Preparing for the elusiveness of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is almost as hard as facing him on the field.
The Green Bay Packers admitted they did not try to find a player to mimic Vick's speed during practice this week because it's just too difficult.
"It's hard to simulate him," said Dom Capers, the defensive coordinator. "In the past, there's times when you might take a receiver or something and put him back there, but they aren't going to throw the ball the way you want it thrown."
Instead, the Packers had Matt Flynn, the back-up quarterback, play Vick's role in practice as the team prepared for today's play-off game at Philadelphia.
The way the Green Bay's defence are playing - opponents averaged only 15 points per game against them during the season; only the Pittsburgh Steelers did better - the Packers think they can stop just about anybody.
But they have a healthy respect for Vick. Ryan Pickett, a defensive lineman, said he does not relish the challenge of catching him.
"I absolutely hate it," Pickett said. "It is not fun chasing that guy around. But you've just got to keep heat on him."
This will be the second time this season the Packers have faced Vick. When the Packers went to Philadelphia in September, Kevin Kolb started for the Eagles and the Packers prepared for a traditional drop-back passer. But when Kolb left the game with an injury, Vick stepped in and nearly led the Eagles to a comeback victory.
"We didn't expect him to play much at all, so our game plan wasn't suited for Vick," Pickett said. "He came in, and we just basically played the plan that we had for Kolb. But you can't play him like you play Kolb. It'll be a big difference."
Vick expects the Packers to be ready. "Obviously, when I came in the game we was already down 13 points or whatever the deficit was," he said. "They just sat back and played their scheme.
"Obviously, now I know they'll have some things cooked up and they'll do some different things. But it's football. We all have to adjust and make plays and be professionals."
And with the Packers now planning for Vick, Charles Woodson, the cornerback, said he hopes Capers will concentrate on rushing the passer.
"We know what we're going up against," Woodson said. "We know how dynamic that Vick is. He's a very big part of what they do, of what they're doing.
"He makes a lot of plays with his feet, but we've got to make sure we stay aggressive and make him run if he has to and make sure that we do our job in the back end. But aggressive, that's the way we like to play."
Blitzing Vick seemed to work well for the Minnesota Vikings in a surprising victory over the Eagles in the second-to-last game of the regular season, although Vick said a leg injury limited his ability to scramble in that game.
"I hurt my leg on the first play of the game and it hurt me," Vick said.
"I couldn't do the things I wanted to do. I couldn't push up in the pocket. But I won't use that as an excuse."
Schedule
Yesterday's games
New Orleans at Seattle, late
NY Jets at Indianapolis, late
Today's games
Baltimore at Kansas City
Green Bay at Philadelphia
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
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Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
