After participating fully in practice for the last two days, quarterback Michael Vick will dress Sunday in Nashville and could possibly see some action for the first time since suffering a rib cartilage injury in Week 4. Of course, Kevin Kolb will be the team's starting quarterback, but head coach Andy Reid wouldn't rule out the possibility of Vick getting into the game.
"He felt pretty good today, after yesterday's (practice), and we increased it today," Reid said Friday. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow.
"He feels pretty close (to 100 percent) now, so I'm pretty confident of that."
Vick is happy just to have an opportunity to dress. Last week, he was available as the emergency quarterback, but Reid made it clear that he would only have been used if both Kolb and Mike Kafka went down, and even then would only be available to execute a handoff down around the goal line. Any extensive quarterbacking, in that emergency situation, would have been done by a receiver.
This week, Vick was excited to really get back to work.
"It's always good to have an opportunity to go out and practice, and just get back into the swing of things," Vick said Friday after practice. "So it felt good and I worked hard to get there."
It's entirely possible that after a productive week of practice, Vick could suit up as the team's second quarterback, which would be required if Vick were to enter the game in a Wildcat package. That decision, however, is one that Reid is not yet prepared to make.
"They haven't decided on my role yet, but whatever I'm asked to do, that's what I'm going to do," Vick said. "That's always been the way I've carried things out, so I'm just excited for the opportunity to go back out there."
After two impressive outings by Kolb, Vick is more than willing to support his colleague at the quarterback position. Besides the fact that Vick and Kolb are friends, Vick understands that a little healthy competition can only make you better in the long run. According to Vick, a plethora of talent at the quarterback position is something he's well accustomed to.
"I've always played with great quarterbacks who could all start in this league," Vick said. "It's just competition, and it's pushing one another and helping one another and just trying to win football games at the end of the day.
"I know I can play this game. We all know we can play. We're all very effective when we go out there and play the game of football. Even (third-string quarterback) Mike Kafka is a great quarterback, so it's good to have three good quarterbacks here. We'll just take it one game at a time and focus on the job at hand, and that's winning the football game."
Winning the football game this weekend would put the Eagles at 5-2 entering the bye week. Considering the injuries this team has suffered, and the adversity this team has faced, that would be an awfully impressive first-half of the season.
-- Posted by Josh Goldman, 2:36 p.m., October 22
