Quarterback Michael Vick's phone started to buzz non-stop while speaking to kids at an event on Tuesday evening around 6 PM. Vick saw that it was head coach Andy Reid trying to get a hold of him. Never in Vick's wildest dreams did he think that Reid would be calling to tell him that he is now the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It took a while for it all to soak in," Vick said. "I just really had to think about the opportunities and how far I've come and how hard I have to work moving forward. This is just the beginning."
Vick was spectacular on Sunday in the Eagles' 35-32 win over Detroit. On the surface, Vick was 21-of-34 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers for a 108.0 QB rating. What those numbers don't tell is how efficient Vick was at running the offense. He engineered five scoring drives that all resulted in touchdowns. He executed the two-minute offense flawlessly. He used his legs to buy time in the pocket and make some dazzling plays, but all the while still looked downfield to pass first.
Before last Sunday's start, Vick hadn't started a game since the end of the 2006 season. No matter how good Vick's performance was he didn't think it would earn him the starting job.
"You always envision good things. You have to in this league or you're doomed. I never thought that what I did on Sunday would catapult me into this position," Vick said. "My role as a backup was to be the best backup that I could be and be there for Kevin (Kolb) for whatever I could and support him and help him in any situation. It came as a surprise, but it's a blessing in return."
In six quarters of play, after he took over at halftime of the season opener against Green Bay due to Kevin Kolb's concussion, Vick has completed nearly 64 percent of his pass attempts for 459 yards and three touchdowns. He also registered his 10th career 100-yard rushing game against the Packers. Vick knows that he has to continue to put up impressive numbers.
"The key to this game is staying consistent. This league is all about consistency," Vick said. "I know how hard I've worked and what it's going to take to be successful, so that's what we have to do."
The Eagles signed Vick in August 2009 after two years in prison. Vick was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons prior to the incarceration, but last year the Eagles coaches broke Vick down from a fundamentals and mechanics standpoint and started from the beginning. Vick spent this offseason getting stronger and faster under new strength coach Barry Rubin. Vick has also dedicated himself to the game of football like never before and the hard work has certainly paid off.
"I've worked hard over the last two years. Without the hard work and the effort and the enthusiasm, it won't happen for you," Vick said. "You have to be willing to put in the work and I had the fortitude to do it."
With the support of the coaches and the players, Vick wants to go out and help continue to generate the same type of results that the team accomplished last Sunday.
"Everybody's excited. We just have to go out and win," Vick said. "That's the most important thing."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 12:15 p.m., September 22
