The Eagles released quarterback A.J. Feeley to make room for a defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, a team source told The Inquirer today.

The team claimed Dixon, a 6-foot-3, 322-pounder let go by the Redskins yesterday, off waivers. Washington signed him in April as an undrafted free agent out of Miami where he wasn't a full-time starter.

The Eagles kept Feeley on their roster as of final cuts last night at 6 p.m. But it was expected that the team did so because they hoped to trade the 32-year-old backup. Apparently, a deal could not be struck so the Eagles parted ways with Feeley, who had two stints in Philadelphia.

Feeley could not be reached for comment this afternoon. Earlier today, however, when he was asked about making the 53-man roster and his being the subject of trade rumors, Feeley responded via text message: "Certain things I can't control, so I don't worry about them. Bottom line, I am just excited about helping the Eagles win."

He will probably be best remembered for guiding the Eagles to a 4-1 record and the playoffs after Donovan McNabb broke his leg late in the 2002 season. Feeley was traded to Miami in 2004, where he was given an opportunity to start. He struggled and two years later landed back with the Eagles.

Feeley, as a vested veteran, doesn't have to pass through waivers. He can sign with any team of his choosing. The Patriots look like a certain fit. New England only has only two quarterbacks at the moment -- Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer, a rookie out of Michigan State.

Michael Vick, meanwhile, will remain on the commissioner's special exempt list, although that could change at any moment. Feeley's departure means the Eagles have just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. They may be willing to just carry two for the first two games of the season as Vick serves out his two-game suspension.

Dixon's addition gives the Eagles ten defensive linemen with four being full-time tackles: Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley, Trevor Laws and Dixon. In four preseason games, the 24-year-old Dixon registered eight tackles.

UPDATE: The Eagles announced they have re-signed four players to their practice squad: WR Danny Amendola, G Paul Fanaika, G Mike Gibson and TE Rob Myers. The team is expected to announce the addition of four more to its practice squad tomorrow.

Poll: A.J. Feeley's greatest moment? (2451 votes)

The Eagles announced their 53-man roster tonight and the most significant news was not the cuts, but who made the team.

There was the belief that quarterback A.J. Feeley would be released, but the team kept the 32-year old on the roster -- for now -- and placed Michael Vick on the commissioner's special exempt list. Vick is suspended for the first two games of the season and will be reinstated by Week 3. As long as he remains on the exempt list, he can't practice.

"We can change that at any time," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said on a conference call. "We can make him active tomorrow, next week or any time during the suspension. That's not a thing that we're stuck with until the suspension is over. ... As far as [Feeley], I'm not going to get into the trade stuff."

The Eagles likely held on to Feeley because they hope to trade him in the coming days. If and when Feeley is dealt, the team would have to make a decision whether to add Vick to the 53-man roster or keep him as exempt.

As for the Eagles' final roster, given recent history, it wouldn’t be surprising if they continued to tinker with it as they comb the waiver wire tonight and tomorrow.

Defensive tackle Dan Klecko and fullback Kyle Eckel were among the most prominent cuts. Wide receiver Reggie Brown made the team, as did rookie wideout Brandon Gibson, so the Eagles currently have seven at that position.

"We're trying the keep the best 53 guys and it's just the way it turned out this year we like all those guys," Heckert said. "Things could change any day here with trades or whatever happens on the waiver wire tonight. We think all seven guys can play in the league."

Back in April, not many -- including Heckert -- would have given running back Eldra Buckley and cornerback Dimitri Patterson a chance of making the team. But that's exactly what happened. Buckley improved his pass-catching with each week, was effective on the ground and was a willing special teams performer. Heckert said the Eagles originally acquired Patterson hoping he would contribute on special teams, but they came to love his cover skills at cornerback.

Here is the roster by position as of right now:

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (3): Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, A.J. Feeley.
Running backs (4): Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Weaver, Eldra Buckley.
Wide receivers (7): DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Brandon Gibson, Reggie Brown.
Offensive line (10): Shawn Andrews, Stacy Andrews, Jamaal Jackson, Todd Herremans, Jason Peters, Nick Cole, Max Jean-Gilles, Winston Justice, King Dunlap, Mike McGlynn.
Tight ends (2): Brent Celek, Tony Curtis.

DEFENSE

Defensive line (9): Trent Cole, Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Victor Abiamiri, Juqua Parker, Darren Howard, Chris Clemons, Trevor Laws, Jason Babin.
Linebackers (6): Chris Gocong, Omar Gaither, Akeem Jordan, Joe Mays, Moise Fokou, Tracy White.
Cornerbacks (5): Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, Dmitri Patterson.
Safeties (4): Quintin Mikell, Quintin Demps, Sean Jones, Victor Harris.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: David Akers.
Punter: Sav Rocca.
Long snapper: Jon Dorenbos.

As for the players that didn't make the cut, the Eagles waived CB Trae Williams, CB Jack Ikegwuonu, DE Bryan Smith, DE Josh Gaines, LB Tank Daniels, FS Reshard Langford, WR Danny Amendola, RB Lorenzo Booker, C Dallas Reynolds, G Paul Fanaika, G Mike Gibson, TE Rob Myers, FB Marcus Mailei and Eckel. These players are now subject to waivers.

The Eagles released LB Matt Wilhelm, TE Matt Schobel and Klecko. These players are now unrestricted free agents.

The Eagles placed OT Fenuki Tupou on injured reserve with a chest injury (wink-wink). He joins linebacker Stewart Bradley and tight end Cornelius Ingram.

Smith and Ikegwuonu were drafted last April, but they apparently didn't do enough in a year and half to warrant the picks the Eagles expended.

"We still like Jack and we'll see what happens here in the next day or two," Heckert said. "And the same thing with Bryan. ... He was in a battle there with Jason Babin and Jason Babin was just more productive this preseason."

The Eagles have the luxury of adding eight players to its practice squad and will do so in the next few days. Any player on that list, however, can be claimed by another team as long as the player is willing to leave.

A.J. Feeley isn't going anywhere for now.

The Eagles' veteran quarterback remained on the 53-man roster that will be released at 6 p.m., according to a league source.

Michael Vick, meanwhile, will be placed on the team's exempt list, which means he cannot practice with the team. Vick can attend meetings and practice, but he cannot participate.The move allows the Eagles to keep three quarterbacks while Vick serves his two-game suspension that will end with a Week 3 game against Kansas City.

Stay tuned for more roster news.

KLECKO CUT

Dan Klecko confirmed that he was released by the Eagles today.

"I thought I had a pretty good preseason, so I was a little surprised," Klecko said from his home in South Jersey. "But how much can you really be surprised in this league any more."

Klecko said the news was relayed to him by phone from Howie Roseman, the Eagles' vice president of player personnel.

"The last couple weeks, I guess I saw a little bit of the writing on the wall," Klecko said. "I was hoping if I played well enough in the games that it would matter, but I don't think it did."

The release of Klecko probably will allow second-year defensive end Bryan Smith to remain with the team. If that's the case, the Eagles' roster of defensive linemen will look like this: Smith, Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, Darren Howard, Chris Clemons, Trevor Laws, Jason Babin, Victor Abiamiri, Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson.

Klecko's contributions as a pass-rushing defensive tackle became diminished because the Eagles have adopted an NFL trend of moving defensive ends to tackle on passing downs. Howard and Abiamiri were the Eagles' primary defensive tackles in passing downs at the end of last season and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott also used Cole and Parker in that role during the preseason. 

Klecko, the son of former New York Jets lineman Joe Klecko, had a brief but interesting tenure with the Eagles. He signed with the team as a free agent  before last season as a fullback. By the end of the Eagles' 2008 spring camps, Klecko had moved back to defensive tackle, but when the team struggled to run the football on short-yardage downs early last season, he again became a fullback.

With the signing of free-agent fullback Leonard Weaver this offseason, Klecko found himself back at defensive tackle. 

The Eagles will reveal their 53-man roster at 6 p.m.

The Eagles made the first batch of their final cuts this afternoon by releasing tight end Eugene Bright, linebacker Curtis Gatewood and defensive tackle Willie Williams.

Those three cuts reduced the roster to 72 players. The Eagles must set their 53-man roster by 6 p.m. tomorrow.

New England, meanwhile, continued to fuel the speculation that they are interested in Eagles quarterback A.J. Feeley by releasing quarterback Andrew Walter. That leaves rookie Brad Hoyer as the backup to Tom Brady. It also leaves the Patriots with two quarterbacks on their roster.

If you read my bio to the right, you might have noticed that I have a son that goes to Michigan State. I watched the Spartans and Hoyer quite a bit last season and if the Patriots are hoping that the former Michigan State quarterback would be able to perform as well as Matt Cassel did when Brady went down last season, they are taking a monumental risk.

The Eagles also said that tackle Winston Justice and cornerback Dmitri Patterson did not suffer serious injuries during Thursday night's preseason finale againist the New York Jets. Justice left the game in the first half with a chest injury and Patterson left in the second half with a sprained ankle. Both players were scheduled to undergo MRI examinations today.

Babin gets new deal

If there was the slightest doubt -- and there should not have been -- that Jason Babin was going to make the team, it ended this evening when the Eagles announced that they had reworked the contract that the defensive end signed when he joined the team Aug. 4. He is still playing on a one-year deal.

The Eagles typically keep 10 defensive linemen on the roster and the final decision could come down to defensive end Bryan Smith and defensive tackle Dan Klecko.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Michael Vick said that he was surprised by Roger Goodell's ruling today that meant the Eagles quarterback would miss the first two games of the regular season. But Vick said that he would have taken a six-game suspension if that's the verdict the NFL commissioner had deemed appropriate for the former Atlanta Falcon's crimes.

"I was surprised, but I'm just blessed to have an opportunity to be standing before you right now," Vick said after tonight's preseason game against the Jets. "I'm blessed to have the opportunity to play the quarterback position. It's still somewhat like a dream when I stepped out on the field coming from where I came from two years ago and where I've been. ... I can't complain about anything. If it was a six-game suspension, if that was the ruling, I would have been happy and would have just said I would have worked on personal development and working on my game."

Vick is eligible to return by Week 3 when the Eagles host Kansas City.

Vick met with Goodell this morning at the team's hotel in Newark, N.J. Eagles coach Andy Reid was also there for the 50-minute meeting. Vick said he left the gathering not knowing the verdict, but that he had a pretty good feel for what the commissioner would hand down.

"I've been trying to show him that I'm moving in the right direction," Vick said. "I'm changing my life for the better. I'm doing all the things that a professional athlete is supposed to be doing on and off the field. I can't get complacent. I just got to stay strong and keep moving forward."

Vick said that Reid informed him of Goodell's decision about three hours later.

"I don't look at is as a suspension and that's what the commissioner indicated to me," Vick said. "It's for me to get myself together and take some time off and do the right things."

Judging from tonight's performance in the Eagles' 38-27 loss to the Jets, Vick has a ways to go before he's 100 percent. Last week in his first game back, Vick said he was 70 percent. Tonight he said he was "about 90 percent and almost there."

He threw for 26 yards on 7 off 11 passing, with one interception. He also ran for 35 yards on seven carries with one score, his first touchdown of the preseason.

"I didn't even know what to do with myself," Vick said after he scored. "I always told myself I was going to keep the ball. I was going to hand it off to a lineman to spike it. I got up and I just lost it. My mind went blank. I just ran off the field like nothing had ever happened."

Vick played the second half under center on successive plays for the first time since Dec. 31, 2006.

"There were a lot of things I could have done better but it was good to get out there and play some quarterback on a consistent basis and shake off the cobwebs," Vick said.

He was sacked four times, mostly due to a porous offensive line.

"It's what I want -- to get hit a little bit and get a feel for the game and get chased around," Vick said.

Vick was in on ten plays in the first half, lining up mostly in the shotgun in the Eagles' Wildcat package with quarterback Kevin Kolb often splitting wide. That's when he ran for a two-yard TD. Last week, he was in for six snaps and the starting quarterback Donovan McNabb said the rhythm wasn't there. Vick said it was better tonight.

"I felt like it was more production," Vick said. "Just a lot of things that we can do. My mindset is to help this team to whatever capacity I can. To do the things that I know that I can do."

To come.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ruled today that Michael Vick would be suspended the first two games of the season and be reinstated by Week 3 when the Eagles host Kansas City.

Vick, Goodell and Eagles head coach Andy Reid met this morning for 50 minutes at the Newark, N.J. hotel where the team is staying. Goodell then spoke to Vick advisor Tony Dungy for 45 minutes on the phone. Apparently, the commish was satisfied with what he heard.

"He's demonstrating he's committed," Goodell said to about 20 reporters, including The Inquirer's Ashley Fox. "We're looking for a success story. At the end of the day it's a gut check."

Vick, after warming up with Donovan McNabb for tonight's preseason finale against the New York Jets, declined comment.

"He doesn't want to talk about it yet," McNabb said.

Eagles president Joe Banner did speak to the issue, saying that Vick will become active in the Philadelphia community in the near future as he promised when he was reinstated.

"I think you'll see Michael at an event here very soon," Banner said. "We're wrapping up some details. As far as the organizational support for the issues around animal rights ... we've been working aggressively with those groups and we have some concrete ideas. It will be at least a few more weeks, maybe a little longer, before you see those things operational ... but I think you'll see Michael at an event fairly soon."

Banner said he believes Vick felt the decision was fair and is eager to get on the field in the regular season for the first time since playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in a New Year's Eve game against the Eagles in 2006.

"I think he thinks this is fair and probably in the range of what he expected," Banner said. "We thought if Michael did the right things, it would probably be one to three weeks, so this is certainly in the range of what we expected. We think this is a good outcome and we look forward to having him."

The Eagles have been satisfied with what they've seen from Vick since he signed with them three weeks ago.

"He has been a model citizen to this point," Banner said. "Whether we're talking about the plans for what he's going to do in the community, the practices in terms of the hours he's put in. He's been here from early in the morning to late in the evening to make sure he's the best he can be. He's done everything we asked him to do."

Though Banner said this brings closure to Vick's suspension, he said it does not bring an end to all the negative publicity that surrounded the quarterback's dogfighting conviction.

"I think Michael realizes it's going to take a long time before he can put this in the rearview mirror," Banner said. "I'm not sure it will ever go away, but he can put it behind him and chart a new path and create a new definition for himself."

Now that the Eagles know when Vick can play, they can proceed with how they'll handle their personnel at quarterback. Banner said Reid will likely discuss those issues after tonight's game. The team has several options:

1. It could keep four quarterbacks -- Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, A.J. Feeley and Vick -- on its 53-man roster when it makes final cuts on Saturday. Vick would be allowed to practice with the team until his reinstatement. But the Eagles would lose an extra player they could use in the first two games.

2. It could keep three quarterbacks -- Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and A.J. Feeley -- on its 53-man roster and add Vick to the commissioner's special exempt list. Vick, however, would not be allowed to practice. Upon Vick's reinstatement, the Eagles would likely either trade or release Feeley.

3. They could trade/waive Feeley by Saturday, and keep McNabb, Kolb and Vick on the 53-man roster. The Eagles, though, would only have two quarterbacks eligible to play in the first two games.

4. They could trade/waive Feeley by Saturday, keep McNabb and Kolb on the 53-man roster, and deem Vick as exempt. This would allow the Eagles to carry an extra player that they normally wouldn't for the first two games. Still, they would only have two eligible quarterbacks for the Carolina and New Orleans games.

More than likely, the Eagles will choose one of the latter three options, although Reid said on Tuesday that he would like to have Vick practice if it all possible.Several teams have been rumored to be suitors for Feeley. New England seems the hot choice.

The other thing for the Eagles to consider by Week 3 is how they will handle the "Third Quarterback" rule. Since they intend to use Vick in the "Wildcat" package (or whatever you want to call it) throughout the game, he would likely have to be listed as the No. 2 quarterback so that the Eagles don't lose an extra player. The team could simply activate all three quarterbacks -- McNabb, Kolb and Vick -- but it would lose that 46th player the "Third Quarterback" rule affords.

The Eagles, meanwhile, play their final preseason game tonight against the Jets at the Meadowlands. Vick is slated to split second half snaps with Feeley. Kolb will play the entire first half. Vick will likely be also used in various ways during the first 30 minutes.

Check back for more.

Poll: What do you think of Goodell's decision? (1193 votes)

Everyone else is doing it, so I figured I'd throw my one cent in on who's going to make the Eagles' 53-man roster when cuts are announced Saturday at 6 p.m.

Here are Brookie's predictions in Sunday's paper.

Essentially, there's really only a handful of players that are teetering on the cut line, so it's not like I'm predicting the weather. Nevertheless, here's one man's take on who the Eagles will keep and who they will let go.

QUARTERBACK
If A.J. Feeley gets traded before the season the only question is if the Eagles will carry Michael Vick on its roster or take advantage of the special exemption the league gave the team as the quarterback carries out his suspension. If it's a two-game suspension, the Eagles will probably deal Feeley (to New England?) and take the roster blow so Vick can practice. If it's longer than two games, the team may be forced to keep Feeley for a while and have Vick as exempt. Either way, Feeley's days in Philly are numbered and that's just sad because it means less opportunity to see Heather Mitts outside the Eagles' locker room on game days.
Will make the team: Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick.

RUNNING BACK
I've heard a few beat reporters say that the Eagles carry only three running backs -- Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver. I'm not so sure about that and will take the over with four. Eldra Buckley, Lorenzo Booker and Kyle Eckel are up for that final spot. Booker's days here are over (I can hear the fans sing). Buckley has been a nice surprise this preseason, but has hands of stone. Eckel can play both RB and FB and catch the ball out of the backfield. I'm not sure if he adds enough sizzle, but he's a professional and you can't have too many of those.
Will make the team: Westbrook, McCoy, Weaver and Eckel.

WIDE RECEIVER
Six seems to be the number again this season. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis are in. The final two spots are between three guys: Hank Baskett, Reggie Brown and Brandon Gibson. Here's my story on that very subject this morning. I think Baskett is a lock. If Brown isn't traded, Gibson will land on the injured reserve with some fake injury from tomorrow night's game.
Will make the team: Jackson, Maclin, Avant, Curtis, Baskett and Gibson.

TIGHT END
When Cornelius Ingram tore his ACL a position that looked well-equipped turned into a problem spot. Brent Celek will start. The rest is a mixed bag. Tony Curtis came via Dallas and has a good blocking rep, so he's probably on the roster. Undrafted rookie Rob Myers has nice hands, but he's small and is now injured (groin). Matt Schobel may get the last spot by default unless the waiver wire produces an alternative.
Will make the team: Celek, Curtis and Schobel.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Andy Reid usually carries ten on the line so I'll go with that number. The starters, right now, are Jason Peters, Nick Cole, Jamaal Jackson, Stacy Andrews and Shawn Andrews. Regular starting left guard Todd Herremans will start the season injured after foot surgery. That leaves Max Jean-Gilles, Winston Justice, King Dunlap and Mike McGlynn. The Eagles drafted two linemen -- Paul Fanaika and Fenuki Tupou -- that will probably end up on the practice squad.
Will make the team: Peters, Cole, Jackson, Stacy Andrews, Shawn Andrews, Herremans, Jean-Gilles, Justice, Dunlap and McGlynn.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Because the Eagles have a few ends that can sub in as tackles in the nickel, the team will probably carry only nine linemen. Bryan Smith was a project when he was drafted third in 2008 and spent the season inactive. But I'm wondering if the Eagles view that experiment as a failure. He's still rather skinny and was barely noticeable during the preseason. Of course, the team invested a third round pick in the guy so that might mean he makes it. I think he's out and that gets Jason Babin in. Tackle Dan Klecko, unfortunately, doesn't make this team.
Will make the team: Trent Cole, Victor Abiamiri, Juqua Parker, Chris Clemons, Darren Howard, Babin, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley and Trevor Laws.

LINEBACKER
Stew Bradley's injury opened the door for someone to start and it gave another linebacker a shot at making the team. Moise Fokou, despite being a seventh round pick, had an uphill climb when he joined the team. But he impressed the team enough to recently earn some time as a starter in the middle. He won't start there -- Omar Gaither will, with Joe Mays as the backup -- but he's on the team because he can also play SAM. Tracy White is there because he can and wants to play special teams.
Will make the team: Chris Gocong, Akeem Jordan, Gaither, Mays, Fokou and White.

DEFENSIVE BACK
Jack Ikegwuonu was cleared of burglary charges in the off-season and looked poised to make the team as the fifth cornerback. I'm not so sure now. Dimitri Patterson has had a better camp and preseason. But Ikegwuonu falls in that same category as Bryan Smith. He was a fourth round pick last year. I think Jack sneaks in. Just a hunch. The rest of the d-backs are fairly easy to guess.
Will make the team: Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, Quintin Mikell, Quintin Demps, Sean Jones, Macho Harris and Ikegwuonu.

SPECIALISTS
No brainer (my specialty) here.
Will make the team: Kicker David Akers, Punter Sav Rocca and long snapper Jon Dorenbos.

In Quintin Demps' mind, the competition at free safety should be over by now.

The Eagles feel otherwise.

"It's an open competition," Eagles coach Andy Reid said after practice today.

Demps is the only projected defensive starter that will also be starting Thursday night's preseason finale against the New York Jets up at the Meadowlands.

"It's kind of irritating," he said. "But it is what it is. I have to go out and prove it. You have to suck it up. You have to go out there and play ball."

Demps has worked with the first-team defense at free safety throughout the spring camps and the preseason, but the Eagles obviously want to see more from him and more of rookie Victor "Macho" Harris before they make a final decision. Even though Sean Jones has played exclusively at strong safety this preseason, Reid indicated he remained in the competition for a starting job at free safety, too.

"I'll keep a close eye on the safety position," Reid said. "It really doesn't matter what position they're playing back there as far as the safety position. They have to be able to show what they can do and it's an open competition. We'll see how that works."

Demps indicated he has let his uncertain status impact the way he is playing.

"I kind of feel like I let it get me off my game a little bit," he said. "Just the fact that it's one thing to have confidence in yourself, but if the people around you don't have confidence, it's kind of hard to deal with."

Demps understands that the final preseason game is bigger for him than most, but he's not happy about it.

"It's unfortunate that the last game of the preseason you have to decide who's going to be the starter," Demps said. "It is what it is. I have confidence in myself. I know at the end of the day that I'm a starter in this league period. It's unfortunate that I've made some mistakes, so some guys are looking at me like, 'He's not going to start for us.' But I'm going to start in this league. I'm a playmaker. There's no progress if you don't have a struggle."

Harris, a rookie fifth-round pick who was a cornerback at Virginia Tech, said he wasn't even aware he was involved in a competition for a starting job.

"That's out of my control," he said. "The only thing I can do is play football, do what I'm coached to do, have fun and everything else will take care of itself."

REID'S PLAN

Reid reiterated that Kevin Kolb will start at quarterback Thursday against the Jets and play the first half. He said Michael Vick and A.J. Feeley will also play in  the second half. Reid will not play any of his projected offensive starters, including right tackle Shawn Andrews, who did not play at all in the preseason. Brian Westbrook also will not play, but rookie LeSean McCoy will get some playing time.

Defensively, Joe Mays will be the starter at middle linebacker and Omar Gaither will not play at all after suffering a sprained ankle in practice Monday. The most likely scenario remains that Gaither will start in the Sept. 13 regular-season opener if he is healthy.

ROSTER TO 75

The Eagles pared its roster down to the maximum 75 by placing linebacker Stewart Bradley and tight end Cornelius Ingram (torn ACLs) on the injured reserve and releasing safety Brandon Harrison and linebacker Charleston Hughes this afternoon. Tackle Chris Patrick was released yesterday.

Final cuts, in which the number will be trimmed from 75 to 53, will be made by Saturday at 6 p.m.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said on his radio show today that backup quarterback Kevin Kolb will start Thursday's preseason finale at the New York Jets and that Michael Vick will be inserted occassionally in that span. Vick will then take over under center in the second half. No word on when, and if, A.J. Feeley will play.

Reid normally gives his starters off in the final tune-up before the regular season, so starting quarterback Donovan McNabb will get the night off.

Reid also said that middle linebacker Omar Gaither sprained his ankle in practice today. Gaither recently returned from a knee sprain and was given the starting spot after Joe Mays lost it.