Could Vick miss the opener?
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Could Vick miss the opener?
Michael Vick isn't out of the woods just yet.
While an x-ray of his ribs following Monday night's preseason game against the Patriots came back negative, the Eagles quarterback will undergo an MRI and a CT scan this morning to see if there is damage other than a fracture.
"He got a good shot there," coach Andy Reid said of the hit that New England linebacker Jermaine Cunningham delivered to Vick's mid-section. "The precautionary measure is to see if it’s involving cartilage there.”
Vick has been down this road before. On Oct. 3, 2010, he left a game against the Redskins when he took a blow to his rib area. He had an x-ray but the team did not release the results after the game. Reid said then that he had a "sore chest." A day later, an MRI revealed that Vick had injured the cartilage that connected his second and third ribs to his sternum, according to the Eagles.
Reid said that Vick had fractured his cartilage. Vick admitted this past spring that he fractured his ribs. Whatever the injury, he did not play again until Nov. 7. He originally said that he would miss probably only two weeks. But he sat out the next three games. A bye week followed so Vick may have returned earlier, but he did not play until the Colts game -- 35 days after the injury against the Redskins.
The Eagles open the regular season in 19 days on Sept. 9 at Cleveland. They have two preseason games remaining -- at the Browns on Friday and at home against the New York Jets on Aug. 30. Reid did not rule out Vick for Friday's game, but it is unlikely he will play in either contest even if his injury isn't serious.
Quarterback Mike Kafka won't play with a fractured hand, so rookie Nick Foles and Trent Edwards will likely split the Browns game. Foles performed well in relief of Vick against the Patriots. He could have the backup quarterback spot locked up.
Vick and the Eagles returned to Philadelphia from Foxboro, Mass. early this morning. A source close to the quarterback said he spoke to the quarterback when he arrived and that he sounded optimistic that his injury wasn't serious, for whatever that is worth.
Still, Vick can't seem to avoid injury. In the preseason opener he bruised him thumb when his hand hit the back of center Jason Kelce's helmet. Last year, he suffered a concussion at Atlanta, bruised his hand the following week against the New York Giants and broke two ribs in November against the Cardinals. He sat out the next three games.
The Eagles have tried to stress to Vick that he needs to do a better job of protecting himself. While the 2010 injury occurred when he was scrambling, Vick's last five injuries have occurred in or around the pocket.
Guard Evan Mathis took the blame for Monday night's injury. He was beat inside and Vick had to spin away from a defender and into the arms of Cunningham.
“Completely my fault,” Mathis said. “It’s something that can’t happen. Something we’ve got to work out. Fortunately, Michael is not too seriously injured, but it’s very concerning. It’s our job to keep him safe. To keep him off the turf. When the quarterback takes a hit and is laying on the ground, you feel it.”
Could Vick have done a better job of avoiding the hit? Should he have thrown the ball away when he saw that Mathis was beat? Reid said that Vick didn't hold onto the ball too long or make the wrong decision.
Whether it's Vick's fault, the line's fault, Reid or offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's fault for trying to turn Vick into a pocket passer or all of the above, it is unclear. One thing is clear: Vick has been getting hurt way too often.
He'll be out 4-6 weeks then out of Philly permanently at the end of this season.— JBP- Can't wait to get him and Reid out of Philly !!!!!!!!!!!— zogger
- Mathis blew his block totally, but that wasn't the guy who hit Vick. Instead of dumping the ball off, he ran into pressure, which he does often and tried to throw the ball instead of immediately throwing the ball away or just project yourself and the ball and take the sack.— Sidewinder7
- He just has to know better than to try to heave a bomb to an empty part of the field is not the right play. He has to consider the time it takes to release the ball and that he can still get hit. Amazed that he cant even figure that out in a lousy preseason game. He also did a head first slide on a scramble earlier. He wont change and his frame just doesnt hold up to the hits. He will most likely get hurt again. As well, they even mentioned dynasty in the MNF intro, too funny I laughed. Every time I hear natl media talk eagles it always comes up, ha, another thing Vick should figured out by now.— peteike
Vick has proven he's not very smart and very athletic, that's what I deduce from all this.- Expecting Vick to change his style of play is just not realistic. He is an amazing athlete but not a great QB. His style of play and his body type inevitably leads to injuries. He cannot last an entire season and thus in many ways hurts the chances of this team. Unfortunately, there is nothing to do but play the hand for the remainder of this year. But any thoughts of him changing or a Super Bowl are basically zero.— mindstorms
- When we got Vick I didnt think much about it ...thinking we'd just use him as trade bait. In no way would I think we'd hand over the keys to an injury prone, unintelligent QB that is past his prime and has always been more interested in getting on sportscenters top 10 plays then winning Super Bowls. This experiment has gone awful. Kolb in our system if given time would be better then Vick. Foles hopefully is our future. We need a QB not someone that thinks his legs can do everything...someone that can read a defense / read a blitz...a QB that has a mental clock in his head that says get rid of the BALL in 3 seconds. You cannot win championships with a QB that cannot stay healthy ....plain and simple. It is a FACT.— RealizticFan
Comment removed.- Instead of insults, how about showing what's wrong with the statements they just made. I'll bet you can't, and that's why you resort to insults.
— OldBill1934 - It's unbelievable to me how this guy just doesn't get it. His mandate is pretty simple: stay healthy and don't completely tank the season, and he gets to play out that $100 million contract. The alternative is he gets cut after this season. So what does he do? 2 preseason games and 2 separate injuries, both because of poor decision making. It's astounding to me that a rookie QB can come right in and orchestrate the offense almost flawlessly, simply because he understands Read and Release better than a 10-year vet
- Comment removed.
- You could put him in a hurt locker bomb suit and he will still get hurt. He is too soft and delicate to play in the NFL. He also is not a good QB in this league even when he is healthy, amazing athletics aside. — Sidewinder7
- yes the thumb injury was a poor decision that could've been avoided if he had a tiny bit of pocket presence and the natural timing mechanism that every pocket qb possesses. Instead he sat in the pocket too long holding the ball, didn't recognize where the pressure was coming from, and made a throw from a phone booth while completely out of rhythm. When you put yourself in that position, in a preseason game no less, you invite injuries to happen (and it's actually his second thumb injury)
- another excuse to keep Reid after this season— djgq42
- is there a reason he isnt wearing a flak jacket at all times on the field?— CSpangler
