NFL News Feed: Vick Likely to Play Thursday

Vick Likely to Play Thursday

Coach Andy Reid said Saturday that recently signed quarterback Michael Vick is tentatively scheduled to make his preseason debut for the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field, provided that things go well on the practice field for Vick in the days leading up to the game.

Reid said that he, like others, is anxious to see Vick play in a game.

"I think everybody is--including, most of all, himself," Reid said at a news conference. "I think he wants to get in and play again, so we'll see how that goes. I can't tell you right now how much he's gonna play. He's shooting to play this game, and we'll see how he does this week and how he'll feel the closer we get to the game."

Reid left open the possibility of withholding Vick from the game if he doesn't feel that Vick is ready to play.

"There's a chance" that Vick will play, Reid said. "I want to see, again, how he does this week. He worked throughout the week here as we went to the game. He did a couple of workouts here and was here [Friday] on the players' day off and worked hard. He's getting through that soreness, and we'll just see how it works out this week for him as he goes through practice."

Vick did not accompany the Eagles to Indianapolis for Thursday's game against the Colts. He was not eligible to play in that game.

The Jacksonville game is the first game in which Vick is eligible to play under the terms of his conditional reinstatement by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Vick is eligible to play in his team's final two preseason games. Goodell is to rule by Week 6 of the season on Vick's eligibility to play in regular season games.

Reid had been saying since the Eagles signed Vick, who missed the last two NFL seasons while serving his federal sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia, that he regarded Vick as a quarterback, not a prospective part-time running back or wide receiver.

But asked Saturday if Vick would stick to playing quarterback only, Reid said: "You never know."

Pressed on that issue, Reid said: "Some basic stuff. That's all we're gonna do."

But even if he does have elaborate plans to use Vick in a wide variety of ways, Reid might not show his hand during the preseason.

"I think there is a balance there, and then I've got to be the one who balances it out," Reid said. "I've got to judge first how he makes it through this week here and what I see there with his conditioning and so on."

Reid said that Vick's practice-field performances last week improved as he knocked more and more of the rust off his playing skills.

"It looks like he's in pretty good shape," Reid said. "You could tell he's done some running and some lifting. It looked like he started off a little rusty throwing the football, and as the week went on it looked like it smoothed out for him a little bit. I think initially he wasn't bending and throwing. He was using all his arm and then as the week went on, he started using his legs a little bit more.... He wasn't running much in practice, but after practice it looked like he was moving around pretty good, running. I think he made good strides but, again, I have to see about this week here and what he can do."

Reid indicated that he'd spoken to Goodell but hadn't discussed with the commissioner the issue of when Vick might be cleared for regular season play.

For now, Vick's adjustment seems to be going well, Reid said, crediting the help of starting quarterback Donovan McNabb and other Eagles players along with Vick's adviser, former Colts coach Tony Dungy.

"He seems good," Reid said. "He's got a support crew there with the team. Donovan has taken him under his wing. I know Brian Westbrook--I think most of the guys have spent a little time with him, making him feel at home. The support crew off the field and away from it--I know those guys talk to him and when they were away, they talked to him. I know Tony Dungy is still very involved and talks to him. It seems like he's made a good adjustment here. It's a day-to-day thing and you just have to keep working and staying on top of that part."