Vick to make Eagles debut in preseason game against Jaguars
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PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick will make his Philadelphia Eagles debut in Thursday night's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I can only go off what I've seen in practice, and it looks like he's moving around pretty good," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "Realistically, it's been two years (since Vick last played in an NFL game). We'll see how it works out. We'll give him a couple shots in there and see what he can do."
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback hasn't played in an NFL game since Dec. 31, 2006 with the Atlanta Falcons. Vick was released from federal custody July 20 after serving 18 months of a 23-month sentence for his role in running a dogfighting operation.
It's unknown how much Vick will play against the Jaguars. Donovan McNabb and the rest of the Eagles' starters are scheduled to play three quarters, and Reid said Vick won't play in the fourth quarter. That means Vick could spell McNabb and take reps with the first-team offense.
It's also likely that Vick could be used in a variation of the Wildcat formation. Reid said he's not concerned about showing off such packages in a preseason game.
"I'm just going to take it play by play and see how he adjusts to game speed," Reid said of Vick. "If I think that's a problem, I'll probably discontinue the reps. If I feel he's adjusting OK, I'll continue to give him an opportunity here and there."
Vick is eligible to play in the Eagles' 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 wants to get in. He's set this as a goal, as did we," Reid said of Vick. "You see him out there conditioning after practice. He's conditioning before practice. He's excited to get out there. I'm sure he'll have a couple butterflies with it being a couple years since he's been in, but he's excited to get back doing what he does."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
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