Eagles have yet to rule out Vick for a reason

Published: September 20th, 2011 | Tags: Michael Vick, Mike Kafka, Philadelphia Eagles, Rick Burkholder, Stacey Dales, Vince Young

PHILADELPHIA — As we await Eagles practice Wednesday, not much really has changed on the Michael Vick injury front.

Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder has a protocol in which concussed players must go through five separate phases of testing before they can be cleared to play. The rate at which players move from one stage to the next varies for each, and Vick started that process Monday.

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But don’t expect to hear from Vick on the matter anytime soon. Because of new rules regarding players who have suffered concussions, Vick can’t address the media until he is cleared.

From the outside, the misconception right now — which I’ve discussed with team personnel — is that the Eagles never allow a player to play the week following a concussion. There is an exception, as they reminded me that WR Jason Avant suffered a concussion at the end of last season against the Giants and was cleared to play the following week. The Eagles aren’t yet ruling Vick out this week and have been very clear about such.

Vick’s top backup, Vince Young, participated in a limited portion of practice last Friday but was deactivated Sunday night because of his hamstring injury. There’s a chance he could return this week. Keep in mind, Young was 2-0 against the Giants as the starter for the Titans.

They love Mike Kafka in Philly. Following the trade of Kevin Kolb to Arizona, Eagles coach Andy Reid considered him the top backup to Vick. I assume that Kakfa will get the majority of the first-team reps when the Eagles resume practice Wednesday.

– Stacey Dales

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