Burkholder: Vick 'absolutely fine last night'
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Burkholder: Vick 'absolutely fine last night'
Daily News staff and Les Bowen
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was “absolutely fine last night,” after suffering a concussion in Sunday night's loss at Atlanta, head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said. He will go through the NFL’s concussion protocols to determine when he will be able to practice or play.
Vick is resting today and Burkholder said he had not seen him yet, as of Andy Reid's noon news conference. Burkholder said he would check with Vick as to whether he would have an MRI exam today, potentially see a neurologist and have Impact testing, all of which has to occur before he practices.
“Rest is one of the vital things we can give him,” Burkholder said. “We try not to tax his brain or anything. We will go through protocol … We have it outlined. We have done this before. This is not our first go-round.”
As to when he might be ready, Bukrholder said, “We’re not guessing … I’m not going to be back here tomorrow and tell you that’s he’s cleared.”
“I can’t give you a timeframe on this,” he said. “That’s foolish on our part, medically, to put that out there. Everyone wants to know (a) timeframe. Everyone wants to know whether Mike is going to play. We’re going to go through our protocol and when Mike’s ready to practice, I will turn him over to coach and he will make the decision when he’s ready to play. I keep emphasizing, we’re 13 hours post-injury. There’s a lot that has to go on between now and then to make that decision. For me to sit up here and guess on that, it’s not fair to Michael, it’s not fair to coach, it’s not fair to us, the NFL, anybody.”
Burkholder said concussion testing in the locker room showed Vick was very close to the line of whether someone has or does not have a concussion.
The Eagles host the Giants Sunday. Reid seemed to hint that given the complexity of the New York defense, it would be a good thing if the QB practicing Wednesday was the same one starting Sunday -- a possible indication we will see Mike Kafka instead of Vick.
Reid said he spoke with Vick at length after the game. “He remembered everything,” Reid said. “He recalled everything. I tried to quiz him and see where he was at. He was frustrated that he wasn’t able to finish. He had a vested interest in finishing.”
“The test is what it is. If he’s injured, he’s injured. I know that he wants to play.”
League concussion protocols say: "The player should not be considered for return to football activities until he is fully asymptomatic, both at rest and after exertion, has a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing, and has been cleared to play by both his team physician and the independent neurological consultant."
If Vick is unable to play, Reid said he has not decided who the starting quarterback will be, either Vince Young or Kafka. However, Reid said Young, sidelined the last three weeks with a hamstring problem, is not quite 100 percent yet. Given Young's lack of recent reps in the offense, it would be a surprise if he were to start ahead of Kafka Sunday, but Reid might find it useful to create an air of mystery. And as Burkholder noted, it is premature to assume Vick won't play.
“We’ll see how all that goes,” Reid said, when asked his preference between Kafka and Young. “I haven’t gotten to that point. It was a long night.”
Reid said he has confidence in both quarterbacks and will be talking with both of them. “The one thing we know is it’s a complicated defense and they run a lot of things at you. … On the other hand, Michael has played a lot of games against them and they have given us about every look possible in the last couple of Giants games. That is something I will have to weigh when we get there.”
Asked whether he will consider bringing in another quarterback, Reid said, “I’ll take care of that in the next couple of days and evaluate that. I’m not there yet.”
Reid said he faulted himself for being “way too conservative” after Vick left the game and Kafka came in.
“I sent a message to our team and not a positive one,” Reid said. “That is something I don’t do, in particular given how much trust I have him … I’m kicking myself in the trail for that right now.”
Asked about Kafka, Reid said, “I would have never traded Kevin Kolb if I didn’t have trust in Mike Kafka. I didn’t show that last night. I would never have done the Vince Young deal if I didn’t have trust in Mike Kafka. I didn’t prove it to you last night until the last series.”
Reid said the biggest lesson was to be aggressive with a lead.
“When you have a lead, you have to get after it and stay aggressive,” Reid said. “Again I didn’t set the tempo from that. We’re going to learn how to finish here, starting with me and the coaches and the rest of the guys.”
In other injury news:
· Brent Celek has a low back strain and is "tender today," Reid said.
· Trent Cole has a strained tendon in his hand. “He should be fine,” Reid said.
· Juqua Parker has a high ankle sprain. “I can’t tell you how severe it is right now,” Reid said. “He’s got to get through today here and we’ll have a better idea.”
· Darryl Tapp has a pectoral strain and is healing, Reid said.
**
To read our earlier post and to make your grades for Eagles-Falcons, click here.
"not fair to the NFL"?— fentonhardy- Vick should have been BACK IN THE GAME last night. Ed Rendell is right, a nation of wusses.— brmorgen81
- He would have been back in there had the Eagles not scored that touchdown to go up 10. If you noticed, that is when they sent him to the locker room, thinking the game was more or less in hand. — auntesther
- Trent Cole played out of his mind last night. Great Game!— kozykoz26
- The "last couple of Giants?".. should I translate from native Bowen to " the Giants have given us every possible look the last couple of seasons"?— drbob1
- 13 years as head coach and he's still kicking himself in the tail for his mistakes and STILL hasn't learned how to "finish" a game.......wow.— Mark1npt
- "We try not to tax his brain or anything"....hahahahahhaha...this says it all— thingfish
- For all your bellyaching, Kafka ran a credible offense in the 4th quarter. Maclin dropped that ball on 4th down. There were other drops that were made all throughout the game.
The point is, in the NFL, if you don't have a decent backup you're lost. See Indy for what its like to not have a good backup QB.— fmMD - If Vick is out, Vince Young will play...thats evident in what Reid said. Kafka will never be given an opportunity with Reid and Lurie.— Carlos2
- I guess a record of 1-2 isn't bad.— cake2025
- I love Maclin to death, but let's be honest, he catches a ball that he needs to catch and the Eagles have a 1st and 10 inside their opponents 20 with over 1:30 on the clock and momentum on their side. Losses happen. Personally, I am just going to hope Vick is ready for Sunday and move on.— montanadelphia
- @sackvicknow, love your post!— tbtante
- wanker. — auntesther
- “We try not to tax his brain or anything."
so, they won't be asking him to read any defenses or protect the football.
— ekw555 - The moderators of these comments sections should ban idiots like "sack". Clearly this nut isn't capable of interacting with responsible adults on this site.— cancer36
- Agreed! — carlosfunk
- Castillo is in way over his head. Andy and co spent all this money on FA talent for the defense, yet ruins it all by appointing his unqualified buddy to the second most important coaching position on the team. Eerily reminiscent to making Greg Lewis the kick returner. A move that reeks of arrogance and blows up in Andy's face. Not surprising Andy can't win the big one.— Blankman
- This is what happens when you give "certain" people long term guaranteed contracts (e.g. Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, and now Vick)!!!!!— GeorgiePorgie68
- Well, if he trusts Kafka, they should trade VY to the Colts for their best LB!— SilliBilli
- Andy....hope you are enjoy the choices you made this offseason. Gave a guy 100million who never went a whole 16 game season, and never will. Main factor in him getting hit to much is his stubbornness in learning how to read a blitz and his ego that makes him think he is super man and can run...hold the ball like a kid in HS and make things happen. His muffed handoff and fumble cost us.— RealizticFan
- I really don't know why everyone is down. The Giants looked terrible last week. I guess tonight will give us a better idea of how good NY is, but I think we can win our next 3 games with any QB we currently have on the roster.— EagleEye87
- and we still know nothing as Andy has never told the truth about anything and certainly not about injuries......and Kafka did a credible job...He is no Michael but hen no one is.....and Sny should really be questined about the O-line that allows Michael to get hit so often and the MLB that allows big backs to do such damage....duh...big and strong BEATS light and fast EVERY time.....and being a rookie makes it even worse....Good call Andy...— nuggett
Comment removed.- The hidden racism in some of these comments is amazing. The birds would have won by 20 if MV hadn't hit his right tackle with his head. I'm white and the comments offend me. The Eagles will beat the Giants and go from there. The only loser around here are the haters not the birds.— ceocreates
- Agreed! — carlosfunk
- Get ready Birds.........The G-Men are going to Chase you Down!— MRD
- Michael Vick is a warrior and should be healthy enough to play Sunday. Kafka threw the ball too strong to Maclin and he couldn't catch it. That failed conversion was all on Kakfa.— DonovanMcNabb
- they should develop a fan "wonderlic" test before allowing idiots like Donovan here a chance to post idiotic comments. — bearsfriend
- Michael Vick is a warrior and should be healthy enough to play Sunday. Kafka threw the ball too strong to Maclin and he couldn't catch it. That failed conversion was all on Kakfa.— DonovanMcNabb
- Michael Vick is a warrior and should be healthy enough to play Sunday. Kafka threw the ball too strong to Maclin and he couldn't catch it. That failed conversion was all on Kakfa.— DonovanMcNabb
- Michael Vick is a warrior and should be healthy enough to play Sunday. Kafka threw the ball too strong to Maclin and he couldn't catch it. That failed conversion was all on Kakfa.— DonovanMcNabb
- Anyone else like how Vick pointed to the scoreboard last night on his way out of the game. Classy Mike....really classy. Not to mention you leave your team ...and end up losing the game. Hey Reid...good choice in QBs.— RealizticFan
- Dunno why u continue to rip AR. Even if he never wins another game with the Eagles, AR is still the best coach to ever coach the Eagles to date. AR always say the coaches need to put players in better positions/situations. Last night, they had the Falcons where they wanted them, but the players still need to show up and shut down Falcon's offense in the 4th. How can you blame AR for that?— penncrow19
- The writers on the Eagles game on Philly.com seem to be writing for the Giants, Dallas and or Redskins, like they hate the Eagles. Their stories are exacerbating and persecuting Vick as if it weren’t for him the Eagles would be a great team. The fans know it's clear the coaching is deplorable. If Andy had Tom Brady, he’d be taken out on a stretcher.
Reid’s probably a nice guy but a girl could coach the Eagles better then him. Know one would have hired an unproven DC, but Andy. Know one would have ignored the offensive line issues for years either. And Morningweig is a sloth when it comes to OC skills. Just looks lazy……
— epalmer - The writers on the Eagles game on Philly.com seem to be writing for the Giants, Dallas and or Redskins, like they hate the Eagles. Their stories are exacerbating and persecuting Vick as if it weren’t for him the Eagles would be a great team. The fans know it's clear the coaching is deplorable. If Andy had Tom Brady, he’d be taken out on a stretcher. Reid’s probably a nice guy but a girl could coach the Eagles better then him. Know one would have hired an unproven DC, but Andy. Know one would have ignored the offensive line issues for years either. And Morningweig is a sloth when it comes to OC skills. Just looks lazy…… (HTML deleted)— epalmer
- How about an injury update on Asante? I know he finished the game (so I expect him to play next week), but when he was in the locker room they said he was out with an open dislocated finger. Sounds worse to me than a strained tendon in Trent Cole's hand.— phillipkatz
- We’re going to learn how to finish here, starting with me and the coaches and the rest of the guys.” It is deja vu all over again for the past ten years.— zajaca
- Falcons owning the Eagles? Matt Ryan putting together two looooong game winning fourth quarter drives. No surprise there. Vick getting his rear kicked in the process? PRICELESS!— mburton
- @ Blankman - Since when does the 2nd game of the season equate to "the big one"?
The only mistake Reid made last night was not challenging the interception play that might have avoided a Falcons touchdown. Ryan careered last night. Vick was out the entire 4th. Lots of dropped balls and fumbles by the players that he depends on. Reid was laughing on that final drive because he just saw his 3rd stringer nearly bring them back. It just wasn't meant to be last night. Eagles will be back with a vengeance against the Giants!— coolbreeze23 - Some of those fumbles from "people he depends on" include himself. 2 fumbles and an int, not exactly pro-bowl material, even Vick should admit he contributed to the points the Falcons got after those turnovers. — kmon
- "Reid said, “I would have never traded Kevin Kolb if I didn’t have trust in Mike Kafka. I didn’t show that last night."
Agreed 100% The little dump-offs and stuff really were worthless. Kafka played in the exhibition games and they knew what he could do. He certainly showed that on that last drive. He stood tall in the pocket and he's got a nice touch. Macklin catches the ball and they go on to score a TD and the QB controversy would be on with the morons who inhabit some of these blogs.
— Phillyexp - Get off the ledge people. We allowed 3 scoring drives to start on OUR end of the field. The only thing that beat the Eagles last night was themselves. They weren't going 16-0, so they get a loss out of their system and move on. The O-line is a work in progress but was better than last week. D-line was getting pressure all night w/o the blitz. Yes, our LB and safeties need a lot of work, but every team has weaknesses and this team showed a lot of heart last night for a 2nd straight road game vs. the #1 seed in NFL last year. I'm confident this team will ROLL the Giants next week and continue to beat up the early half of the their schedule. DJax running down the DLineman should've earned his extension last night. Maclin will not drop another easy pass again.— bsgratch
- We should be taxing Andy for not challenging what was clearly NOT an interception. Yup: fire McDermott after his first year when clearly you should have been RUNNING THE BALL against Green Bay.— girouxforpresident
- This is irresponsible reporting by Bowen. You can't right "absolutely fine last night" in the lead and then have every other quote from Burkholder be to the contrary without giving some kind of context as to what the "absolutely fine" means.— rojo_744
- Eagles 1-2 is this what everyone was expecting?— pennyrobinson
- Reid's comment "I'm Kicking Myself In The TRAIL". Nobody proof reads anymore. If Reid doesn't win the Super Bowl this year he should "Hit The Trail". Same old BS excuses. LB'S ARE PATHETIC, PATHETIC.— The Marco Islander
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- I don't know, the 3rd stringer was kind of dominating the "super-bowl bound" Falcons before the freak injury. You people that want to take away from Vick no matter what constitute a moral plague on these message boards. There's got to be a better way for you people to get off. — auntesther
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Oh epalmer you are so-o on the money. I would add I hate the stupid end around gadget plays OC Mornhinweg seems to add into every game the Eagles play whether the situation calls for it or not. If he's going to use other running plays such as draws, pitches, counters, and slants and trap plays to take advantage of over pursuing defenses. The coaches need to make the team practice them until they become second nature. And they should run them with a FB such as Schmitt who's 6-2 245 instead of a smallish Lewis (5-8 195 soaking wet) or even Brown (6-0 230) for that matter.
I don't want to be overly critical due to the lock out and abbreviated training camp but I sure hope they get better in those areas and with more balance which they seem to be trying to do but old habits are hard to break.
As it is, these plays take forever to develop and by the time they do, the defense has snuffed them for a loss. I don't think the Eagles coaches are firm enough in insisting on perfection in the area of execution otherwise, the Eagles would be better at them. Of course, I have no way of verifying this but, to me, the proof is in the pudding.
— essell - Reid has never drafted or signed any great linebackers. What a poor scheme to stop running backs. With Vick always one hit away from the IR this team won't make the playoffs this year.— farley
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- Some of you sound like Lonewolf disciples.....clueless and fair weather fans. Let's take an honest look here....we had the game won against a preseason SB favorite, in their house, and we made some mistakes. Vick gets hurt after being swung into our own guy, Kafka comes in and does very well, but the Falcons got hot and our D was gassed. It was a preview of the NFC Championship game, which unfortunately now will be played in the Georgia Dome (head-to-head loss). Get real....there's a whole season ahead. Vick, get well soon. NFC East title is first priority, and it starts next weekend.
All Lonewolf followers are excused....go visit the NYG website— philly449 - Reid will never run first to set up the pass. Thus, Vick will continue to get pounded. The LB's get pushed around like rag dolls! They had Page covering Gonzalez all night and made NO adjustments! Great players and great teams make plays when they count! Philly players drop a perfectly thrown pass to lose the game! What's different about this Eagles team? NOTHING! Just another game they should have won, but found a way to lose!— fscalzo
- The Eagles are headed towards the playoffs. By the end of the year, they'll be in the top 3 in the league. The Eagles have way more talent than the Rams or Falcons. The Eagles have a long way to go as far as consistancy and team play goes but they have great talent. This is the best talent since Reid has been here. If they get their act together, they could have a multi-year run.— MikeP
- Kafka-esque.— 24sDad
- First of all, we're blaming Vick for two fumbles and an interception. One of the fumbles was not his fault. Oh, I'm sorry, getting hit by a huge defensive lineman after he faked a pitch on a called play, and reaching to hand off to his running back while getting the stuffing knocked out of him was HIS fault. And now, for the interception that wasn't - so really, one fumble was Vick's fault.
He had 242 yards in the 3rd quarter and an over 100 passer rating. He coverted two third downs effortlessly with his legs. Granted, he took WAY too many hits. But part of that is the play calling and offensive line. Matt Ryan took a ton of hits too. But to say that Vick isn't tough is just plain wrong. You know that he wanted to finish that game being that it was in Atlanta. The only reason he didn't was because he was concussed.
The problem was the defense. Page couldn't cover Gonzalez and we didn't stop the Falcons when we needed to. . .ahem! Turner's 61 yard run is exhibit A. Even with ALL of that, if Maclin catches that ball we probably win and everyone is having a totally different conversation today.— asonepraise - Great article in the SportingNews from today!
Why Michael Vick won't lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl
Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-09-19/why-michael-vick-wont-lead-the-eagles-to-a-super-bowl?icid=maing-grid7%7Caim%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk1%7C97028#ixzz1YRbeX2Uv
Good luck Birds for the rest of your season!— MRD - i have said this before in the preseason. Celek has LJ Smith disease. He is killing us with the drops. I really think Harbor needs to get in there on some of these TE passing downs.— djack10
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- If we lose next week, there could be a problem. We need to get at Eli— flyfightinbullies
- seems like every year we give up at least one maybe two games to the admitted fault of the coach. Seems odd that it is allowed to continue. Brutal— dpell
- The Eagles lost a very winnable game last night, and a very long season is now upon us. The Giants are coming to Philly, and I estimate a 31-17 Giants win or thereabouts. At least thank God the Andy Ried swan song has now begun, and a winning coach will finally be on the horizon.— bust6711
- sackvicknow = IDIOT!— RAVEN6
- Hope you all read that sweet article about Vick today in The Sporting News. Many people give this Journalist props for writing this cause its true.— MRD
- vick should see a neurologist for the rest of his miserable life.— bucky95
- Police picked up two rotweilers and a pit bull making book on whether vick could return.— Graves
- more seriously this game high lited the weakness shown in the first game. the line can't defend Vick. In the first game he was quick enough on his feet to compensate but he can't do that every week. This week he didn't and the result was, vick was out.
Proving Andy -wheeze- reid can't learn he is going down the exact same road that he did a decade agon with McNabb- a QB who can run too and when the line doesn't protect him you get a bump in the turf shaped like an eagle's QB. After mcNabb broke his leg, his spirit never really recovered. Vick still hasn't hit that wall but unless AR can shield him better he will. and we'll be left with reid glowering at reporters and growling out the same nonsensical answers— Graves - Dang braindrains could you be anymore jealous of the man. The man wanted to come back in after the hit...he will be ok and there will be another miracle at the meadowlands. Next 3 games are all home and all wins. I especially love the way defense lines up now...heads down and looking at just the ball. And Vick is excellent in the pocket and when he scrambles he is dangerous. I doubt Vick will miss a game this year. The schedule is so dang easy. Sunday = Eagles 34, Giants 10.
— Showtime226 - One more thing they without a doubt better give DeSean Jackson his due. He save a touchdown and ran that player back...did you see that!! "SHOW HIM THE MONEY, PULLEZZ"— Showtime226
