Mascot Moments

The preseason is about small moments, because unless someone's going off on a cart, it's all small moments. Three from last night's Eagles-Jets game struck me as notable. (And yes, I know that I'm ignoring the prevailing sentiment of how Vick looked bad in the second half, with sacks, incompletions and turnovers. He's rusty as all hell, playing with scrubs, in the fourth preseason game. I'm almost glad he struggled, simply because it will keep the meatheads from screaming for him quite so loud the next time McNabb leads a three-and-out drive. Moving on.)

1) A 3rd and 2 in the first quarter. Michael Vick came in as Kevin Kolb split wide, took the shotgun snap, and basically danced around a little until the line and general defensive over-attention to gadgetry got him a bit of a crease in the middle of the line. He took it, fell down, and moved the chains.

Why notable? Because the Eagles spent most of the first half of last season being one of the worst short yardage teams in NFL history. Now that LJ Smith has taken his injured and non-blocking self to Baltimore, you'd suspect that this wouldn't continue to be an issue, but Cap'n Andy believes in overcompensation, and for this, I am thankful. I just wonder if this really will turn out in the regular season to be as useful as it is right now, because QBs have egos, and converting third downs is kind of a big job. Anyway, moving on.

2) Vick again, in the shotgun, in the first quarter. In the face of strong defensive pressure up the middle, he moved to his left, gained the corner and ran for a first down. It wasn't quite electrifying, but it was closer, and he's certainly worrisome in that space -- for everyone, really, as he's not exactly the most secure ball-carrier you've ever seen.

Why notable? The sideline reaction to Vick doing this was something out of a Pop Warner league. Defensive players were jumping up and down, Donovan McNabb was laughing and slapping Vick on the back, and the body language of the team was like a carnival. All for a scramble in the fourth preseason game, against scrubs. But that's not the point.

What Vick used to be able to do in space, and what he might be able to do again with time, diet and health, is basically a magic trick to football players. If you do something for decades, and then you suddenly see something that no one has ever done right in front of you, on the field, you react like a little kid. Wow! Holy moley! Lookit that!

The problem for Vick, and indeed the problem for any running QB or unique talent, is that the value of the trick is limited. Vick gained a relatively low amount of yards with his magic; he didn't get the ball into the hands of a more secure runner, and if he does this enough, fumbles and injuries will follow. Yes, it has a debilitating effect on a defense to more or less do everything right on a play and still give up a first down, but truly great players overcome the defense for six points, not a first down.

But from a back-up, and one that a teammate can possibly rally behind (thank you, Jets Fans, for being so persistent with your booing of the man -- I'm sure it's helped to solidify his standing with the club)? I'll take any magic I can get. Mostly because I'm becoming increasingly sure that I won't see any tricks worth watching from Kevin Kolb. And so, clearly, will his teammates. Call him Rudy Vick if this kind of thing keeps up, because he's starting to acquire mascot love levels.

3) Second quarter, Eagles have the ball at the Jets 2 following an interception that was much more the WR's fault. Vick more or less executes the same play as the first moment, but it scores six, and the team's reaction is pretty close to #2.

Why notable? I was in a fantasy draft last night where a couple of the owners were on autodraft -- has anyone ever won a league from autodrafting? I hope not -- which led to the happy moment of Brian Westbrook going off the boards before I picked at #7, because Yahoo's got him as the #5 overall player.

Folks, I'm not sure I'd have drafted B-Dub at 22 (i.e., my second round pick)... and that's with me thinking he's actually healthy now. LeSean McCoy will have a bigger role than Correll Buckhalter did before him, and Cap'n Andy is going to limit his carries in the NFL's new Managed Carries Era. B-Dub has also never been a goal-line demon, again because Andy just doesn't believe in sacrificing long-term value for the trench warfare yards.

But now? I could easily see Dub having a vintage Fred Taylor, 1,400 yards from scrimmage but only 4 TDs, kind of year. Vick's on a one-year deal and the new toy, and with Brent Celek and Jason Avant getting the possession receiver looks here, I'm seeing a long frustrating year for B-Dub's owners. Buyer beware...