanging out on a corner, with his home boys. Sheeesh, you can take the thug out of the hood, but you can’t take the thug out of the thug.
After spending some time in jail, I don’t think we should blame Vick for wanting to gaze at some naked ladies.
You can’t blame a guy fresh out of jail/house arrest for wanting to gaze at naked ladies, but for someone who wants and desperately needs to clean up his image, hanging out with Allen Iverson at a strip club certainly wouldn’t qualify as an intelligent decision.
Larry…going to a strip club makes you a thug? I’m sure you’ve never been to one. Or is the problem that he was hanging out with AI?
If Goodell has an issue with Vick going to a strip club after more than a year in jail, then he should explain why Pacman Jones is still eligible to play in the league after all he’s been involved with. I’m not a Vick supporter by any stretch and don’t believe he should be allowed to play in the NFL. But that’s because of the felony he committed, not his party habits.
T-Bone. I didn’t want to go into a lot of detail, on the why and why nots of his actions. You want to keep a low profile, not draw attention to your self. At least give the impression that you have changed. Ever heard the expression “fake it till you make it”?
As far as him being a great player, he was well on his way. I say let him play again. Just get him around some people that understand what looks good to the public, and not like some thug trying to pretend hes a new man. Oh yeah hanging with “AI” doesn’t do it.