Throughout his career, Michael Vick has put up some impressive numbers against the Dallas Cowboys.
His 112.2 passer rating against Dallas is his highest against any NFC team. With that in mind, there is no doubt that he wants to play this Sunday, but Vick says that his hamstring injury is still a day-to-day situation.
"I'm just working every day," Vick said after Tuesday's practice. "It was a bad pull. I'm just trying to get myself back in a position where I can come out here and run full speed down the field. … I did the same thing that I did last week. Today was our normal Tuesday so I didn't want to press it. Tomorrow, I'll try to do a little bit more."
According to Vick, his hamstring feels better every day, but he still feels discomfort when tries to tuck the ball and run with it.
"I feel it getting better, it's just that when I try to burst there's still a knot that's there," Vick explained. "I think that another week of rehab will put me in a position where I can start gaining some confidence in it and doing things that I normally do."
Vick hasn't endured many hamstring problems in the past, to which he credits his conditioning. However, Vick said that he changed his pre-game routine slightly before the Giants game, which may have resulted in his hamstring pull.
"I think I've only had two hamstring injuries and (they) are prevalent for fast guys, but I've never really had them," said Vick. "I think I do a good job of stretching, it's just that in that game against New York I came with a different regimen and it backfired on me. I understood what I did wrong and hopefully it won't happen again. … I just stretched differently and then I tried to overstride when I was running. I tried to extend too much when I normally lean when I run. With (me) trying to do too much, that's how much I wanted to win the game."
Moving forward, Vick knows that it will be important for him to keep his legs strong, which will not only help him get back on to the field, but also keep him out there for a longer period of time.
"I have to stay in shape," said the Virginia Tech product. "I have to hit the treadmill. I'm going to go in there and get on the elliptical machine to try to keep my cardio up. It's very important for me to keep my legs in shape. It's a big part of what I do, and it's just something that I can't take for granted.
"It can be re-aggravated quickly. I think because mine us up so high and with the way I run, I have to take precaution. I can't overdo it, and if I do it will be another two to three weeks so I just have to be really meticulous about what I'm doing."
Earlier on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur spoke about how great the Eagles quarterback group is, saying that tension between the three players in the room has never existed. Vick reiterated those words, explaining that the quarterback competition from Training Camp only strengthened the relationship among the Eagles signal-callers.
"We encourage one another," Vick noted. "I think our battle over the summer really strengthened our bond, and even throughout that battle, we still helped one another. It's instilled in me from all of the things that I've learned to try to become a better player. When I see somebody make a mistake and not do something right, even when we were in a competition, I would still try to help all of the quarterbacks, and that's just how much I believe in myself. I think it will be a direct carryover for them for the long haul of their careers."
Sole possession of first place in the NFC East will be on the line come Sunday afternoon, making the game against the rival Cowboys all the more important. Always the competitor, Vick wants to be on the field with his teammates, but he is confident that whoever is out there leading the huddle will be able to get the job done.
"We've got to win the next football game," said Vick. "Whoever is out there and whatever we need to do, we need to win this next game against Dallas. It's a big one for us. It would catapult us into position where we would kind of feel good about ourselves, but we still understand that it's a long road. We have three great quarterbacks and we all believe in ourselves. We all believe that we can win, and whoever is out there is going to try to put this team in a position to go out there and win a football game."
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