Vick's teammates even attempted to strip the ball from him - an exercise that might have been useful for them, too, considering the Eagles' struggles forcing turnovers. Vick eventually stopped carrying the ball everywhere toward the end of the week because "the stakes got pretty high."
"There was a bounty on the ball," Vick said, drawing laughter.
Defensive ends Darryl Tapp and Trent Cole said they never tried to take the ball. Had Tapp known what Vick was doing, he joked, he would have tackled Vick in the hallway to try to get the ball out.
"There's definitely a sense of urgency around here," Tapp said.
One player who left Vick alone was Brent Celek. The Eagles' veteran tight end wants to stay on his quarterback's good side.
"I didn't mess with it, I wasn't trying to hit it out," Celek said. "I want him to throw me the ball."
Coach Andy Reid was less forthcoming about any strategies to work on Vick's fumbling problem after saying Monday that it would be emphasized during practice this week. Reid only said Vick "hung onto the football" during practice and said Vick "must make a conscious effort of keeping it high and tight. Make sure he covers it in traffic."
Vick even sought tips from the running backs about carrying the football. Whenever he watched football this week, he said, he paid attention specifically to how the ball was held. Vick noticed a consistency: "Everybody has it high and tight," he said. And that wasn't limited to running backs.
"Even quarterbacks that I've watched," Vick said. "It's something that I definitely need to do. There's a comfort level that I've been able to develop when holding the football."
One thing that won't change on Sunday is the protective equipment that Vick wears. He and Reid explored whether the gear Vick wears to protect his ribs inhibits his ability to hold the ball close to his body, but Vick said it had no effect and plans to wear the same flak jacket.
"I went back and looked at all of the film with the turnovers that I had and what I could have been able to do to correct it, and they are all things to do to prevent it," Vick said. "They are all things that could be corrected and it's all self-inflicted. I just have to trust in what we're doing."
Vick said Wednesday that there was little that could be done during the week to solve the problem, and that all that matters is what he does Sunday. He said Friday that he must ensure that he doesn't go into the game worrying about what could happen and instead focus on controlling what actually happens.
"I always talk about being in the moment and being able to do the right things when you're out there playing," Vick said. "You've got to stay conscious and keep it in the back of your mind as far as what you have to do when you're holding the football. I do it in the passing game because I can see downfield, so I've been able to take care of that. But sometimes running with the football, you have guys coming from everywhere. We get paid to protect the football."
A healthy group. For the first time this season, every player on the Eagles practiced Friday. They enter Sunday's game without anyone potentially missing the game because of injury. Eleven players are listed as probable, and each practiced throughout the week and will be able to play. . . . Reid said, "We'll see how that goes" when asked if DeSean Jackson would field punt returns, but added, "That's not necessarily where I'm at right this moment." . . . This is the Eagles' final game before the bye week, and Celek noted the importance of winning. "Otherwise, you never have that opportunity to get back on the field for a whole week," he said. "There's a huge difference between being 3-3 and 4-2."
Contact Zach Berman at zberman@phillynews.com. Follow @ZBermon Twitter.
