Vick shaken up again

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—Eagles’ coach Andy Reid figures Michael Vick will be ready for the regular season even if he misses Philadelphia’s two remaining exhibition games.
At least he wouldn’t get hurt again.

For the second-consecutive game, Philadelphia’s star quarterback lasted just six plays and then went for X-rays, this time on his ribs.
They were negative—just as they were on his left thumb 11 days earlier.
“I’d probably like to see him play a little bit more, but he’s got enough experience,” Reid said after the Eagles beat the New England Patriots 27-17 last night.
“We’re not talking about a rookie, so I think he’d be OK.”
Vick doesn’t have much time to get over his soreness. Philadelphia plays Friday night at the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m not that concerned, other than he’s hurt,” Reid said. “I want to make sure he heals up and get him back in there.
“Hopefully, he doesn’t get hurt again.”
Vick was knocked down by linebacker Jermaine Cunningham after heaving a long pass in the first quarter last night.
In a 24-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 9, he smacked his thumb on the helmet of centre Jason Kelce.
In both games, rookie Nick Foles came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes.
Last year’s No. 2 quarterback, Mike Kafka, missed last night’s game with a hand injury. Trent Edwards also played against the Patriots.
Foles, a third-round draft pick from Arizona, finished 18-for-28 for 217 yards and touchdown passes to Clay Harbor of one and three yards.
“He did a great job,” said Eagles’ running back LeSean McCoy. “In the huddle he demanded respect.
“He put everybody in the right places at the right times.”
Tom Brady sat out the game for the Patriots (No. 2 in the AP Pro32). The New England quarterback figures to play Friday night in the team’s third pre-season game, at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Other healthy starters, including wide receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, and linebacker Jerod Mayo, also were held out of the game.
That gave players trying to make the team more time on the field.
“We got to look at a lot of players,” noted Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick. “Evaluate them against a good football team.”
One of them was Cunningham, a disappointment since being drafted in the second round in 2010.
But he made an early impact when he hit Vick with about nine minutes gone in the game.
“That is just football,” Cunningham said. “Going out there and getting the person with the ball.”