If Vince Young gets the start at quarterback Sunday night against the Giants, Young's teammates are ready to rally around him.
Other than a handful of snaps, Young has not had a chance to showcase his talents as an Eagle. Young's 30-17 career record as a starting quarterback as a Titan, with a 2-0 mark against the Giants, has been well documented. But Young does not have to win this game all on his own. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson knows that Young is a "good quarterback" and has been impressed with Young's development in the offense.
"We've been practicing with him throughout the whole year and he's caught on to the offense in a pretty good way. So we're just trying to keep it simple for him and not put too much pressure on him," Jackson said. "But he's a good quarterback, and with the game he played against the Giants last year he was able to beat them. So we just really want him to go out there and give us a chance to win."
The Eagles have a bevy of weapons, but may not have their full complement. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has a shoulder and a hamstring injury and is questionable for the game. If Maclin can't start, Riley Cooper would take Maclin's place as the X receiver. The Eagles also promoted Chad Hall from the practice squad this week. Cooper and Hall can help Young because they established chemistry with the quarterback in training camp and preseason.
"Luckily, me and Vince have a lot of chemistry," Cooper said. "I was going with the twos and ones back in camp. We have good chemistry and everyone knows that he's a heck of a player. We just have to tie it together and put it all together.
"He's looked great. He looks more confident and he has some swagger and confidence about him."
Young actually went to Hall early in the week and hoped that the second-year receiver would be active for the game. Hall caught a touchdown pass from Young in the preseason and was amazed at how far Young has progressed since training camp.
"Hands down, he's more confident in the offense. He looks real sharp out there," Hall said. "We've got a good game plan. I can't wait until Sunday."
Even the defense couldn't help but notice Young's development this week.
"Vince looked good. He got better as the week went on," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "He looked good, he's always looked good since he's been here. He hasn't had the chance to play much in games, so he hasn't really gotten into a rhythm. So this game, as much as we'll see him, he'll get into a rhythm and play really good for us."
For a 3-6 team in need of a spark, the possibility of playing without their star quarterback in Michael Vick could be the rallying point. If Young gets the call, he is ready and the Eagles are as well.
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