Videogame or Reality

Michael Vick's performance on Monday night against the Washington Redskins was reminiscent of a performance you may have had and/or watched while playing Madden back in the day. Vick was unstoppable the year he graced the cover of the video game. Last night, the Washington Redskins' defense must have felt they were trapped in Madden as Vick went 20 of 28 for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also rushed for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Vick is the first player in the history of the NFL to post such numbers in a single game.

Vick's redemption season has been tremendous as he's gone 96 of 153 for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's also rushed 341 yards and 4 touchdowns. Even more remarkable is Vick hasn't committed any turnovers - no interceptions or lost fumbles - and he has a NFL leading passer rating of 115.1.

As a Vick fan, I'm happy to see Vick starting to realize his potential. He entered the league with so much promise, but seemed to squander his talents with off the field issues (drugs and alcohol) and inconsistent play on the field (lack of touch, vision, and awareness). Throw in going to jail and it seemed more likely than not that Vick was destined to be another number one draft pick flop, but to his credit, Vick seemed to self reflect on his past transgression and lack of effort and has taken the necessary steps to improve his life on and off the field.