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Newly-hired Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has plenty to ponder when it comes to the quarterback position.
Let's start with Michael Vick. CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman reported Kelly embraces the notion of keeping Vick at a reduced rate, according to a source familiar with the team's thinking. Kelly and his assistants have broken down film from Vick's 2012 season and view him as a capable quarterback -- but they still aren't certain what they have in the 32-year-old passer.
Eagles coaches also are studying Nick Foles. Freeman reported Kelly might not be as sold on the second-year pro as some believe, and might ultimately pursue San Francisco 49ersquarterback Alex Smith and wave goodbye to Vick, largely because of Vick's massive salary and concussion history.
NFL Network analyst Donovan McNabb still sees Vick as an ideal fit for Kelly's up-tempo offensive scheme.
"He fits in it very well, if you look at it from afar," McNabb said on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" on Wednesday. "If you look at just the 2010 season, when they were playing very well, the offensive line was healthy, and they were making explosive plays. Explosive plays from 30, 40, 50 yards, and that's what Chip Kelly has been doing at Oregon."
McNabb cited money as a sticking point here, and that's accurate. The Eagles don't want to pay Vick's $15.5 million salary this season, especially when factoring in his shaky durability. The Vick of the mid-2000s would have been a sublime fit for Kelly, but the Vick of 2013 is surrounded by question marks.
http://www.nfl.com/n...ng-michael-vick
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video included @ the 2:48 second mark....
http://www.cbssports...s-as-no-brainer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has made the rounds on the interview circuit in New Orleans heading into Sunday's Super Bowl and hasn't been shy about lobbying for Michael Vick's return in 2013.
Jackson indicated that keeping Vick on the Eagles' roster is a “no-brainer,” adding that “Mike is coming back, I want my big bro to be back in Philly,” in an interview withCBSSports.com's Inside theSuper Bowl.
The speedy, multi-talented receiver also lauded Vick and Nick Foles in an interview with NFL.com. Jackson didn't appear to express favoritism toward either quarterback in new coach Chip Kelly's high-tempo offense.
“As far as Vick and Foles, I think we have two great quarterbacks, with Michael being a play-style quarterback that could be good for the Oregon offense,” Jackson told NFL.com“I'm excited to see how it's going to go with OTAs coming up soon.”
Foles threw for 1,699 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games in 2012. The 6-foot-6, 243-pound quarterback completed 60.8 percent of his passes and finished with a 79.1 quarterback rating.
“Nick has arm strength out of this world,” Jackson said in the interview withCBSSports.com. “He surprised me [with how he read] the defense, being a certain defense, checking it if it was a run or if it was a pass getting the ball out of his hands. That's the upside when you have a quarterback coming to the line doing things like that.”
Vick posted similar numbers with 2,362 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games. Vick completed 58.1 percent of his passes and finished with a 78.1 quarterback rating.
Vick's five-year, $80 million contract runs through 2016. In 2013, Vick carries a $16.9 million cap hit.
“I think Vick is still capable of doing some great things, especially with Chip having that spread offense,” Jackson said.
