As Mike Vick prepares to play with a non-throwing hand that the Eagles initially said was broken but then said was merely contused, he’ll be wearing a special glove to protect the appendage from any further damage.
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reports that Vick will wear a Kevlar glove made by the company for whom Vick serves as a spokesman.
It’s unclear whether that approach will conflict with the league’s exclusive equipment and apparel contract. (Maybe he can wear an official glove over the unofficial Kevlar glove.)
And as we all wait to see what the next injury to the mobile and fearless Vick will be, it’s important to put in proper context and numbers that are being quoted regarding the number of calls for roughing the passer that Vick gets in comparison to other quarterbacks.
A comparison of total calls that quarterbacks get is meaningless, since it doesn’t take into account the total hits the quarterback takes. Some quarterbacks, like Tom Brady, avoid contact by getting rid of the ball before contact comes. Others get hit more often.
Thus, before reeling off numbers regarding how many calls a guy has or hasn’t gotten, it’s important to compare those numbers to the total hits absorbed.
Actually, the best way to get to the bottom of this is to review every game and make a judgment as to whether and to what extent a quarterback was hit in a manner that violates the rules -- and a flag was or wasn’t throwing.
Anything else is incomplete at best, hogwash at worst.
