Vick remains a long shot for Eagles-Seahawks game

For the first time in more than two weeks, Michael Vick threw passes in public.

The Eagles quarterback wasn't wearing a helmet as he lofted 25-yard throws to receivers before the official start of practice. Vick did not participate again and left about a half-hour later. He remains a long shot for Thursday's game at Seattle.

Vince Young, who took all the first-team repetitions at practice, will likely start for the third straight game as Vick continues to nurse his broken ribs.

"It's the same thing each week," Young said. "He's a tough guy. You never know with him."

Vick suffered the injury on Nov. 13 against the Cardinals and has done very little in terms of working out.

"He's making progress every day," said Eagles coach Andy Reid. "Right now he can't . . . put the heavy torque on the ball without feeling some pain there. So I've just got to wait and see. Until that goes away, he can't throw consistently."

Like Vick, Jeremy Maclin did not practice and is slated to miss his third straight game. The Eagles wide receiver has hamstring and shoulder injuries. But at this point, Reid said, it is the hamstring strain that is holding Maclin back. Riley Cooper will earn his third start at receiver if Maclin is held out.

Reid will decide on Wednesday before the Eagles fly cross-country whether Vick and Maclin will play and travel with the team.

LeSean McCoy was limited for the second straight day of practice with a toe bruise. Reid didn't seem too concerned about the running back's availability for the Seahawks game. McCoy was seen walking with a slight limp after practice. He said he injured his toe in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Patriots.

"It's just he's got some swelling in the toe," Reid said.

Also limited was cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who hyperextended his left knee last week. Asomugha played about 20 snaps in the Eagles' dime defense against New England but did not practice on Monday.

If he can't start, Brandon Hughes will probably take his place on the outside at right cornerback because Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is on the shelf. Rodgers-Cromartie, who has missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain, said Monday that he wasn't going to play Thursday. He was limited at practice.

In what some observers consider a meaningless game, there is no immediate rush for the Eagles to hurry their injured players back. Both teams are 4-7 but not mathematically out of the playoff picture. The Eagles are three games behind the Cowboys in the NFC East, two behind the New York Giants with five to play.

"I take every game as its own game," Reid said. "I start the season that way, and that's the way I continue to do it. I've got a good locker room, good coaching staff, working hard. They're getting themselves ready for the Seattle Seahawks."

Reid obviously wants to win out, not just to put the Eagles in position for a postseason berth, but to quiet speculation that his 13-year run in Philadelphia could be over. Still, at some point, the front office may want to see some younger players play more meaningful roles.

The injuries, for now, will allow players such as Cooper and Hughes an opportunity.

"It means a lot," Cooper said. "All the game experience you can get is key, especially for me being beyond Jeremy."

The players, though, say they haven't lost their motivation.

"I think there are still some things that can happen where we can go to the playoffs if we win out," center Jason Kelce said. "I mean, it's not like we're throwing in the [towel] like it's over."

Extra points. Reid said that DeSean Jackson, who was benched in the fourth quarter Sunday, will start at receiver as usual. . . . Linebacker Moise Fokou (ankle) was placed on injured reserve, and rookie linebacker Greg Lloyd was signed off the practice squad to take his place on the 53-man roster. . . . Offensive lineman King Dunlap did not practice. Dunlap, who has already missed two games, has not yet passed baseline testing for his concussion. "He should recover fully and be OK, but I can't tell you that you like seeing that for the situation he has," Reid said.