On Thursday afternoon, Michael Vick and Nick Foles were each scheduled to hold press conferences following Eagles practice. By no means would that seem strange, seeing as they have both spoken on Tuesdays and Thursdays since Vick injured his hamstring two weeks ago. But as the two were headed towards the media tent on Thursday, the pair used their quarterbacking skills to call an audible.
"Y'all are about to witness history," said Vick. "You've never seen a tag-team press conference."
The duo spoke to the media together, a sign of how much respect they have for one another. It is hard to imagine any other team's top two signal-callers standing side-by-side and having a great time with a huge NFC East matchup right around the corner. At times Foles and Vick joked with reporters about their relationship, but they were very serious when speaking about doing whatever it takes to win football games.
"I respect Mike with everything that I have," said Foles. "I love Mike. We have a great relationship and we don't worry about (who starts). We know that the most important thing is for the Philadelphia Eagles to win, no matter who is at quarterback. We're going to support each other.
"When Mike's out there, I love watching him. When he comes to the sideline, I'm going to be there talking to him and he always does the same for me. We can't worry about (who's starting). That's what ruins friendships and I want to keep this friendship for as long as we live, so we don't worry about that."
Vick started the session by announcing that his injured hamstring would keep him out of Sunday's game, but he then spent the rest of his time talking about his relationship with No. 9.
"Regardless of what happens, it's all about rooting for one another," said Vick. "This is a fun game. You can't have animosity for a teammate because of the way he plays or what people want or what they feel. We know how hard it is to play this game, and you heard Peyton Manning say it last week, that this game is not easy, so we're going to always root for each other and try to be there for one another.
"Whatever comes out of it, it's going to be all good for the both of us and we appreciate that and appreciate the opportunity to play this game. Like I've said, our friendship has grown over the years. I love Nick and that friendship is there, and it won't go anywhere regardless of what happens."
According to Foles, Vick has been helping him ever since he was drafted in April of 2012, and the competition that the pair had prior to the start of this season has only brought them closer together.
"Last year, I was a rookie coming in, so obviously I knew who Mike Vick was when I got here and he has been nothing but great to me throughout that whole time and he really helped me grow throughout my rookie year," Foles said. "Then the offseason came and our friendship just grew, no matter what we were doing. When we're on the field we push each other, but at the same time we're talking and we're human so we have a great relationship when we're in the locker room and that's been the most important thing throughout this whole thing. We support each other no matter who is playing or what's going on."
How well Vick and Foles get along, despite having battled all summer long for the starting quarterback job, has been noticed by their teammates inside the locker room as well.
"Everyone on this team, we all care about each other," said Brent Celek. "I think that's why we're a good team."
Another Eagles veteran, Jason Avant, says that camaraderie among quarterbacks isn't something new around the NovaCare Complex, but it's still always good to have.
"The thing about it is that those guys root for each other," said Avant. "It's always been like that here. I remember when it was (Donovan McNabb) and Mike and Kevin (Kolb) and all of those guys. They just stay in the room together and they like each other and they talk to each other outside of football. They're friends and they go golfing together and those types of things."
Foles will get the start on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, with Vick cheering him on from the sidelines. Heading into the game, there is no tension between the top two players on the Eagles quarterback depth chart, something that center Jason Kelce believes will go a long way towards another Eagles victory.
"That's part of being on a football team," said Kelce. "Mike and Nick aren't selfish guys. They want to see the team succeed. Obviously, they both want to be out on the field, but you couldn't ask for two better teammates than Mike or Nick."
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