Michael Vick said Monday that he expects to start against the Dolphins this weekend and Eagles coach Andy Reid confirmed the plan is for Vick to be back under center.
According to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, Vick hasn’t experienced any setbacks in practice this week and is on target to end his three-game absence. The focus now shifts to keeping him in the lineup, something that Vick addressed on Wednesday.
“Sliding. Getting down,” Vick said in response to a question about how he’ll avoid missing more time. “I’ve made my mind up. There’s going to be times when I can’t get the extra yards. I gotta get down. I get too caught up in the game sometimes, but that leads to me being sidelined, not being accountable for the team on Sunday.”
It is certainly the right idea, but it isn’t quite as easy as just sliding instead of trying for extra yardage. Vick’s instincts, the moments when he gets “too caught up in the game”, are part of what make him such a dynamic player on the field. You have to wonder if the extra moment of thought about whether or not to slide (or anything that takes Vick out of the moment, really) will wind up having a detrimental effect on his performance.
Staying healthy is paramount, obviously, so it makes for an interesting balancing act for Vick and the Eagles over the next four games and the next few seasons.