Vick: "I Have To Roll With The Punches"
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – In what's been a difficult season for anyone associated with the Philadelphia Eagles, Michael Vick has been front and center.
From the "dynasty" sound byte, to early-season turnover problems, to his eventual concussion and benching, it hasn't been the season anyone, including Vick, had hoped for.
"It's been tough sitting out for this long. You want to be out there playing. You want to be out there helping your team, but it was a situation where we just wanted to take precaution and let me get as much rest as possible and it paid dividends for me. I'm back and I'm healthy and I'm fresh now," Vick said.
Vick has been cleared to play, but as Andy Reid announced a few weeks ago, Nick Foles will start the final two Eagles games, barring injury.
"It's different, but that's just the way things are right now and I have to roll with the punches and deal with it; make the most out of it, continue to work hard, continue to try to get better, continue to help [QB] Nick [Foles] out, continue to help [QB] Trent [Edwards], continue to help this football team. That's my job as a leader, continuously, as the leader of this football team. Regardless of whether I'm the starter or the third-string quarterback, I'll continue to [lead]," Vick said today at practice.
Reid hadn't said whether Vick would be the second or third string quarterback, but Vick's comments suggest he'll be behind Edwards on the depth chart. 94WIP's Howard Eskin reports that Vick may not even dress, depending on how many roster spots Andy Reid needs for other positions.
The Eagles are widely expected to cut ties with Vick after this season, rather than paying him the nearly $17 million he'd be due in 2013.
"By not playing, I don't think it can affect my future. Like I said, I came back healthy and I'm strong. I'm ready to go. The thing is to just keep improving, keep working, continue to get better as a quarterback and that's about the only thing I can do. As far as my future here, I don't know. Elsewhere, I don't know. I'm just enjoying each and every day right now," Vick said.
"Just as a team, we had a lot of things that we needed to work on, a lot of areas that we needed to improve week in and week out. That's what makes a championship football team and I think, as players and as coaches, everybody has to understand that and be on board. Of course, being the quarterback, you're going to get the blame and I accept it even though it was tough," Vick said. [There were] a lot of hardships this year, not only for me but for a lot of guys in this locker room because we wanted to win. When we don't win, we know what comes along with it. I'm proud of the guys because they kept their heads held up high. I kept my head up. We've continued to try to make strides in whatever way we can and try to get wins. The one thing I can say is we'll fight to the end."
