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Sources: Michael Vick will remain Eagles' starting quarterback; Marty Mornhinweg will still call plays

The changes Andy Reid said that were coming after he fired Juan Castillo won't involve the quarterback or the offensive coordinator.

Michael Vick and Marty Mornhinweg will remain in their current roles, according to sources. (David Maialetti/Staff file photo)
Michael Vick and Marty Mornhinweg will remain in their current roles, according to sources. (David Maialetti/Staff file photo)Read more

The changes Andy Reid said that were coming after he fired Juan Castillo won't involve the quarterback or the offensive coordinator.

Michael Vick will remain the starting quarterback when the 3-3 Eagles face the 6-0 Falcons on Oct. 28 and Marty Mornhinweg will still call the offensive plays, team sources said Thursday.

Reid has yet to conclude all of his evaluations during the bye week. But the additional moves that he said he would make won't be as significant as was replacing Castillo with defensive backs coach Todd Bowles on Tuesday.

It is likely Reid will tinker with some part of his team, most likely the offensive line. The unit has been up and down all season but was especially low during the Eagles' demoralizing 26-23 overtime loss to the Lions on Sunday. Vick was hit many times in the first half and the running game had little impact.

Vick, meanwhile, continued his struggles against Detroit, turning the ball over two times. He has accounted for 13 of the Eagles' 17 turnovers.

"You obviously can't have that many turnovers," Reid said Tuesday. "You can't do that. If you can't have that many as an offense, you surely can't have that many as a quarterback."

On Tuesday, Reid was asked if Vick remained his starter, but the coach gave an answer very similar to the one he gave on Castillo a day before he fired his defensive coordinator.

"As I sit here today he's our starting quarterback," Reid said.

A questioner noted the similar responses and how it would be interpreted that Vick's job was on the line with rookie Nick Foles waiting in the wings.

"I'm just telling the truth to you," Reid said. "That's what I'm saying to you. Right now Michael Vick is the starting quarterback. I've told you that I'm going through and I'm evaluating."

Reid obviously came to the conclusion that his best chance to win at the moment was to stick with the 32-year-old Vick. Despite his problems, Vick has guided the Eagles to three fourth-quarter comebacks this season and has made significant strides against the blitz.

Not many quarterbacks could have survived the deluge of pressure Vick faced against the Lions. He had the Eagles up 10 points with five minutes to play, but Castillo's defense could not sustain the lead.

Not all the blame rests on the defense. In fact, for most of the season, Castillo's unit carried the offense and Bobby April's special teams. The defense is ranked 12th in total yards and 13th in points.

Mornhinweg's offense, on the other hand, is 11th in total yards, but 31st in points and in turnovers - a fact Reid was made aware of on Tuesday.

"We've got to get better," Reid said of the offense. "We're going through that and looking at all that. But there's things we can do better there, absolutely do better."

Reid, obviously, did not think the play-calling needed to be improved to the point that he would yank responsibility from Mornhinweg, who has had it since 2006. Reid called plays for most of the first half of his tenure with the Eagles.

"I like calling the plays," Reid said. "I think I have a good play-caller."

Reid, on the hot seat, needs Mornhinweg to be great. He needs Vick to stop turning the ball over. He needs the rest of his coaches and players to do their jobs better.

And Reid, of course, needs to do a better job or he'll be out of one.