Friday, December 16, 2005
Vick will be back, mark it down
Randy King
Randy King's Tech Insider is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Thursdays in season.
See Doug and Randy talk sports every week with the Sports edition of the TimesCast
Recent columns
First, I apologize if information provided in this space two weeks ago possibly steered somebody towards making a wager on Virginia Tech to whip Florida State by more than 14 points in the Dec. 3 ACC Championship game.
Believe me, I feel your loss. All I know is since the Hokies pooped in the bed in Jacksonville, my right hip pocket has been running a little lighter.
And how stupid am I? If the two teams played again tomorrow, the books could get me large again. I still think if Tech and FSU played 10 times in those same conditions, the Hokies win the game eight out of 10 times, and cover the spread at least six times.
So what. It was a loser. Pay the man, forget it, and move on and look to get even somehow.
Well, I've got your bailout play now, folks. Talk about Lock City. Trouble is, you can't get down on this one, at least officially. Oh, you might manage to squeeze a friendly bar play out of some sad sap. I highly suggest making them post, too.
So what this week's 1,000-star lock play?
Mark it down, Marcus Vick will return to Tech for his senior season.
OK, it's not really earth-shattering news. But substantial, nonetheless, to hordes of Hokies.
Funny thing is, I don't recall Vick being asked so far this season as to whether he may consider leaving Tech early for the NFL. I blame myself, plus some of my other few colleagues on the Tech football beat who dare to ask questions, for that. If somebody has asked the talented junior quarterback the question, particularly in the last six weeks, I've yet to see the issue addressed in print.
Issue? There is no issue from what I hear.
I'm hearing that Vick has given no indication whatsoever that he's considering declaring himself eligible for April's 2006 NFL Draft. I hear that Vick often talks about next season and how he can become a better player and leader.
While he drew rave reviews from the national media for his efficient and sometimes spectacular play in Tech's 8-0 start, Vick hasn't been the same player in Tech's past four games. In its two losses in that span to Miami and Florida State, Tech couldn't block either one of those defenses and Vick was forced to run for his life most of the game. He was forced into bad decisions, made some bad reads, and turned the ball over a total of seven times.
As talented as Vick is, he's still got a lot of work to do on mechanics. The throwing accuracy that had him ranked No. 2 in the nation in passing efficiency at midseason has gone adrift down the stretch, with the exception of the Virginia game where he never got touched and had receivers running five yards past defenders.
Vick continues to throw off the wrong foot, thus making some of his throws sail high. He hasn't been good at protecting the ball in the pocket, either. He lost four fumbles in the Miami game alone.
Face it, the kid needs to play some more games and gain experience. Vick had never started a college game at quarterback until this season. Combine that with the fact Vick was suspended from school and out of the program all last fall and it's amazing that he's performed as well as he has, really.
