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Vick On Critics: They’re Ignorant, Don’t Know Football

Michael Vick is clearly tired of answering questions about how he’s not good enough at reading NFL defenses.

The Eagles’ veteran quarterback talked to Mike Missanelli during a 97.5 The Fanatic interview earlier this week and was asked to address critics who have pointed out that he doesn’t make quick enough reads and holds on to the football too long.

“I’m really tempted right now to just say no comment to that because like I said a second ago, you don’t last 12 years in the NFL not being able to read the defense,” Vick said. “Those people who are talking and saying that are just ignorant, and they know nothing about football. Unless they turn on the film and watch my game and see what goes on, then they’ll replace those comments with the right comments.”

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What They’re Saying About the Eagles

One writer thinks Matt Barkley could be the next Tom Brady. Another rips Felix Jones for his eating habits. Here’s the national media roundup of what they’re saying about the Eagles this week.

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How the Eagles Are Calling Plays Under Chip Kelly

The second the previous play was blown dead, Chip Kelly’s assistant was already going through his routine.

Standing on the sideline in a grey hoodie, grey sweats and an Eagles visor, he quickly looked down at his cheat sheet on the grass before running through the motions.

An NFL-version of charades. One second, he was adjusting an imaginary telescope. The next, flapping his wings like a bird.

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Posted in Featured

Eagles Wake-Up Call: Depth Chart Leftovers

Chip Kelly has warned repeatedly not to draw any depth chart conclusions in May.

And he has a point.

Practice is about getting players acclimated to the offensive and defensive schemes. Reps, reps and more reps.

Having said that, there were a few surprises on Monday, the first time practice was open to the media.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the positions of note.

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Posted in Wake-Up Call

Kelly’s Quarterback Competition Is Underway

There was one sequence during Chip Kelly‘s blindingly fast practice Monday where all five quarterbacks dropped back at once. Five receivers running five different routes down the same stretch of field. Music blaring in the background.  Five QBs side-by-side. Five snaps, five reads, five throws. Five balls darting through the air simultaneously.

As Kelly promised, there were plenty of reps to go around as OTAs got underway at the NovaCare Complex. That’s what happens when you are moving non-stop for two straight hours. Players rotating in and out. One play rolling right on top of the other. Enough throws to tire out multiple arms.

Still, there needs to be order amid the controlled chaos, even in what the head coach has termed a wide-open quarterback competition. When  individual drills gave way to team exercises, it was Michael Vick that was typically the first signal-caller in, followed by Nick Foles and then Matt Barkley. Foles got a healthy amount of work with the first team, though, and Kelly made the case afterwards that the reps with the ones were virtually split between Vick and Foles.

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Twitter Mailbag: What Does A Chip Kelly Defense Look Like?

Will the Eagles sign Felix Jones? Can Michael Vick survive and entire season under Chip Kelly? And what will define this defense? We address these questions and more in the latest Twitter Mailbag.

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The Michael Vick-Chip Kelly Conundrum

If Michael Vick is going to be Chip Kelly‘s guy, he will have to change. There is just no getting around that.

How can Kelly’s offense work if his quarterback is keeping the ball in his hands twice as long as he wants him to? This much seems obvious: Vick is going to have to adapt. Kelly believes the 32-year-old can do it.

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Eagles Wake-Up Call: Mike Vick Versus the Ninja Stick

Trainer Tom Anderson wasn’t focused on who was responsible for the hits, but rather on how to limit the punishment when those hits came. So he made boxing — and the art of avoiding the brunt of the blow — a central part of the training regimen.

In one exercise, Anderson would stand about two feet away from the quarterback and swing a foamed “Ninja stick” at his head or upper body, forcing Vick to turn his shoulders and “get skinny” to minimize the impact. In another, Anderson put an elastic band around Vick’s ankles and would have him slide from side-to-side while punching at a stationary bag. (Anderson wouldn’t let Vick make contact with the bag. “We’re not tuning up your knuckles,” he told him, “we’re making you more elusive.”) Blow the whistle. Slide, punch, slide. Thirty seconds on, 30 seconds off.

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Vick Whoops McCoy In 40-Yard Dash

Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy added some spirited competition to the Eagles’ workout today, facing off in a 40-yard dash. And there was no question about who crossed the finish line first.

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Twitter Mailbag: On Vick, Foles And the Secondary

Who will start at quarterback Week 1? What will the secondary look like? And is Nick Foles in danger of getting traded? That and more in our latest mailbag.

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About Birds 24/7
Sheil Kapadia

Sheil

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Sheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.

Tim McManus

Tim

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Tim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.

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