Vick clears himself to start

CONCUSSIONS RANK pretty far down the list of things Michael Vick will be thinking about when he leads the Eagles onto the field against the Giants tomorrow.

"I haven't even thought about getting hit," the Eagles quarterback said yesterday, after a second successive day of practice left him "questionable" only on the official injury report. Even Eagles coach Andy Reid had to acknowledge Vick will play, absent a setback. "I play this game to win, not thinking about the consequences of staying in the pocket or running or not getting hit when I run with the football. I think you just have to play with confidence and try not to worry about it, put it in the back of your mind, and let things play out."

The Eagles have dotted every "i" and crossed every "t" in the NFL's concussion-testing process, Reid and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder assured us again yesterday, and they will continue to do so right up until gametime, hence the "questionable" designation. Would Vick benefit from taking the weekend off anyway? Intuitively, that might seem to make sense. Medically, nobody knows.

From the team's perspective, having a mandated concussion protocol to follow from the league was a relief, because it took the guesswork out of plotting a player's return. As Burkholder recounted, Vick was normal on two Impact tests. An independent neurologist examined him and said he was fine. He exerted himself in practice and experienced no subsequent symptoms. He was able to concentrate in meeting rooms, didn't report fatigue or headaches. So he will play tomorrow.

Whether we will know a lot more 5 or 10 or 20 years from now, whether someone will look back at this level of testing someday and cringe at it, the way we do now over the old "how many fingers am I holding up?" concussion test, is something no one can answer.

"I feel good. I feel great and ready to play, nothing feels different," said Vick, who left last Sunday night's game at Atlanta when blitzing safety William Moore slung Vick face-first into Eagles right tackle Todd Herremans. "I've felt a lot better in practice [than usual]. I don't know what that was about, but it felt good, real good."

Burkholder was careful not to say that Vick was cleared to play, speaking yesterday, with the remote possibility of some sort of relapse still in play.

"He's been cleared for where he's at right now, and we'll continue to go right up until [tomorrow]," Burkholder said. "I think at this point in the process we're very far along, but it's still an ongoing process, so we have tonight to see whether any symptoms come up, and how he does with his sleep, and how he does [tomorrow] morning, and he's got a walkthrough, and then we'll go through our pregame process and continue to communicate. Coach [Reid] and Michael and I have been in constant communication and I think everything is on the up-and-up right now."

Vick cut to the chase: "There's no reason to think that I won't play. I think after having two good practices, bascially, I'll be able to go out there, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to go out and play against the New York Football Giants."

Contrary to reports, Vick said he would not wear special Kevlar padding in his helmet. Vick indicated it was too late in the week to make an equipment change, presumably because the resulting helmet would have to be approved by the NFL. He said he will wear a mouthpiece this weekend; Burkholder said Vick usually wears one, but did not have it in when he was injured.

"You have to be conscious of [the league-wide concussion situation] and obviously take it seriously, and I do," Vick said. "You know, I just felt like everything happens for a reason, and if God didn't want me out on the field this week, then I wouldn't be feeling the way that I'm feeling right now . . . I got hit and it was just the situation that I was in at the time, and I hit my own guy, I got swung into him. But I don't think that's going to happen [again] anytime soon. And I'll take precautions when I play, but it's football, and it is what it is."

Will he be a target? Will the Giants, frustrated and angry after losing six in a row to the Eagles, make taking out Vick their priority?

"They want me out of the game because they don't want me in the game," not because of any personal animosity, Vick said. "Having to deal with me for 60 minutes, I understand the magnitude of that. So, it's fun, it's a game, and that's why I'm here. And I play the way I play for a reason, and we're going to have fun. I look forward to the challenge, competitively, and we're excited about it over here. I know they've been doing a lot of talking, but they're the New York Football Giants."

Wide receiver Steve Smith was asked if he thought he would have a bigger role this week against his former team. "Stay tuned, we'll see," he said . . . Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, coming over from Oakland this season, said the whole deal with a trash-talking division-rivalry week was new to him . . . Asomugha reiterated that he can cover a tight end and that he was going to have a hand in covering Tony Gonazalez last week until Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie sprained an ankle in practice and coaches went a different way . . . Andy Reid said safety Nate Allen "had a good week of practice." Allen acknowledged he still suffers from tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee, but "that might be something I just have to deal with for the rest of the season." . . . Quarterback Vince Young (hamstring) is listed as "probable" for tomorrow, but Reid did not commit to having Young in uniform . . . Defensive ends Darryl Tapp (pectoral) and Juqua Parker (ankle) are out.