PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Michael Vick went home with a broken hand and woke up with only a bad bruise.
Now that’s a testament to the miracle of modern medicine. Well, not exactly.
Eagles coach Andy Reid said a CT scan Monday showed the star quarterback has a hand “contusion.” Reid said X-rays taken during Philadelphia’s 29-16 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday showed Vick may have a fracture.
“Today, he had a scan and it showed there was no break,” Reid said. “It was a blood vessel sitting above the bone. That happens at times with X-rays. The blood vessel makes it look like it was a fracture. There is still a bunch of swelling. It is sensitive to the touch. The positive is there is not a fracture there.”
It’s uncertain if Vick, who throws left-handed, will play when the Eagles (1-2) host the San Francisco 49ers (2-1) next Sunday.
“We will see how he does over the next couple of days,” Reid said. “We have to get the swelling where it is manageable and he feels comfortable. It’s about the same right now, and it’s not to say that he can’t play with the swelling, it’s just got to be where he can bend his hand where he can work with it.”
Vick was injured on a hit from Chris Canty after completing a 23-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin in the third quarter. He finished off the series and led the Eagles to a go-ahead field goal.
Vick left for X-rays, but returned without missing a play. He then left the game for good after another series. Mike Kafka replaced him and threw two interceptions.
Reid wouldn’t say whether Kafka or Vince Young would start if Vick can’t play against the 49ers.
“He always wants to play, that’s how he is,” Reid said of Vick. “He’s a competitive guy.”
The hit from Canty didn’t sit well with Vick. He blasted officials for not calling a roughing-the-passer penalty, and said he wants to be treated like other quarterbacks.
Vick backtracked a day later, however.
“I was kind of out of character and being too candid in that aspect,” he said Monday. “Ultimately, I respect the referees and their decision to make calls, and you won’t hear me complain about it no more.”
Still, Reid is concerned about his franchise player.
“His best interest is always in my mind, when he’s on the football field, in particular,” Reid said. “I know he’s a marked man. I think it’s important that we all keep a close eye on him.”
Canty, of course, disagreed with Vick’s view on the hit.
“No, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the hit when it took place,” he said. “I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the hit after looking at it again today. You know, it’s unfortunate that he got injured. We’re not out there trying to injury anyone. We’re all competitors. We’re competing at the highest level. It is unfortunate for him and unfortunate for their football team. We’re all competing. We’re all competitors. We have to go out and play hard.”
Reid and several Eagles players expressed concerns last year over late hits that weren’t called on Vick.
Asked whether he would call the league to complain, Reid said: “We’ll see.”
Better protection from the offensive line would certainly help Vick, too.
“There are a bunch of things that we can do and we can say other people need to do and all that,” Reid said. “But we’re going to keep working on things on our end, and I know people will keep working on things on their end.”
Vick started against the Giants despite suffering a concussion in the second half of a loss at Atlanta just a week earlier. He seemed out of rhythm early, but made some nice throws before getting hurt again.
In other injury news, Maclin’s hamstring strain also is better than it appeared at first.
“Initially, we thought it was more significant than that,” Reid said. “It is tender right now. The MRI came back and it wasn’t a negative thing there.”
Wideout Riley Cooper is day-to-day with a concussion, and cornerback Brandon Hughes has a hamstring strain. Defensive ends Juqua Parker (high ankle sprain) and Darryl Tapp (pectoral strain) didn’t play Sunday.
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AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., contributed to this report.
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