The 2013 season has been a rollercoaster one for Michael Vick.
The quarterback remained with the Eagles after an offseason of uncertainty, and in August, he played his way into the starting quarterback position. Though he played well while behind center, Vick suffered a hamstring injury against the Giants in Week 5 that allowed Nick Foles to step in and take charge.
After weeks of questions and speculation about the starting job, head coach Chip Kelly announced on Tuesday that Foles would be the starter as the team moves forward. Speaking at his locker following practice, Vick said that the news came as little surprise. After all, he's been watching Nick Foles over the last few weeks too.
"Me and Coach (Kelly) have always been on the same page since day one," Vick said. "We do a great job of communicating and it seems like we're always on the same page and we're always thinking pretty much the same, and it makes it easier for all of us."
Kelly had been waiting until Vick had fully recovered from his injury before having a discussion about the identity of his starter. With Vick now fully healthy, Kelly made his decision, and even though Vick won't be starting this week, he isn't upset with the way things have played out.
"It's not disappointing at all," said Vick. "I'm still part of an organization that has taken great care of me and gave me all of the opportunities and possibilities that I could ever imagine. It's just great to be a part of it. Obviously, as a competitor you want to be out there, you want to play and you want to help your teammates out, but you can only control what you can control, so I just have fun being a part of it."
As the Eagles prepare for their final five games of the season, Vick will continue to do what he's done for Foles every step of the way since Training Camp – provide support for his fellow quarterback.
"It's all about support, Vick explained. "I've been playing in this league for a long time, and it's great to see guys who I know can play and spend a lot of time with go out there and have success, and I enjoy watching it. I enjoy watching my team go out there and do the things that Coach Kelly asks them to do and see it turn over and correlate into wins. It goes to show that what we're doing is working and we're all on the same page, and it's exciting to see.
"I think Nick has done a great job of blocking everything out and just understanding that the most important thing is to go out there and put our team in a situation where we can win a football game. He's done that, he has studied, he's done all of the right things, and we try to make sure that we're as prepared as we can be when we go out there on the field, and he's done a great job of that."
Vick now finds himself in the same position that Foles was in coming into the regular season. Foles stayed prepared and was ready to step in and perform when the situation presented itself. Vick could also be called upon at any moment to go back out onto the field and lead the Eagles to victory, so he is doing everything that he can to stay focused and motivated.
"You just have to stay ready at all times," Vick explained. "You can't approach the game like you're not ever going to go back out there. The minute you start felling like that and thinking like that, you find yourself in a position where you have to go out and produce. You can't get lackadaisical and start to think that you know it all. You just have to be prepared whenever your number is called.
"I'm not a selfish person. I don't ever feel like the world revolves around me. I've been blessed with the ability to play this game and be extremely talented, and I know that I have a lot of football to play, and that's what keeps me going."
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