Roseman: Vick Knew There Would Be A Competition

Howie Roseman addressed the media Monday afternoon as rookies and selected vets reported to the NovaCare Complex for the start of training camp.

When the Eagles last gathered — at minicamp back in June — Michael Vick made it known that he would like Chip Kelly to name his starting quarterback prior to camp opening. That obviously did not happen.

The Eagles general manager was asked if the idea of an open competition was discussed with Vick when the two sides were working on a restructured contract.

“Every conversation I’ve had and everyone in this building has had with Michael about competition, he’s all for it,” said Roseman. “He wants the best players to play and he’s not shying away from competition in any aspect. He knew that when we signed him — he knew there was going to be competition at every spot — and he said nothing other than he wants to compete.”

Another $3.5 million is due to Vick on the first day of the regular season. Does Roseman anticipate the veteran QB will be on the roster even if he doesn’t win the job?

“When we signed Michael, it was with every intention that he was going to be on this team,” said Roseman. “He’s a very talented guy and he’s very eager to show what he’s capable of, and we’re eager to see it.”

The Eagles GM took on plenty of questions about the QB job, as you might expect:

— On going through camp without the leader being identified:

“All of these guys have good leadership,” said Roseman. “They have all been the leader of the team, they have all been the guy at one point or another, so I think that comes into play. Once you’re playing, that all happens. We don’t worry about that part of it. If we’re going to stress competition, it’s going to be everywhere. Having those guys in live action, making sure we see them against good competition — not only against our guys but on the field in preseason — allows us to make the best decision. It’s July 22nd right now. We don’t play for a long time, and then we have a long season ahead of us.”

— Roseman was asked if Matt Barkley is also being considered for the starting job:

“We try to keep an open mind about everyone on our roster. You have to be open to surprises. You can’t just watch the tape looking for certain guys because you may miss something. I think you have to be aware of how everyone is playing, not just the guys that are perceived to be in the competition.”

— On what the tape from minicamp and OTAs taught him about Barkley:

“He gets the ball out very quickly. He’s a distributor. He’s like a really good point guard in basketball. He knows where to go with the football, he makes good decisions, and then he’s going to continue to grow and get better.”

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