PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Michael Vick took a small step toward returning from a concussion.
Vick took part in a morning walkthrough on Wednesday, but didn’t practice in the afternoon. There is a chance he will play against the Giants (1-1) on Sunday.
“It’s hard to give you the future because you have to do things the right way and go through the process,” coach Andy Reid said.
Vick was injured in Philadelphia’s 35-31 loss to the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday night, and was forced to leave the game in the second half.
Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said Vick doesn’t have “a whole lot of concussion symptoms,” and would undergo further testing, including seeing an independent neurologist in the next day or two.
“Just because he doesn’t have symptoms today doesn’t mean he won’t have symptoms tomorrow,” Burkholder said. “You can’t predict.”
Vick threw for a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles (1-1), but couldn’t continue after getting spun by a Falcons rusher into one of his teammates, right tackle Todd Herremans. He was replaced by Mike Kafka. Vince Young, who was signed to be the backup, has missed the first two games with a hamstring injury. He’s close to returning.
“We’re pretty fortunate to have three quarterbacks who can play the game,” Reid said. “My message to all three of them was: ’Get ready accordingly.’”
Giants coach Tom Coughlin, in his Tuesday conference call with the media, said he expected Vick to play, and that New York was not putting together a different game plan without Vick in it.
Since the NFL instituted new guidelines, only one Eagles player _ wide receiver Jason Avant _ has played the next game after suffering a concussion.
However, Avant had two extra days off because a snow storm postponed Philadelphia’s game against Minnesota last December.
“Every situation is different,” Avant said. “I got up right away, immediately knew where I was, who hit me, what the score was.”
Kafka, a fourth-round pick last year, played well in his NFL debut. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 72 yards and finished off the touchdown drive after Vick got hurt.
Kafka drove the Eagles to Atlanta’s 22 in the final two minutes, but Jeremy Maclin dropped a pass on fourth-and-4.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities,” Kafka said. “Coach Reid puts a lot on the quarterback and puts a lot on the offense, but I know we haven’t made a decision on who’s going to be the quarterback yet, so we’re all working to get better. We’re all working to get better at these little things that we have to hone in on.”
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Notes: The Eagles reshuffled their linebackers, keeping the same three starters. Rookie Casey Matthews moves from the middle to the weak side. Jamar Chaney goes from strong side to the middle. Moise Fokou goes from weak side to strong side. … Philadelphia has won six straight vs. the Giants, including the postseason.
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