Vick still hobbled by hamstring injury, unsure when he'll play again

WHO KNOWS when or whether the Eagles' quarterbacking carousel will turn again, but if it turns soon, Michael Vick won't be able to jump on.

Eagles coach Chip Kelly said yesterday that Vick isn't able to do 7-on-7 work in practice, the way he was at this point following his initial hamstring injury. Later yesterday, Vick told Glen Macnow and Anthony Gargano on 94WIP he was "feeling better," but couldn't put a percentage on his recovery from the reinjury, suffered Oct. 27 against the Giants. Vick said he would need to give his hammy a "hard test" to gauge where he is, and he isn't ready to do that.

Asked whether he has a timetable, Vick said: "Not as of right now. My coaches have told me just to take as much time as needed, because we don't want what happened when I went out there last time to happen again. You know, it didn't look good."

Second-year quarterback Nick Foles has won NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice in three starts this season, but sandwiched between was a terrible performance in a home loss to Dallas. Yesterday, Kelly wouldn't even confirm Foles as the starter for Sunday, let alone the rest of the season.

Foles threw seven touchdown passes against the Raiders, tying an NFL record. Asked yesterday how many he thought he might have to throw this week to be named the permanent starter, Foles laughed and said he trusts Kelly "with everything."

Vick, who was on the sideline last Sunday, called Foles' performance "something you rarely see" and added, "I enjoyed every minute of it."

After visiting Green Bay, the Eagles will try to break their 10-game home losing streak against the improving Redskins, then they have their bye week. It seems very likely Vick will be out until the bye week.

Chip Kelly was asked his attitude toward hazing, in the wake of the Miami Dolphins controversy.

"I think with all our guys, they're all members of the same team, and I think everybody should be treated the same way," Kelly said. "I think some of our young offensive linemen make sure that there's water stocked in the offensive-line meeting room. But everybody's a professional; everybody's on the same team. We don't have a rookie show; we don't do those things . . . We addressed it when we brought the rookies in here and told them that everybody's the same, whether you're a 10-year guy or a rookie. That's part of the deal. Part of our job, I think, is to make sure that the young guys get acclimated. What was it like when you were a rookie? It's hard. Even though they're professionals, there's still a learning curve."

Packers linebacker Clay Matthews told reporters in Green Bay he expects to be able to play Sunday, as he recovers from surgery for a broken thumb. His right hand will be heavily wrapped.

Nick Foles yesterday called Matthews "a huge presence."

"Just watching the cutups when he's playing, he's an explosive player, plays extremely hard, he comes off that edge hard, he's extremely smart," Foles said.

Matthews spoke of limiting his reps. He said playing against his brother, Eagles linebacker Casey, "will be a great story to tell when we're older."

They faced off once before, when Clay played for USC and Casey was at Oregon with Chip Kelly.

Cornerback Bradley Fletcher was listed as "limited" in practice by the Eagles with a pectoral muscle pull, but Fletcher reiterated he will play Sunday . . . Defensive lineman Cedric Thornton, who sat out Tuesday and Wednesday with a knee issue, practiced fully yesterday . . . Linebacker Jake Knott (hamstring) didn't practice . . . Left tackle Jason Peters has been dealing with nagging injuries, including a finger he can't bend, but Chip Kelly said his play isn't being affected. Kelly said Peters is probably the Birds' best run-blocker.

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