Michael Vick Promises To Protect Himself

It's been said and billion times and Michael Vick has heard it. The Eagles QB must stay healthy for them to be where they want to be at the end of the season. And the key to staying healthy is protecting yourself.

Now, as we've noted several times, Neither of Vick's injuries last season were the result of the "reckless" style that's always attributed to him. He was hit in the pocket just like any QB in those cases. Still, speaking to Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic this week, he says he's heard the message and has promised to fans that he'll do his best to keep safe.

"I want to make a promise to all my fans that I'm going to make a conscious effort, a cognitive effort, to make sure that I protect myself," Vick said. "And you know my motto has been this for the last six months, and I repeatedly said to myself: ‘Get the next yard on the next play.' You know, whether I'm running the football or scrambling or trying to do something improvising. Get the next yard on the next play. That's why you have second down and third down, and possibly fourth down. So you can give yourself opportunity.

"If you're not on the field, then you don't have that chance. So I just want to give myself ample opportunity. Praying to God that I can play sixteen games. I know that's the key to the season. I know deep down in my heart. And even though I believe in the players behind me, the players around me, I know what I can do and I know what I can bring to the table each and every Sunday, so I know it's paramount that I'm out on the field."

Two obvious questions come to mind when you hear Vick says something like. One, when the bullets are flying, does he have the same commitment to protecting himself? And two... How does he play more safely while still doing the kind of things that make him so effective and so dangerous for other teams?