So with the two-game suspension that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell applied to quarterback Mike Vick now expired, the Eagles will be using him this week, right?
Um, maybe.
Coach Andy Reid wouldn’t say whether Vick will play Sunday against the Chiefs.
Surely, Reid is engaged in a Mangini-style ploy to keep the Chiefs guessing. Or maybe the showman in the head coach is hoping to build a little suspense for the game.
Either way, it’s highly unlikely that Vick won’t play, especially since he’s the best quarterback on the team who doesn’t have a broken rib.
Reid’s coyness also has extended to the question of whether Vick or Jeff Garcia would be the backup to Kevin Kolb, if Donovan McNabb can’t play for a second straight week. Well, unless Reid plans to devote three spots on the 45-man game day roster to quarterbacks, Vick will be the backup. Otherwise, he can’t disrupt the rhythm of the base offense enter the game as a Wildcat quarterback until the fourth quarter.
If Reid doesn’t give Vick a chance to play, it’s safe to say that Vick will be sorely disappointed.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to go out there and play football, regardless of my role,” Vick said Wednesday, per the Associated Press. “This is a dream come true for me.”
Vick also referred to himself Wednesday as the “Wildcat Originator.” Which has a much better ring to it than the “Pit Bull Terminator.”
Sorry, Mike. But you kind of walked right into that one.