Which QB Will be Ready for Raiders?

Michael Vick aggravated his hamstring pull in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the Giants - the timetable on when he will return is unknown at this point.

“I felt good going in," Vick said. "I felt like I did everything that I was supposed to do to reassure myself that I could go out and play. But there’s just nothing like actually being in the moment and having to move and having to react. When I did that, that’s when I pulled it again. I felt the pop.”

We saw Vick try to scramble to the edge on the Eagles' third drive of the game and jog back to the huddle with a noticeable hitch while shaking his head. He tried to play through it, but was completely immobile - he indicated that he wanted to play to help the team.

“As soon as it happened," Vick admitted. "I knew exactly what the feeling was and how my body would react to it. I wanted to keep going, and I was going to stay out there, but Coach [Kelly] didn’t want to put the team in a bad situation, and he didn’t want to put me in a bad situation. It was hurting.”

Vick says this pull doesn't feel as bad as the original one he sustained in week five, but hearing Vick use the word a pop would suggests a serious, long-term injury. We'll know more after he undergoes an MRI on today, but Eagles head coach Chip Kelly didn't sound optimistic about a quick return.

Vick says this pull isn't as bad as his original one, but it certainly puts his status for the Raiders game in serious doubt. With Nick Foles status also uncertain, rookie Matt Barkley may have to start - Barkley has struggled in his two appearances thus far.

Chip Kelly didn't offer any insight on who has the best chance to start on Sunday vs. Oakland.

"I don't know," Kelly explained. "I really don't know right now. It really depends on the full report on Mike and the full report on Nick. But it could look that way."

Speaking of Foles, he has not been cleared to practice yet.

"I know he was in on Saturday," Kelly said. "But he still hasn't been cleared to fully practice. So that's a big question mark going into next week. Again, until he gets fully cleared, he has to also see an independent, so he can't participate in anything. So he was in, he attended meetings on Saturday, and he was around. But he has not been cleared to play yet."

Either way, if the Eagles want to remain relevantin the NFC playoff picture, they are going to need to find stability at the quarterback position.

"I think if we can get settled there, and I look up and I see guys are open and we can get the ball to them in the right spot," Kelly stated. "I think we can move the ball. We were a hair away. There was twice where we hit receivers and if we lean forward we would get a first down, we get a drive going. It all compounds itself. You're going to look at every single play and say how can we make that better. How can we execute that a little bit better? That's what we as a coaching staff will do as we look at the tape and put a plan together. But we know where we are right now and we understand what our situation is right now. We've got to get whoever is ready to go this week, I don't think Matt's banged up, but if Matt's ready to go this week, we have to get him as much work as we can and get him ready to play Oakland."

Filed Under: Chip Kelly, Eagles, matt barkley, Mike Vick, nick foles, quarterback

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