PITTSBURGH -- After a night in which Michael Vick completed just 5 of 12 passes for 47 yards and threw three interceptions in a 24-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pro Bowl quarterback can take solace in knowing that the mistakes were on him and he knows what he must do to fix them.
"I just wanted to put some points on the board and I pressed the issue too hard. I take responsibility for not getting things done tonight," Vick said. "I got caught up in being down 14-0 and getting some points on the board before the half was over and that's just not the way you play football."
All three of the interceptions came in the second quarter as the offense was limited in its time on the field due to the Steelers' ability to control the clock. The first interception came as Vick stared down wide receiver Riley Cooper and never saw safety Ryan Clark coming over the top. The second was as Vick forced a throw into double coverage for wide receiver Chad Hall, which was picked off by cornerback Keenan Lewis. The final interception of the night for Vick - which was also his last play of the night - was when Vick scrambled to make a play, threw a pass deep down the middle for tight end Brent Celek which was tipped and intercepted by safety Troy Polamalu.
In an exclamation point to highlight how frustrating a night it was, Vick leveled Polamalu to keep him from scoring a touchdown the other way.
"As a veteran in this league, I have to understand the situation and be cognizant of it," Vick said. "I acknowledge what I did and I know why I did what I did. All of those turnovers can be corrected."
Vick was asked whether the buzz regarding a feature on him in GQ Magazine took his focus off the field. In the article, Vick was described as saying that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell steered Vick towards the Eagles in 2009. Vick released a statement on Thursday saying that was absolutely not the case and re-iteriated that it was his choice to play for the Eagles.
"The commissioner really had no say in what happened. He just gave me an opportunity to come back, which I was thankful for," Vick said. "I knew it was going to pay great dividends. I couldn't see it at the time, but that goes to show how much I know because of how things have worked out, how I'm glad to be an Eagle and I hope I can be here for a long time."
Vick's success in 2010 when he posted MVP-type numbers combined with an amazing offseason in terms of players acquired have made the Eagles a popular Super Bowl pick. Even after Thursday night's struggles, Vick knows there are good things ahead.
"We feel like we have a great team. We are capable of doing some great things this upcoming seaosn," Vick said. "We're in a very humble state right now."
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @EaglesInsider
