Michael Vick is experienced enough with the rollercoaster of the sports media that he doesn't allow himself to be thrown off by overblown mini-firestorms. So when head coach Andy Reid answered a question about Vick earlier this week by saying, "Right now we're with Michael," and "We'll evaluate as we go," Vick didn't bat an eye.
"I heard it, but I really don't pay attention to what's being said unless I've heard from coach himself," Vick said. "We talked about it and it's all about me going out and getting ready for this week against New York.
"It wasn't anything serious. We're in the position where we have to look forward to this week, we have to get ready for this game, that's what's most important. Outside distractions, we can't let that be a deterrent to this team. We try to move forward and get ready for the next game."
Reid, who clarified his remarks on Monday during his weekly radio show, brushed off any hidden meaning in those comments again on Wednesday.
"Well, it was the way that it was interpreted," Reid said. "That's not what I had in mind. [Eagles director of football media services] Derek [Boyko] explained to me how it was interpreted and so, I've talked to Mike [and] made sure I mentioned it on my radio show. You guys are very good at what you do, so I [want to] make sure we clarify it. Bad semantics there.
"Michael is our starting quarterback."
As for the task at hand, Vick knows the Eagles are in for a challenge Sunday night against the defending Super Bowl champions. As an Eagle, Vick has only lost to the Giants once, but that also happens to be the last time Vick played against the Giants and the last time the Giants traveled to Lincoln Financial Field.
"This game is very important," said Vick. "It's an NFC East rivalry game. There's a lot at stake. It's two good football teams that kind of know each other real well. I think it's going to come down to execution, but I think it's going to be a great game.
"They're a good football team. They do some good things on the defensive front. They have some veteran guys who have been around the block. They have Super Bowl rings, so they know what it's like playing in tough games. We just have to come out and play sound, play disciplined and try to put it all together."
Meanwhile, Vick is charged with helping to reverse the fortunes of an Eagles offense that ranks first in the league in giveaways and tied for last in points scored.
"I know it can be corrected," said Vick. "That's the most important thing. I know I can get my job done week in and week out. As a whole, you know you have to put it all together and that's what I'm focused on, nothing in between ... I pretty much expect us to put it all together at some point.
"Everything is good with our offense, everything is in sync, everything is intact. We just have to get better. If we eliminate the turnovers and start fast, we give ourselves a chance to win the game."
Finally, as Vick was addressing the media, news broke that an agreement between the NFL and the regular refs was in place.
"It's great to have the regular refs back," said Vick. "It's nothing against the replacement officials, they did the best they could. You have to understand that this is the NFL and things can get a little crazy and it happens fast and if you're not used to it, it's hard to adjust. I take my hat off to them, they did the best they could."
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