Philadelphia (AP) — Michael Vick jogged off the field after another long
practice and headed straight for the air-conditioned comfort indoors.
All
that extra work could be paying off. Vick's teammates said the
quarterback looks ready to play when the Philadelphia Eagles host
Jacksonville on Thursday.
"I'm not a quarterback or a quarterback
coach so I wouldn't know exactly, but as a defensive guy watching I can
tell you that he's ready," safety Quintin Mikell said Monday.
Coach
Andy Reid is expected to say Tuesday whether Vick will make his Eagles
debut in an exhibition home game against the Jaguars.
Vick is
eligible to play the next two preseason games, but not in the regular
season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he would consider Vick for
full reinstatement by no later than Week 6 (Oct. 18-19).
"He's ready for another chance," offensive lineman Shawn Andrews said.
Since
Vick's first day with the Eagles, he has stayed after practice to work
with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and assistant coaches. He
was joined Monday for 20 minutes by Donovan McNabb and the other three
QBs on the roster.
The Eagles have kept practices open, but are not allowing the media to report on specifics, a standard policy around the NFL.
But
while the Eagles prefer to keep their intentions to themselves, it's
clear Vick wasn't brought to Philadelphia to be a backup and that he
figures into the team's plans. Vick's skills are perfectly suited to
run a wildcat formation, and he's familiar with Philadelphia's version
of the West Coast offense.
"I think he's had about three
coordinators who have all been similar in their style," McNabb said.
"There is nothing for me to tell him. He's obviously watched throughout
my career and he's run the offense himself. He'll get a chance to kind
of see it in action, move around in it, try to run it and try to
execute the plays."
Off the field, Vick has kept quiet. Vick did
not violate the terms of his probation nor the conditions of his NFL
reinstatement when he drank an alcoholic beverage on the night after
his first practice with the Eagles, a team spokesman told The
Philadelphia Inquirer.
A report in the Aug. 16 editions of the
New York Post described Vick as "sipping on a Grey Goose (vodka) and
pineapple juice" at a restaurant near the Philadelphia Airport.