Les Bowen: Further Review: Reid raps frequent hits on Eagles' Vick

THURSDAY NIGHT, Michael Vick said all the hits he took from the Texans were fine with him - "Sometimes it gets me going," he said.

Andy Reid made a postgame joke about Vick's one awkward attempt at sliding to end an extended scramble.

But the fact is, the Eagles aren't real happy with the way NFL officials are treating their quarterback, who seemed to get knocked down after nearly every throw Thursday, was hit on the ground more than once after running, and found defenders' hands on or inside his facemask at least twice, with no penalties called.

"That bothers me," Reid acknowledged at his day-after news conference, when prompted by a questioner. "I see the same thing you're seeing, and it bothers me. He does run, but he's still the quarterback. You can't treat him like a running back there. That's not what the rules state."

Tight end Brent Celek agreed, when he spoke via phone yesterday with a group of reporters from his minivacation getaway in Michigan: "Sometimes he's taking some big-time hits, where maybe other guys would get flagged and he's not. Hopefully, they change it. He's a quarterback, too. He's the same as everybody else. Just because he's maybe a little bit more athletic and faster and can run, he shouldn't be penalized."

Expect to see more of this sort of lobbying. We're well into the stretch drive and Vick, the most amazing NFL story of 2010, obviously is the key to the Eagles' postseason hopes. The kind of chest-crunching hit he took Oct. 3 against the Redskins would be a disaster for the

Birds now.

The NFL is aware of the Eagles' concerns, a source close to the situation said last night.

"If you go back and watch the film, I'm getting hit after I throw the ball, repeatedly," Vick said last night in a WIP Radio interview. "Time after time after time, I'm getting my facemask pulled, I'm getting hit in the head. The calls are not being made.

"Every time I get hit, I look up at the ref and I see no flag. I see other quarterbacks standing in the pocket, the minute they get touched, there's a flag on the field . . . This has been happening for the last 4 or 5 weeks. I haven't complained, I haven't said anything, but it's getting to a point where I'm tired of getting up off the canvas.

"The defense is going to continue to do it, because it's not getting called. I care about the longevity of my career, I care about my health, and I want to be treated as fair as any other quarterback."

"I don't think he leads too much by speech as he does by example," Celek said. "Everything he does, he's a leader, on the field. That's how he speaks to us as a team. There's times when he talks to us, but that's not his way of being a leader."

DEVELOPING STORYLINES

* Andy Reid said those 11 penalties for 85 yards Thursday speak to "focus and concentration" issues, but also said the Birds had a specific problem with Texans center Chris Myers. Reid said Myers drew defenders offside without drawing the notice of officials. "The center was very dramatic with his head movements, and when he did that, the ball would move up. It was loud [from crowd noise]. With that, we had an overexaggerated silent count. Normally, those officials warn those guys on that. Our guys are trained that when the ball moves, they take off . . . It's hard for the officials to see that from where they're standing."

* Now we know why Jason Avant didn't have any drops in training camp. He was saving them all for the stretch drive, in the end zone.

* Brent Celek's third-and-19 lean and twist for first down was the Eagles' only second-half third-down conversion. Well-timed.

* You know it's the day after a win when Andy makes funny. Asked his opinion of where DeSean Jackson's "head is at," the coach said, "I've seen it between his right and left shoulder the whole time."

* My theory: The Eagles blitz less in the red zone than they did under Jim Johnson. And I'm not sure all the veterans who remember the good, old days are completely down with that.

OBSCURE STAT

The Texans had the ball longer in the third quarter (12 minutes, 34 seconds) than in the entire first half (10:42).

WHO KNEW?

That the dreadlocks-wearing Eagle who would intercept a pass Thursday night wouldn't be Asante Samuel or even Trevard Lindley, but 304-pound Trevor Laws?

EXTRA POINT

When LeSean McCoy took over full time this season as the Eagles' feature back, replacing Brian Westbrook, nearly everyone agreed it would be unfair to compare McCoy with his predecessor as a pass receiver.

Westbrook came into this season leading all NFL running backs in receptions since 2004, with 380, and receiving yards, with 3,372. He is the all-time receptions leader among Eagles running backs, with 426, for a franchise-high 3,790 yards. When Westbrook took his battered knees and lengthy concussion history to San Francisco, no one figured another back would fit Andy Reid's West Coast scheme quite so well.

Well, McCoy has 67 catches for 534 yards, after catching eight for 86 Thursday night against the Texans. With four games remaining, McCoy has a shot at Westbrook's historic figures of 90 catches and 771 yards, set in 2007.

"I would say that if he's not [on Westbrook's level], then he's surely getting there," Reid said yesterday.

As great as he was, Westbrook, who mentored McCoy last year, never played all 16 games in a season. McCoy did as a rookie last year, and has played every game this season, shaking off a broken rib.

"He's very tough, and he comes across like your little brother," Reid said. "He's a happy, happy guy, always smiling, always teasing people. Underneath all that is a tough, competitive, very skilled player. You can overlook that if you're just hanging around with him. He's kind of a fun guy." *