Andy Reid had harsh words Monday for the collective meltdowns that led to his team scoring 17 measly points against the Browns despite piling up more than 450 total yards.
But his criticisms of quarterback Michael Vick, who threw four interceptions for the second time in his past 10 starts, weren?t merely as scathing or condemning as what?s being said, written and opined about the Eagles? quarterback.
?Offensively, turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. You just can?t have those and I would say that we didn?t play as disciplined offensively as we needed to all the way around,? Reid said in the opening monologue of his Monday?s press conference.
?I know Michael took the blame yesterday, [but] it?s not a one-man show. That?s not what it is. Everybody had a piece of this pie starting with me and the coaches.?
Reid slapped on his best defense attorney hat in the face of pointed questions about Vick?s confidence and competence after the quarterback not only accounted for four turnovers but also threw a slew of other dangerous passes into coverage that could have ended up in enemy hands.
He also fired throws across his body and took risky head-first dives on scrambles that led to more absorbed contact.
After reviewing the film, Reid noted offensive line breakdowns that flushed Vick from the pocket and a rash of penalties, many of which either negated big gains or put the offense in unfavorable scenarios.
?You start looking at 456 yards of total offense, and then you?re not putting it in the end zone. That?s ridiculous there,? Reid said. ?You have 12 penalties for 110 yards. That?s ridiculous and that?s not good football. We just have to make sure we take care of that.
Vick led the offense 91 yards on the Eagles? last possession and threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Clay Harbor, although he nearly coughed up turnover No. 5 on two separate occasions earlier in the drive.
But he also passed for 317 yards and made a couple of vintage Vick plays, including a picturesque sideline connection with Jeremy Maclin for 46 yards that set up his 18-yard touchdown to Maclin on the very next play.
On the 91-yard drive, Vick fired a sharp 3rd-and-2 completion on the left side to Jason Avant for six yards.
Those don?t negate the unthinkable passes that ended up in the hands of the opposition four times ? and the others that bounced off fingertips ? but they convinced Reid that Vick?s turnover problems aren?t psychological or irreversible.
?I don?t think it?s over-thinking. There were so many good things that he did in the mix there. I mean, he accumulated a ton of yards and so there were some good things,? Reid said.
?There were just some things. Like I said, there were breakdowns, whether it was him, whether it was the O-line, whether it was receivers, running backs not checking through quick enough and getting to their spots, the calls. We?ve all got to look at that and make sure that we get that right.?
Reid persistently harped on penalties and protection in an attempt to alleviate the cascade of criticism mounting against Vick, who signed one of the richest contracts for an NFL quarterback in league history after a breakout 2010 season but regressed in 2011, throwing 14 interceptions and losing four of his 10 fumbles in just 13 starts.
The coaches blamed Vick?s drop-off on the lost minicamps from the lockout and lessened time to work with Vick on fine-tuning parts of his game, but they had plenty of spring camps and summer practices at Lehigh to have Vick prepared for a bounce-back 2012.
The Browns knocked Vick around all game ? they were credited with 11 hurries and two sacks ? and Vick admitted that teammates noticed his head hanging in the fourth quarter, after Browns linebacker D?Qwell Jackson returned the quarterback?s fourth interception 27 yards for the touchdown that put Cleveland up 16-10.
After the game, Vick sounded humbled by the showing but vowed to bounce back Sunday against the Ravens.
?I gotta get outta Cleveland,? Vick joked.
Vick said he felt like he let his teammates down, but Reid didn?t think a damaged psyche or comfort issues in the pocket led to Vick?s poor decision-making.
?I didn?t really see a discomfort in Michael. I didn?t see that,? Reid said. ?I haven?t said that he was not comfortable in there, so I would tell you, when you eliminate the problems, the mistakes, that?s why that last drive looked a little better than the other ones. Again, that was our longest drive, obviously. But it?s a potent offense if you eliminate the mistakes. There are a lot of good football players out on that field. You?ve got to make sure that you eliminate the turnovers, you eliminate the penalties and then good things happen.?
E-mail Geoff Mosher at gmosher@comcastsportsnet.com
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