QUARTERBACK Michael Vick said he "felt great at practice" as the regular-season Eagles convened for the first time, to prepare to face Cleveland in Sunday's opener.
Vick, limited to 12 snaps in the preseason by thumb and rib injuries, said: "My arm felt fresh and my legs felt good. I threw the ball really well, and I had a chance to make some throws that I haven't made in a long time. It felt good to be back, and I'm extremely excited."
Vick said the Eagles, in Andy Reid's 14th season, "feel like there is a need to win, and win quickly." In fact, a number of players wore white T-shirts after practice that read "It's Time."
"Those are shirts coach Reid came up with," middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "They are a constant reminder. Every day, you see someone wearing it or you see it in your locker and you know it's time. It's time now to get it done. No excuses, it's just time to get it done."
Vick said Monday that Reid "talked to us today about staying the course, maintaining our focus, going in there week in and week out and controlling what we can control."
Vick noted that "it's been a while since I played in a playoff game" - that 21-16 wild-card round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers following the 2010 season.
"Now, it's all about seizing the moment," Vick said, after saying he didn't think the Eagles did that against the Packers.
Defensive end Jason Babin and special teams ace Colt Anderson said they are 100 percent healthy and available to play Sunday at Cleveland.
Babin's status wasn't a shock; the Eagles have been very cautious with the calf strain Babin suffered early in training camp. But for Anderson, 9 months removed from ACL surgery, Monday was the first practice with the team. He has been working out on his own all through the preseason. The first inkling Anderson might play soon came when the team chose to activate him rather than stashing him on the PUP list when time came to cut the roster down to 53 on Friday.
"I told you guys it was day-to-day, and it was, up until the very last minute. We just didn't know what we were going to do," Anderson said. "Talking with the trainer and head coach, we thought this was the best way to go."
Anderson, nominally a safety, said he doesn't feel he needs to see how his knee responds to the practice to be sure he's ready to play. "It's not going to swell," he said. He said the decision on whether he's actually going to play this week will be up to the coaches.
Babin said he "knocked the rust off" and doesn't feel starting the regular season with no preseason snaps is going to be a problem. (In all the years this situation has come up, there has yet to be a guy to say, "Oh, yeah, that's gonna be tough. I'm probably going to stink Week 1, for sure.")
Defensive end Darryl Tapp said he was willing to take a pay cut to stay here because "I have a good feeling it's going to be a special year. I just want to be a part of it" . . . New offensive lineman Nate Menkin, claimed on waivers from the Texans over the weekend, played for Division III Mary Hardin Baylor. He said his first day trying to learn the Howard Mudd blocking system was challenging. "My head was spinning a little today. I started getting the hang of it near the end [of practice," Menkin said . . . Former Eagles offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde, who turned down a practice squad spot to go on the Tampa Bay roster, was released by the Bucs. Vandervelde said he'll know his next stop within 24 hours - when the waiver period ends. The Eagles filled their practice squad by adding tackle Matt Reynolds, who spent the preseason with Carolina as an undrafted free agent from Brigham Young. Reynolds is the brother of Eagles lineman Dallas Reynolds, and the son of BYU tight ends coach Lance Reynolds, whose four boys have all played on the BYU offensive line . . . Michael Vick said he is "very confident" in the ability of rookie backup Nick Foles to run the Eagles' offense . . . New safety David Sims, 5-9, 204, acquired Friday from Cleveland, is the most muscular player the Birds have had at that position since Brian Dawkins left.
Daily News sportswriter Ed Barkowitz contributed to this report.
Contact Les Bowen at bowenl@phillynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @LesBowen. For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' blog at eagletarian.com.
