After the Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention last weekend, some questioned whether the team would rest its starters in the season finale.
Quarterback Michael Vick, who will start Sunday despite still nursing a set of broken ribs, is certainly not mailing it in Week 17.
"When you love the game of football, you always have to play with pride and passion, because you never know which game may be your last," said the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year. "I'll never just sit there and say, 'there's nothing to play for.' That wasn't the mindset I had when I first put on a helmet when I was seven-years-old and it's not my mindset today."
It goes without saying that the players are disappointed with the way this season has gone, and that win, lose, or draw Sunday, they'll be watching the post-season from home in the 2012 calendar year.
"Obviously 8-8 wasn't our goal," said Vick flatly. "We expected to be in the playoffs. I think we have to take all the positives we can learn from this season and hopefully we'll come back and look like a different team next year."
That transformation has already begun. The Eagles have won three straight games, posting the second-best point differential in the league and allowing the fewest yards defensively during that time. They are one of four teams with wins in each of the last three weeks; other than the Eagles, each of the other teams will find themselves participating in post-season play.
"I'm proud of the way our guys have come together and the way that they're playing now. I think that's going to be big moving forward as we look to keep that going into next season."
Vick quickly changed gears; he's not looking past the season's final task at hand. He channeled his inner Andy Reid when asked about the team's focus this week.
"Every time you step on the field, there's always something that you can accomplish," said the 10-year veteran. "Our goal is to beat the Washington Redskins. That's all we care about this week."
With a win, the Eagles would improve to 8-8, which would give the team half of its wins in the final quarter of the season. That's a wave the Eagles can hope to ride into 2012.
