Vick Denies Problems With Blitz Recognition

You don't have to be a All-22 Tape expert to see what the Eagles coaches likely saw when they reviewed the tape of this past weekend's loss to the Cardinals- Michael Vick had some trouble with the blitz.

The most glaring example came just before half, when Kerry Rhodes walked to the line with no intention of hiding that he was coming- and hit Vick so hard that the ball came lose. A quick 93 yards later, the Cardinals had a commanding 24-0 lead and any hope the Eagles had was all but gone.

Still, despite what many feel is an obvious weakness in his game, Vick remained confident today in his abilities before the snap.

"We had no trouble with blitz recognition. Everything is good with our offense. Everything is in sync. Everything is intact. We just have to get better. [If] we eliminate the turnovers and start fast [then] we give ourselves a chance to win games."

Vick said after the game that he saw Rhodes coming, but couldn't get the ball out quick enough. If Vick is telling the truth and really has seen the blitzes coming, that might be more troubling.

On the season, Vick is 18-45 for 326 yards and 1 interception. His quarterback rating against the blitz? An embarrassing 56.3. If Vick truly is seeing what the defense is doing and these are the results, the Eagles have a much bigger problem on their hands.

While the play of the offensive line has been so poor at times it's hard to tell when the opposing defense is blitzing or not, the fact is that as the season has grown so has the amount of blitzes the Eagles have faced.

After being blitzed only 10 times by the Ravens, Vick faced the blitz a whopping 24 times against the Cardinals. That number will likely grow against the New York Giants this Sunday, making it crucial that the Vick finds a way to make teams pay for bringing extra defenders. Given the weapons this offense has and the speed at wideout, you would think that would not be a problem.

Vick has been better than people give him credit for this season when he has had time to sit back and read the defense. On the season Vick is 51 of 74 for 664 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Obviously any quarterback will have improved numbers when he is given time, but it still shows that Vick is capable of making the right reads and decisions when he isn't running for his life.

Vick remains confident that he can correct the problems- including the turnovers- and that this offense will get everything together.

But talk is cheap, and if Vick does not cut down on the turnovers, he will soon be breaking down blitzes from the sideline.

Follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks