Andy Reid confirmed today that Eagles QB Michael Vick will not play again during the preseason, but will be ready to go by the time the season opener rolls around in less than three weeks.
Vick left Monday Night’s game against the Patriots after two series following a vicious hit directly to his midsection. However, x-rays and a later MRI revealed no broken bones or cartilage damage. In fact, Reid said that if this was the regular season, Vick would be playing this week.
As for the hit itself, Reid said this wasn’t example of Vick being reckless or making poor decisions.
"He was trying to make somebody miss, and he wheeled backwards about 15 yards," explained Reid. " He had an available receiver down the field, and he was trying to make a play. To tell him that he can’t make that throw, you’re not going to tell him that. You just want everyone to do their job so that that doesn’t happen back there. It was when he spun around that he got caught with that."
As for how his QB can stay healthy this season?
"He’s got to play. There is a fine line here because he has to continue to play the game. It’s a violent sport where you’re going to get injuries. If you’re out there worried about that part of it, you’re not going to perform to the best of your ability. Then, you have to catch a break here or there. You have to catch a break in a positive way where you’re not absorbing the big hits."
While Vick’s health won’t be an issue heading into the opener, he won’t have had much preseason action. Vick has played just 12 snaps and thrown 7 passes.
Starting in his place will be rookie Nick Foles, who has turned in a pair of superlative performances in his first two preseason games and currently leads the NFL in QB rating. Reid says that in his extended time Monday night, they didn’t pare down the playbook for him at all.
"Well, the one thing we did was we gave him that opportunity this game. We didn’t cut anything back. He had the full load of plays there and it was a good experience for him from this standpoint: that he’s been a starter at the college level, a very successful starter, and then to learn to be a relief pitcher, that’s a learned experience there that you have. So, to get him that experience where you’re not taking any reps, he didn’t take one rep with the ones and really zero reps against the New England Patriots [in practice]. We gave the ones all those reps. But that will be very similar to what he faces during the season in a backup position. You get called on, you’ve got to be ready to step in and fire and drive the team down the field and make plays and do the things that he did a pretty good job of the other night."
The Eagles will face the Browns this Friday.