Vick tells radio audience he's not ready to return from injury

Michael Vick is on the same page as coach Andy Reid, Vick said last night, about "taking time to heal" and presumably giving Kevin Kolb another start Sunday at Tennessee.

"I went and met with the doctor this morning. The movement's still not there; the mobility's still not there in my upper chest," the Eagles quarterback said in his weekly appearance on the Tony Mercurio show on ESPN 94.1-FM, in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Va. "We've just got to take our time and re-evaluate the situation and make sure we do what's best for the team . . . I think it doesn't make sense to try to rush back and play and be hurting. The team has really jelled right now . . . There's no reason to just break that up. We have a bye next week, which makes it even better."

The Eagles beat San Francisco and Atlanta behind Kolb, the season's original starter, since Vick went down with a rib-cartilage tear in a 17-12 loss to the Redskins on Oct. 3. Asked yesterday about Vick's returning, week, Reid said: "If he feels like he does today, it will be a reach. There's a pretty good chance Kevin's the guy this week."

Vick said: "It was great to see Kolb, over the last 2 weeks, go out and just have two magnificent games . . . We know what Kevin can do."

Vick was asked about Sunday's controversy over his later-than-usual arrival time at Lincoln Financial Field, and the fact he was not in uniform, though he was listed at the third QB. Reid said yesterday that Vick was present mainly to get treatment Sunday and would have played only in "an absolute emergency."

"I stayed in the locker room, watched the game from the locker room," Vick said. "I had the hot pack on my chest and was getting treatment the entire time. I was there if I was needed as the emergency No. 3."

Vick also was asked how reassuring it was that Reid has said Vick will be the quarterback when he gets healthy (though the coach has danced around that point the past few days, something Mercurio did not mention).

"It's an awesome feeling. It goes to show the trust and confidence they have in me," Vick said. "In return, I'm going to show them that they can continue to trust me and they can continue to count on me, week in and week out."

Vick said he was "a little hesitant" Friday when he worked with the scout team, his first time on the field since the injury.

"That's normal," he said. "But this week, we'll try to do more." *