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BET’s ‘The Coach Vick Experience’: The QB battle is solved & The Battle of the Bay
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- BET’s ‘The Coach Vick Experience’: The QB battle is solved & The Battle of the Bay
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This episode of The Coach Vick Experience is likely going to be one of the best, as it was a "made-for-TV" drama with everything going on; from the lead-up to the Hampton vs. Norfolk State game, which ignited a friendly rivalry between Kijafa Vick and Michael, to Kevon King getting into trouble on the team and ultimately having to redeem himself. This episode was gripping from start to finish.
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Alauna Marable & beautiful storytelling to set the scene
As I said last week, I love that Alauna Marable is prominently featured in the series. This is now the fourth episode we've seen Marable, as a student journalist, featured prominently to narrate what's going on in the show with the football team.
It appears she got a one-on-one interview with Michael Vick , which was also spotlighted on the show. That's a huge career milestone for her, and I hope that her being featured on the show in this way—as well as all the opportunities for great journalistic coverage that she's getting with Michael Vick and Norfolk State—will open doors for her and excite her career.
We also got to see a beautiful transition between the lead-up to the Norfolk State vs. Hampton University "Battle of the Bay" rivalry game and a summation of the relationship between Michael and Kijafa. I thought that was very artfully done. It showed how they got to this point in their relationship and the support that she's been for him in his journey, even up to this moment, with him now being a coach.
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Kevon King runs into trouble on the team
Kevon King is one of the stars at Norfolk State, and as we saw in episode three ahead of the Rutgers game, he was getting some looks from NFL scouts. But it appears that King started to get into trouble as they hit mid-season. He got into an incident with a teammate on the bus after the Wagner game, but Vick and BET did the right thing by not publicizing what happened to protect him and possibly preserve his opportunity to get into the NFL.
Publicizing that, especially on national television, might not have been the best thing to do, as the draft has not yet occurred and King still could have an opportunity to get a shot in the league. It's unfortunate that, with the NFL buzz he was getting and his status as a prominent player, he wasn't able to suit up for the Hampton University game, and that very well could have affected the offensive attack Vick employed.
Ultimately, King was suspended for two games, and it appears we'll see more with that situation play out as the season moves forward.
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The QB Battle is officially over
In this episode, we finally got the verdict on the infamous QB battle between Israel Carter and Otto Kuhns. Otto ultimately became QB1, and Israel Carter decided to take a redshirt year. We see that the Israel Carter redshirting situation caught Vick by surprise, as he wanted Carter to be ready for any opportunity, but the back-and-forth appears to have left him a bit disheveled.
Vick put him on the scout team to give him reps against the first-team defense. It's unfortunate that it took until nearly mid-season for the quarterback situation to be solved. It's clear that Vick did not want him to redshirt, as he still wanted him to be the backup, but it obviously was the best move for Israel in that moment. Michael Vick should've decided to have Israel be the backup or redshirt QB from the jump and instilled confidence in Otto by trusting him to lead the offense. If he had done that from the beginning, it possibly would not have set off an issue
. It's clear to me that Kuhns should have been the starter, and Carter should have probably redshirted this year, or there should have been an understanding that Carter was going to be the backup. I think it's not just that he hasn't been able to fully show his skills and that he's making mistakes on the field; I think the situation in general has his head messed up. Now you have both Israel and Otto out of sorts because of the unexpected QB battle.
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I think this ultimately led Norfolk State into the perilous season they had because the team's identity wasn't clearly defined. Michael Vick is a former high-level quarterback at the college and NFL levels; he should be prepared to pick the right signal-caller to get the job done, but he didn't. It appears that setting the season on the wrong path, as opposed to DeSean Jackson, who had a defined identity—running the ball—and ultimately Delaware State became the top running team in the FCS.
The Battle of the Bay was lost because of a lack of discipline
Norfolk State losing against Hampton was the same story as the week before against Wagner. They were playing well and had a dominant lead, jumping out to 21 to 10, but they just choked it away. The excessive penalties certainly weren't helpful. Once again, we're seeing a lot of blame placed on the players rather than a level of accountability from Vick.
In the game's montage, we don't see Vick truly coaching the players beyond just barking and yelling at them. Getting penalties, such as being offside, is a discipline and concentration thing, and it's honestly coachable. But we see Vick more so freaking out about it versus trying to mitigate those issues. Giving up two straight multiple-touchdown leads in back-to-back games is also indicative of coaching.
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During the game, Otto Kuhns stood out, proving he should have been QB1 from the beginning. Kuhns threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 54 yards. With him under center, the offense was running steadily, but the defense certainly was an issue. Once again, that's something that Vick has to fix through coaching and game planning.
It's also worth noting that after the Rutgers game, Norfolk State played Sacred Heart at home, and we didn't see that game featured on the show. That actually was a rather close game, with Otto Kuhns throwing for 340 yards and Kevon King having a great game. I wonder why it wasn't a part of the show, as they leap from the Rutgers game right into the Wagner game and then immediately into the Hampton rivalry game.
We could've skipped the Norfolk State vs. Hampton party portions
Where the show consistently loses me is when it gets away from the narrative of Michael Vick, his coaching staff, and the football team. My least favorite part of this episode was the Norfolk State versus Hampton kickoff party that Kijafa Vick attended. I get showcasing the party as a point of contrast, but at certain points, it played too much into the party. We could have unpacked even more about Israel's decision to take a redshirt year or the preparation that Vick and the team were undergoing in practice.
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There could be opportunities to show other elements of their preparedness, such as individual position meetings and how Vick's coaching style contrasts with that of the special teams coach, Tory Woodbury, and the offensive coordinator, Brian Shepard, who we saw briefly at the beginning of the episode. There have to be ways to center the football team in a more interesting way that doesn't detract from the overall narrative.
Ready For What's Next
Overall, the episode was the best of the season yet. I think each episode is going to get better and better as we see the conflict of a 1-11 rise.
The Coach Vick Experience airs on BET on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. Central.
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