ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA | Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, is hopeful he’ll be able to play Sunday against the New York Giants.
Vick was injured in Philadelphia’s first matchup with the Giants this season, a 36-21 win on Oct. 6. The Eagles have gone 1-1 without him.
“I’m optimistic about it,” Vick said after practicing Tuesday. “I’ve got a good chance.”
Nick Foles replaced him just before halftime vs. New York, and threw two touchdowns. He then threw three more touchdowns and ran for another when the Eagles beat the Buccaneers 31-20 Oct. 13. But Foles threw for just 80 yards in three quarters before suffering a concussion in a 17-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Philadelphia (3-4) would turn to rookie Matt Barkley if neither Vick nor Foles can play Sunday. Barkley who threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter against Dallas in relief of Foles.
Barkley said that Vick took all the practice reps with the starting offense on Tuesday. It was the first time since the injury that Vick was in on 11-on-11 drills.
“It’s progressed very quickly,” Vick said. “It’s gotten better each and every day. But I just don’t want to lose sight of what’s gotten me to this point.
“It’s a very delicate situation. You want to get back out there and you want to play and you want to help your teammates. That’s what’s eating me up on the inside right now. I wish I could speed up the recovery process, but I can’t.”
Vick, the all-time leading rusher among NFL quarterbacks with 5,858 yards, said he has yet to test out his hamstring since the injury vs. the Giants.
“That’s something we’ve got to do — and see what it feels like,” he said. “I have to give it a go. I just don’t want to do it this early in the week.”
NFL gets ’A’ for diversity hiring
The NFL received its fourth consecutive A grade for its racial hiring practices amid concerns over a significant drop in minority head coaches this season.
The league also drew a C+ for gender hiring practices in the annual report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport released Tuesday.
The total number of women and people of color at or above the vice president level increased by 11 percent.
The league received an overall grade of B. The institute says it issues the grades in relation to the overall patterns in society.
Around the league
FALCONS: Atlanta signed former Raiders and Bengals linebacker Thomas Howard and waived Jamar Chaney.
COLTS: Indianapolis put Reggie Wayne on season-ending injured reserve and signed cornerback Jalil Brown to take his roster spot, though it’s possible the Colts could add a receiver this week.
LIONS: Detroit released tight end Tony Scheffler, who missed the last two games with a concussion.
CARDINALS: Arizona signed speedster Teddy Williams and intend to use him as a wide receiver.
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