Michael Vick’s teammates say he’s ready to make his Eagles debut

Eagles teammates say Vick ready to play

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick jogged off the field after another long practice and headed straight for the air-conditioned comfort indoors.

All that extra work could be paying off. Vick’s teammates said the quarterback looks ready to play when the Philadelphia Eagles host Jacksonville on Thursday.

“I’m not a quarterback or a quarterback coach so I wouldn’t know exactly, but as a defensive guy watching I can tell you that he’s ready,” safety Quintin Mikell said Monday.

Coach Andy Reid is expected to say Tuesday whether Vick will make his Eagles debut in an exhibition home game against the Jaguars.

Vick is eligible to play the 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’s ready for another chance,” offensive lineman Shawn Andrews said.

Since Vick’s first day with the Eagles, he has stayed after practice to work with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and assistant coaches. He was joined Monday for 20 minutes by Donovan McNabb and the other three QBs on the roster.

The Eagles have kept practices open, but are not allowing the media to report on specifics, a standard policy around the NFL.

But while the Eagles prefer to keep their intentions to themselves, it’s clear Vick wasn’t brought to Philadelphia to be a backup and that he figures into the team’s plans. Vick’s skills are perfectly suited to run a wildcat formation, and he’s familiar with Philadelphia’s version of the West Coast offense.

“I think he’s had about three coordinators who have all been similar in their style,” McNabb said. “There is nothing for me to tell him. He’s obviously watched throughout my career and he’s run the offense himself. He’ll get a chance to kind of see it in action, move around in it, try to run it and try to execute the plays.”

Off the field, Vick has kept quiet. Vick did not violate the terms of his probation nor the conditions of his NFL reinstatement when he drank an alcoholic beverage on the night after his first practice with the Eagles, a team spokesman told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A report in the Aug. 16 editions of the New York Post described Vick as “sipping on a Grey Goose (vodka) and pineapple juice” at a restaurant near the Philadelphia Airport.