NFL Team Capsules: Dynamic Vick playing like an MVP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Vick had just scored after another dazzling run against the Redskins when Eagles fans at a local sports bar began chanting: "M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!"

It was a far cry from what Vick was being called a few years ago.

Once one of the NFL’s biggest and highest paid stars, his career was in ruins and his life in shambles. He was broke, reviled and relegated to being a situational No. 3 quarterback after serving 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.

Now he’s on top again, playing maybe better than ever, and just in time to become perhaps the biggest free agent on the market next year.

Vick may have had the best all-around game by a quarterback in NFL history Monday night against Washington. He threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for 80 yards and two scores in Philadelphia’s 59-28 victory.

So much for everyone who protested his arrival in Philadelphia and threatened to boycott games.

"I thought what he did was disgusting, but the guy paid his dues and deserves a second chance," said Shaun Young, an 18-year season ticket holder who was inducted into the Pro Football Ultimate Fan Association’s Hall of Fame last year in Canton, Ohio.

"He’s playing incredible. I respect people’s opinions that don’t like him, but isn’t this world based on second chances?"

Since signing with the Eagles in August 2009, he’s been a model citizen off the field, working with the Humane Society of the United States and speaking to school and community groups about the cruelty of dogfighting.

On the field, Vick has been downright spectacular, even more so than when he was a superstar with the Atlanta Falcons.

"I feel like I’m playing the best football only because of the coaches that I have, the guys I’m playing with. The offensive line is playing great," Vick said. "I have a great group of guys around me. Just as I’m doing a great job, those guys are doing a great job as well."

Fickle fans who were outraged when the Eagles signed him to a two-year deal are now demanding the team give him a new contract. Vick, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2008, could be a top free agent on the market next year if Philadelphia lets him get that far. Teams who weren’t willing to trade a high draft pick for him when the Eagles made him available last offseason just may be lining up to throw money at him.

"The other 31 teams out there need to save their money and vote for Michael Vick or try to get a bid for him because the way he was looking out there, he was looking awesome," Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said.

Some would argue that if Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb can get a $78 million, five-year deal from the Redskins, the 30-year-old Vick certainly should be worth more right now. He’s younger and arguably playing better than McNabb did when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2004. McNabb was traded by the Eagles to Washington in April and the rest, well, is history.

"I could have never envisioned this," Vick said. "Signing here, I didn’t even think I’d be starting as the quarterback this year. So, all of this is paramount for me, but at the same time it’s somewhat surprising."

Hard to believe that Vick’s No. 7 jersey, which was being sold at clearance prices last December, is a hot item nowadays.

"He’s my favorite player," said Ashley Walton, one of many fans wearing a Vick jersey at a sports bar in South Philadelphia. "I know what he did was wrong and it’s something some people will never forgive him for, but he went to jail and he did his time. People can’t judge him for one mistake forever. Everyone makes mistakes."

Indeed, Vick has made the Eagles (6-3) an instant contender in a season in what was to be a rebuilding season. They’re 4-0 in games that he’s started and finished, and are tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East.

Check out his numbers, despite missing three games with a rib injury: He has passed for 1,350 yards and 11 TDs and rushed for 341 yards and four TDs. He hasn’t thrown an interception or lost a fumble and his passer rating of 115.1 leads the NFL.

Vick’s sensational game against the Skins made his college coach, Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, think about the 2000 Sugar Bowl. Back then, Vick put on quite a show against Florida State even though the Hokies lost 46-29.

"I remember the day after the national championship game, everybody was talking about the performance Michael Vick had last night ... ," Beamer said Tuesday. "Today seems like that same day. Everybody in the country seems to be talking about what a performance he had last night, and he did."

In general, he said, Vick doesn’t take anything for granted.

"The time away, I think he realized a lot of things and in talking with him, he’s very humble and just glad to be back in the NFL. And then I think he’s worked hard to get his body in condition. I think he’s worked hard to get mentally right out there and know where the ball needs to go and be good in that regard. I always thought he was good. I always thought he had unbelievable talent, different talent. I think he’s determined to get it back right.

"I’m pulling for him all the way. I’m pulling for him hard."

Redskins embarrassed in prime time again

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Redskins sure know how to embarrass themselves in prime time.

Take the Monday night game two years ago, when many thousands of Pittsburgh Steelers fans waving Terrible Towels ruled the roost in the lower bowl of FedEx Field to root their team to a 23-6 victory. Redskins owner Dan Snyder was so humiliated that he ordered 50,000 "Redskins Rally Rags" to be distributed at the next home game in an effort to restore the home-field advantage.

Or last year, when soon-to-be-fired coach Jim Zorn tried one of the silliest Monday night plays ever, the high school fake field goal play known as the "swinging gate" or "picket fence" or "wash bucket." It had a new name — "failure" — after the New York Giants intercepted the trick pass on the way to a 45-12 rout.

The Redskins might have topped them all this week. Their return to the Monday night spotlight turned in a 59-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, a game that was 35-0 early in the second quarter and sent booing fans home by halftime. It spoiled the news, announced a few hours before kickoff, that Donovan McNabb had signed a contract extension, and an ugly pregame skirmish only served to fire up the Eagles even more.

The Redskins shut their doors to the media Tuesday — coach Mike Shanahan didn’t even hold the customary day-after news conference — but players found ways to vent their dismay on Twitter and on their weekly radio appearances.

"Last night was horrendous," tweeted receiver Anthony Armstrong.

"I’m repulsed by the way we played," tight end Chris Cooley said on 106.7 The Fan.

And on and on. Shanahan said after the game that his team was "outplayed and outcoached in every area." He blamed himself for not having his players better prepared.

Players pointed out that the loss doesn’t totally derail their playoff hopes. The Redskins (4-5) are two games behind the Eagles and the New York Giants in the NFC East, and they still have two games against the Giants. What was left unsaid was whether the team has used up the supply of good fortune that helped it win four close games in September and October despite glaring deficiencies on both sides of the ball.

The defense is once again last in the NFL in yards allowed at 415.3 per game. The bend-but-don’t-break philosophy is starting to falter as well, with the Redskins now 26th in points allowed at 25.4 per game. The struggles continue for an offensive line that has allowed 25 sacks and for a thin receiving corps, with wideouts accounting for only seven catches Monday night. Washington has converted 22 percent of third downs this season, by far the worst percentage in the NFL.

McNabb tied a career-high with three interceptions, and even his five-year, $78 million contract turns out not to be as ironclad as initially thought. His agent, Fletcher Smith, confirmed Tuesday that the Redskins could cut McNabb at the end of the season after having paid only $3.5 million of the new deal with no obligation to pay anything more.

As ugly as the score was, the words exchanged regarding the behavior of Redskins safety LaRon Landry were even uglier. The Eagles accused the player known as "Dirty 30" for stoking the pregame confrontation by making inappropriate trash-talk at Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackson, who recently returned from a concussion.

"Everyone talks trash, but there are just certain things you say and don’t say," Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin said. "Life-changing incidents are things you just don’t talk about, and he was just running his mouth a little bit too much."

Philadelphia center Mike McGlynn also said he was spit at by Landry twice during the game on extra points.

"He’s a dirty player. We know that," Eagles receiver Jason Avant said.

Landry denied the spitting allegation and said his pregame talk with Jackson was nothing more than routine banter. He also defended himself on Twitter.

"To everyone who’s truly redskin fan/fan of mine... Knows I never been a dirty player/never will!!!" Landry tweeted. "Supposedly I spit on the center if there’s any truth to that I would have been flagged or the guy would have some sort of reaction!!! I just play hard and do anything to help the team win... As for as D. Jack that’s my guy been home boys for awhile so to y’all who wanna read blogs/the Internet find out the truth to stories/not a writer trying to stir confusion!!!"

With this new set of distractions in place, the Redskins must now regroup quickly for Sunday’s game at Tennessee.

"Can we continue to build? Can we get better? What is our real character? What’s the character?" Cooley said. "If we have guys that care, we’ll go to work tomorrow. You have to put it past you."

-- Joseph White

Falcons keep winning, even if few seem to notice

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — No NFL team has a better record than Mike Smith’s Falcons, and perhaps none has made fewer headlines.

They practice, they play and they win without hype. There’s little drama and even less national publicity in this post-Michael Vick era.

Maybe that’s why the Atlanta coach laughs when asked whether there has been more national demands on his time with the 7-2 Falcons atop the NFC.

"Uh, no," Smith said. "They don’t want to talk to me."

Not even after his team’s exciting last-minute 26-21 win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. Even the Falcons’ losses have been impressive — at Philadelphia and in overtime at Pittsburgh.

Doesn’t matter. Smith, who carries one of the lowest profiles of any coach in the league, never detours from the all-business script that his players follow faithfully, if almost anonymously.

And if the nation yawns, that’s fine. Call these Falcons dull, but call them winners.

"I just feel like we’re flying under the radar and we’re doing a good job of that and we’re just going to stay where we’re at," receiver Roddy White says.

There’s not a lot of flash in the Falcons, who place an emphasis on running the ball and stopping the run. It’s not a style that commands a lot of attention, but it has Smith on pace for his third straight winning record with a franchise that had never before had back-to-back winning seasons.

Few outside of Atlanta may know much about even the team’s top players.

White’s numbers are up there with the NFL’s best receivers. He’s a clutch performer with an engaging personality and the most-quoted player on the team, not that many outside of Atlanta have noticed.

White doesn’t criticize teammates or second-guess his coach. He doesn’t earn repeated fines from the league for his tweets. He doesn’t have his own TV show.

This is Smith’s team, and foolery is not tolerated.

It’s little wonder why White and his teammates are so willing to wrap themselves in their blanket of anonymity.

The Falcons had more than their share of headlines the last few years, and little of it was positive. While Vick is flourishing in Philadelphia, his fall from grace while the face of the Atlanta franchise overshadowed the team for two years.

There was the Jim Mora Jr., firing, which came after he expressed on talk radio his desire to coach at the University of Washington. The Falcons hit bottom when Mora’s replacement, Bobby Petrino, quit with three games remaining in a 4-12 2007 season.

The moves prompted Falcons owner Arthur Blank to pledge going forward that he would choose substance and character over flash and style. To get it done, he hired general manager Thomas Dimitroff — a little-known director of college scouting for the New England Patriots.

Dimitroff’s hiring led to Atlanta signing Smith — the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator — free agent running back Michael Turner and drafting Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

"Matty Ice" as Ryan is known, was the 2008 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. But like many of his teammates — including White, Turner and defensive end John Abraham — Ryan isn’t in discussions about the NFL’s elite.

White, a three-time Pro Bowler, has 70 catches, seven for TDs, and is second in the league with 934 yards receiving. Turner has 733 yards rushing and should easily post his second 1,000-yard season in three years. Abraham is fourth in the league with 8 sacks.

Then there’s Ryan, coming off a breakout game against the Ravens in which he threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner to White with 20 seconds remaining. Ryan’s 16 TD passes with only five interceptions are almost identical to this year’s numbers from Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but it’s still too early for Ryan to be grouped with the top quarterbacks.

It all adds up to Atlanta playing for a still-skeptical national audience. Winning seems to generate more questions about whether they are for real than buzz about their success.

The Falcons aren’t complaining, particularly Abraham.

He played under the media microscope during his six seasons with the New York Jets and is happy with the peaceful quiet — and success — of the Smith regime.

"I kind of like it," Abraham said. "I think it’s good for us that people are still talking about other teams being better than us. We’re just going to continue to keep winning and as long as we keep winning I really don’t care necessarily about what they’re saying."

-- Charles Odum

Bears QB Cutler gaining confidence

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Sanchez could have graced the covers of the September issues of several sports and men’s magazines.

"I knew with ‘Hard Knocks’ coming up this year there would be so much exposure," the New York Jets quarterback said of HBO’s preseason reality show that made him even more famous.

"We didn’t need any more pressure than we already had," Sanchez added.

The second-year player, who turned 24 last week, sounded like a veteran business executive Tuesday talking about his brand, his marketing team, companies that align with his values.

"By doing very little, it amounts to a lot here in New York," Sanchez said. "That’s the thing you have to remember: Less is more."

On Tuesday, Sanchez made one of those selective appearances for a home fitness video game, Ubisoft’s "Your Shape Fitness Evolved." Sanchez noted that "you don’t have to be an NFL player" to play the game, that it was perfect for somebody who hadn’t worked out in a while and wasn’t comfortable going to a gym.

A product that offers activities such as yoga to average folks hoping to lose weight may seem like an odd match for a pro football star, but Sanchez sees it as a natural endorsement.

"Their company values align with mine on keeping people active," he said. "Instead of just sitting down and moving your thumbs a little bit, it gets you really involved."

As the starting quarterback on a New York team tied for the league’s best record, Sanchez is already one of the NFL’s most high-profile players even though the Jets don’t ask him to win games by himself with his arm. He said there was no reason to fret about the swelling in his right calf, which he hurt in the overtime win over Cleveland — he expected to practice fully this week leading into Sunday’s game against Houston.

Sanchez’s broad appeal has led to many offers that have little to do with his sport. He said he was sticking to opportunities that were connected to football or charitable.

"For every one we do we probably turn away maybe hundreds, from TV shows to reality this and that, even charities," Sanchez said. "That’s the hardest thing to do is to say no to charities."

It’s been easy to say no to reality TV.

"I don’t need my own reality show," Sanchez said. "That’s just not my thing."

-- Rachel Cohen