New Eagles coach Chip Kelly has made Mike Vick for everything he’s achieved this summer.
When Mike Vick officially won the Eagles’ starting quarterback job, not many were surprised. He had outplayed Nick Foles, ever so slightly, in the two-man race.
Of course, when Chip Kelly made the decision to bring Vick back on a one-year deal, the wheels were already in motion. The coach issued the ultimate challenge to the former Pro-Bowl quarterback by making him earn every rep, every single throw. Vick claimed the whole process made him fall back in love with football.
“I’m having fun playing football and I fell in love with the game again and I am thankful for that,” Vick said. “You’ve got to play this game with intense passion and purpose and I thank Coach Kelly for what he has done for me and that’s just giving me that confidence that I felt like I was losing at some point in my career.”
As Vick prepares for Monday’s season opener, he must keep the same mentality. He caught criticism for falling into some of the old vices — throwing interceptions, taking sacks, holding the ball too long — in his last preseason tune-up. Like anything in life, evaluating Vick’s play can be subjective. Kelly remains confident in Vick’s abilities.
“Part of being a great quarterback is making great decisions,” Kelly said after the third preseason game. “So if people are covered, I would rather our quarterback hold on to the ball than release the ball.”
Vick’s focus now turns to the national stage in the highly-anticipated battle with Washington’s Robert Griffin III. While the two signal-callers won’t be on the field at the same time, the game — magnified under the bright lights of “Monday Night Football” — carries extra weight.
“Anytime you have an opportunity to go against an opponent who has a great quarterback on the other end, it always makes for a great game,” Vick told 94 WIP Tuesday. “It’s like Steve Young and Brett Favre back in the day.”
Buckle up, Eagles fans. It’s going to be a thrilling — if not bumpy — ride for the 2013 Eagles. For now, Vick seems like the right man for the job.
Birds add two to practice squad
The Eagles added two players to the practice squad.
Offensive lineman Isaac Remington and safety Keelan Johnson were added to the roster. The Birds can add one more player to the squad. Wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah remains unclaimed.
Westbrook joins Comcast
Comcast SportsNet announced Brian Westbrook will join “Eagles Pregame Live” and “Eagles Postgame Live.”
Westbrook will contribute to other Eagles-related programming on the network. He is is the frachise’s all-time leader in yards from scrimmage.
