Michael Vick made all the headlines this week with his six-year contract, but on Thursday night it will be a different Eagles quarterback who will be looking to shine.
Vince Young said that he's expecting to play the first half of the preseason finale against the New York Jets. Signed by the Eagles on July 29 to be the backup to Vick this season, Young has spent the past month learning the nuances of the Eagles offense. In the 2011 preseason, Young has completed 68 percent of his passes (17 of 25) for 137 yards with one rushing touchdown and an interception. Young said that he hopes to show the coaches that he is a "good backup quarterback" on Thursday.
"I just want to make sure I'm taking care of my responsibilities as a quarterback with preparation and transferring everything from the practice field and the film room to the game," Young said. "I just want to go out there, manage the game, put points on the scoreboard."
Young is certainly no rookie as he enters his sixth NFL season. The former No. 3 overall pick of the Titans was 30-17 as a starter in Tennessee. The 6-5, 232-pound Young wanted to come to Philadelphia to learn from Vick and work with Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg, who have done exceptional work with quarterbacks - just look at Vick's 2010 season.
The coaches have helped Young with his footwork, his timing routes and ability to adjust the protection at the line of scrimmage. Young also said that he has become a more mature player in his short time with the Eagles. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has been impressed with Young's rapid development.
"Vince Young has really progressed at a high rate. I'm excited for him and (backup quarterback) Mike Kafka about Thursday night," Mornhinweg said. "This will be a tough one, and we have to be right on to have any success at all in this type of scenario because the Jets are excellent at many things on defense. However, I am excited to continue to see Vince Young's progress."
Just a year ago, Vick was the starter at quarterback for the Eagles in the preseason finale. Nearly a year later, Vick is the face of the franchise armed with a lucrative deal. Young gets his opportunity to build for the present and the future Thursday night.
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