Michael Vick Whines About Late Hits But Swears He's Not Complaining and Doesn't Blame Refs

Michael Vick is tired of getting the “Michael Vick treatment.” He sees Tom Brady get the “Tom Brady treatment” and he wants the same.

But don’t get him wrong — he’s not complaining about it.

“Not to blame the refs or say that it was their fault,” Vick told the assembled media after breaking his non-throwing hand in Sunday’s loss to the Giants. “It’s just one of those unfortunate situations and I just think more precautions should be taken when I’m inside the pocket. I mean, 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.”

“I don’t get the 15-yard flags like everybody else does but, hey, I’m not going to complain about it,” he added. “I’m just making everybody aware and hopefully somebody will take notice.”

Certainly sounds like a guy who isn’t complaining, doesn’t it?

Also, while Vick is saying the referees need to call more penalties when he’s hit, he said he’s not blaming the refs.

Wait, what?

“The refs have to do their job and I’m not blaming the referees by any stretch so let’s not get it twisted here,” he said, thereby twisting the argument. “I’m just saying I think everybody on the field should do their job.”

While Vick may have somewhat of a case, he is no different than any other NFL quarterback. The position has become the most protected in the sport, as evidenced by the 15-yard penalty and ensuing $15,000 fine given to Andre Carter for his form tackle on Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. But Vick, just like every other signal-caller in the league, can’t get every call. Even Brady didn’t get a call from the ref when Antonio Garay tried to ruin his left knee, a hit that the league later deemed worthy of a fine.

Vick’s stance is also more than a little hypocritical. He spent time talking about how conscious he is of his safety and how he wants to keep himself healthy at all times. If he really wanted to do that, though, wouldn’t he sit out for a week after suffering a concussion just six days prior to Sunday’s game?

The bottom line is that Vick has a right to feel frustrated, but no more than any other quarterback. The difference is that Vick might be a little more fragile than the other guys.

If he wants to complain to the league, then he and the team can do so privately. Making a public show only makes him look bad.

But hey, at least he’s not complaining.

Photo of the day

Does Michael Vick get fewer calls than other quarterbacks when he gets hit in the pocket?

Quote of the day

“A lot of people are writing us off, so we’re gonna come out and play our butts off. That’s it.”
–Dustin Pedroia, after an impossibly long game in New York that ended with a Red Sox victory