YONG KIM / Staff photographer
Michael Vick (left) hands off to LeSean McCoy during the third quarter.
- Young players give glimpse of future in Eagles' win over Chiefs
- Sam Donnellon: Eagles rookie running back McCoy wants the ball in his hands
- Domowitch: Vick: It was just the Mildcat against Chiefs
- Rich Hofmann: Eagles' DeSean Jackson shows split personality
- Eagles Notebook: Eagles tight end Celek earning new fans
- Chiefs help run out the clock in loss to Eagles
- Eagles fans' latest venue: Big screen at the Piazza at Schmidts
- Cunningham, Wistert inducted into Eagles Honor Roll
- AROUND THE LEAGUE
- EAGLES CHAT
- Making Our Grades
- Lions' string of futility finally ends, and the Redskins are the victims
- Pats balance the attack on Falcons
- Eagletarian
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Domowitch: Vick: It was just the Mildcat against Chiefs
A very small look.
That's what Michael Vick called the peek we got yesterday at the spread-option offense the Eagles plan to run this season with him. If you're an Eagles fan, you'd better hope that's all it was.
Playing in his first regular-season game in almost 3 years, Vick was on the field for 11 of the Eagles' 63 offensive plays in their lopsided 34-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Those 11 plays produced just 30 yards. Vick ran the ball once for 7 yards and attempted two passes, both incompletions.
"We have so much still for the future," Vick said. "We just wanted to go out there and get some looks and see how they were going to play and not tip our hand to what we really wanted to do with this Wildcat thing. We've got a lot of different variations and it's going to be exciting, and I just want to contribute."
In addition to running the Wildcat/spread 11 times with Vick on the field, the Eagles also ran it five other times with him not in the game. Running back LeSean McCoy took the direct snap on all five of those plays, gaining 23 yards, including five on a first-quarter touchdown run. That's 53 yards on 16 plays.
Last week, with Vick still serving his two-game league suspension, the Eagles ran the Wildcat/spread 12 times in their 48-22 loss to New Orleans, gaining 68 yards.
Neither Vick nor coach Andy Reid put much significance on the meager numbers Vick put up yesterday. They hope the best is yet to come once Vick gets back into the playing shape.
"We wanted to get him in and gradually get him into game-playing speed while knocking some rust off," Reid said. "I think we accomplished that."
Said Vick: "I just wanted to go out and get the jitters out of the way, get knocked around a few times. It will be a totally different feeling to come back [in 2 weeks] against Tampa because I won't feel like all eyes are on me. That's how I felt today, which is normal and that's the way it's going to be throughout the rest of my career. So I think to go out there today and knock the rust off and get the jitters out was a good feeling."
While Vick said last week that he's at "85 to 90 percent," his legs still are nowhere close to being back to where they were 3 years ago before he went to prison. And he still is adjusting to the speed of the game.
To his credit, he withstood two big licks from the Chiefs. Got tattooed by cornerback Brandon Flowers after his 7-yard run in the first quarter, then took another good shot from linebacker Tamba Hali in the third quarter after pitching the ball to running back LeSean McCoy on an option play. He knows there are going to be a lot more before the season is over.
"I've taken plenty of hits before and I still feel like I can take a hit," Vick said. "I got rocked a couple of times real good and I was able to get up from it and keep moving. That's what is going to happen running this kind of offense that we're running with me in the game. It's just football and I can go out there and take those shots. If they're limited, then I think I can do it for 16 weeks."
Vick lined up in the shotgun on 10 of the 11 plays he was on the field. Also lined up as a wide receiver once with McCoy taking the direct snap. Vick faked an end-around on the play and McCoy was tackled for a 1-yard loss.
"It's definitely a different scenario [than he's used to]," Vick said of his role. "I tell myself to stay warm, try to stay loose and try to stay in gear so when my number is called, I'm into the game and I'm in tune with what's going on with the offense and I can go out there and play within the framework of the offense. It's a different role. It is what it is."
We have yet to see the effect Vick's in-and-out role with the offense will have on quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb missed his second straight game as his fractured rib heals. Kevin Kolb clearly didn't have any problems. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 327 yards and threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. But Kolb isn't McNabb and the Chiefs aren't the Giants or Cowboys.
Vick said he thinks he'll probably be on the field for 10 to 12 plays each game.
"I think 10, 11 plays is ideal, depending on the flow of the game and the outcome of the game at that point in time," he said. "Some games are going to be different. Some games it's going to be a defensive battle. Some games are going to be a shootout. So that's going to be part of the determining factor of how much we run the Wildcat.
"Will it be effective or ineffective? It still remains to be seen."
Did you notice?
-- With Kevin Curtis out with a knee injury, Reggie Brown was activated for the first time this season. Brown played in some 2-, 3- and 4-wide receiver personnel groupings and was on the field for about 15 of the Eagles' 63 offensive plays. He had just one catch for 4 yards.
-- Stacy Andrews didn't start, but did get some snaps at right guard against the Chiefs, giving Max Jean-Gilles an occasional breather. Both Jean-Gilles and Andrews were in on Kevin Kolb's quarterback sneak for a touchdown late in the first quarter, with Andrews at right guard and Jean-Gilles an extra blocker on the right side of the line.
-- The Eagles' special teams, which committed five penalties in last week's loss to the Saints, were flagged just twice yesterday. Moise Fokou was called for an illegal block in the back on a second-quarter punt return. Also in the second quarter, there was a defensive offside on a Kansas City punt.
-- LB Tracy White, who ordinarily only plays on special teams, played in the Eagles' two-linebacker nickel package against the Chiefs, replacing Akeem Jordan.
-- Jeremy Maclin replaced DeSean Jackson on a pair of second-
quarter punt returns. He fair-caught the first, catching it about an inch off the ground. On the second, he was pushed out of bounds for a 3-yard loss.
Thumbs up
To the Eagles' defense for their much-improved tackling. Their tackling was atrocious last week in the loss to the Saints, as they failed to wrap up ballcarriers and allowed way too many yards after the catch to Saints receivers. Cornerback Sheldon Brown set the tone against the Chiefs with a solid late-first quarter stop on Chiefs wide receiver Mark Bradley on a third-and-10 play. Brown brought him down after a 6-yard catch, forcing the Chiefs to punt.
