Michael Vick

DID YOU NOTICE? * Two of the Eagles' first three plays were out of two-tight-end formations. LeSean McCoy gained a yard on the first and Michael Vick picked up 2 yards on the other one. * Michael Vick's poor third-down pass to Jeremy Maclin on the Eagles' first possession. He had Maclin open for a first down and missed him. It was one of the few poor passes Vick made yesterday. He had just seven incompletions in 22 attempts. * Safety Kurt Coleman, who forced the first-quarter fumble that Juqua Parker returned for a touchdown, knocked the ball loose from Santonio Holmes with his helmet.

LOOKING BACK at the Eagles' 31-13 win over the Rams while wondering what Jay Paterno would be doing for a living right now if his father wasn't Penn State's head coach:   BY THE NUMBERS *  Because of the problems they had against the run, particularly early on, the Eagles stayed in their base defense much of the game. They used their nickel sub-package (two linebackers, five defensive backs) just five times in the first half and a total of 11 times in the first three quarters.

A week after Chip Kelly lifted the curtain on his practices and Michael Vick had the slight edge on Nick Foles in first-team repetitions, the roles were reversed and the second-year quarterback was first up with the "ones. " Foles took 21 snaps to Vick's 15 in seven-on-seven and team drills on Monday, and if it weren't for the great interest in the Eagles' quarterback competition, it might have felt a little silly logging repetitions in May with players running around in shorts. But what the snap count did reveal, if we're to trust that Kelly's closed practices weren't significantly different, is that the Eagles coach wasn't lying.

If Chip Kelly drafted Matt Barkley, a quarterback virtually no one thought he could be interested in, then there is no reason to think that he can't start this season. History says fourth-round quarterbacks hardly ever start in the NFL, let alone as rookies. But the NFL is evolving and in certain segments becoming more like the college game than vice versa. And there's something about the Great Kelly Unknown that suggests anything is possible. There are some pertinent reasons to support Barkley's candidacy, among them his decision-making, accuracy, and moxie.

IN HIS HUGE OFFICE, early in these spring mornings, ol' Chippah must be chuckling. He has the whole region chasing its tail, like some strung-out Pac-12 defense without the sense to just play soft until the red zone. Who will be the quarterback? Will the rookie right tackle start over that huge Hanson brother lookalike? Can Trent Cole play without his hand in the ground after eight seasons? Can Brandon Graham get a break? Who's going to return punts? Jason Avant's going to be a safety?

NEW COACH Chip Kelly has touted an even competition between Michael Vick and Nick Foles for the Eagles' starting quarterback position, but given the reworked 1-year, $10 million contract the Birds gave Vick, most of us figure he is likely to emerge as the starter. That's pretty much what receiver Jeremy Maclin thinks, as well. Maclin was asked yesterday, if he had to guess, who will be No. 1? "Right now, you've got Mike going with the 'ones' and Nick sprinkling in some reps here and there, so . . . " Maclin said at his Lincoln Financial Field charity event honoring five moms of kids he met through his summer football camp in West Deptford, N.J., where Maclin lives.

MICHAEL Vick was directed by the NFL to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' training camp until the league "reviews the dogfighting charges against him. " What's left to review? Take the bodies of the dogs who suffered and review that! Vick is a monster. He hasn't talked publicly since May. Know why? He's a creep that no one wants to listen to! This'll be just like O.J. - he'll get away with bloody murders. Jennifer McShane, Wilmington, Del.

Nothing that happened on the field - not even the return of three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady - could trump the shocking news last night that quarterback Michael Vick had signed with the Eagles. As the Eagles played the New England Patriots in an exhibition game at Lincoln Financial Field, a team source said the deal, which is for one year and an option, was actually agreed to Tuesday; the team did not plan to announce it until this morning. According to Fox Sports, Vick will be paid $1.6 million this year, with a chance for the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback to make $5.6 million as part of a 2010 option.

Michael Vick has missed 23 regular-season games (and two preseason) in his NFL career because of injury. Here's a breakdown, if you will, of No. 7's various troubles: 2001 Missed one game with a rib injury when Carolina safety Damien Richardson drilled him as he crossed the goal line scoring his first NFL touchdown. "You get hurt sometimes, you've just got to deal with it," Vick said. "I'll just rest a little bit and I'll be all right. " Bottom line: Injured while scrambling.

For the last two weeks, Michael Vick has been the talk of this and a lot of other towns. Now, he's actually going to play. Eagles coach Andy Reid confirmed after practice yesterday that the quarterback will be in uniform for tomorrow night's exhibition game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. Exactly how or when Reid plans to use Vick remained a mystery. "We'll just see how we use Michael," the coach said. Asked about his specific plans for Vick, Reid wouldn't reveal anything.

IN HIS HUGE OFFICE, early in these spring mornings, ol' Chippah must be chuckling. He has the whole region chasing its tail, like some strung-out Pac-12 defense without the sense to just play soft until the red zone. Who will be the quarterback? Will the rookie right tackle start over that huge Hanson brother lookalike? Can Trent Cole play without his hand in the ground after eight seasons? Can Brandon Graham get a break? Who's going to return punts? Jason Avant's going to be a safety?

After closing time at Club Chipper, the hot new dance spot in South Philadelphia, the patrons clear out pretty fast. They have to exit via a hallway lined with blowups of newspaper pages celebrating great moments in Eagles history - if you define Eagles history as things that happened since the NovaCare Complex opened in 2001. What is striking is how ancient that history is beginning to feel. To many of the players leaving Chip Kelly's aerobics/football class Monday, the names and faces on the walls are those of strangers.

A week after Chip Kelly lifted the curtain on his practices and Michael Vick had the slight edge on Nick Foles in first-team repetitions, the roles were reversed and the second-year quarterback was first up with the "ones. " Foles took 21 snaps to Vick's 15 in seven-on-seven and team drills on Monday, and if it weren't for the great interest in the Eagles' quarterback competition, it might have felt a little silly logging repetitions in May with players running around in shorts. But what the snap count did reveal, if we're to trust that Kelly's closed practices weren't significantly different, is that the Eagles coach wasn't lying.

Part Four of an online-only Series The Eagles held their first OTAs this week, and they will practice throughout the next four weeks. After those practices, coach Chip Kelly will have a better idea of the Eagles roster. But there's a lot that will happen between now and then. Here is the state of the quarterback position: Projected starter Michael Vick (6-feet, 215 pounds), age 32, 12th season Other than the changes under Kelly, no topic has received more discussion this offseason than what will happen at quarterback.

Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Matt Barkley were on the field together for the first day of organized team activities on Monday. But any hope for a clue about who will start at quarterback for the Eagles this season based on the first practice was diminished by coach Chip Kelly's rotation. Vick opened with the first-team offense, but Foles also took a significant number of snaps at the NovaCare Complex. Kelly believed it was near a 50-50 distribution. Neither Barkley nor Dennis Dixon took first-team snaps on Monday, but both received steady work during Kelly's fast-paced practice.

RIGHT NOW, we really don't know who the quarterback of the 2013 Eagles will be. That thought somehow forced its way through the sensory overload of the first Chip Kelly Eagles practice reporters were allowed to watch yesterday at NovaCare. (The other thought that arrived, almost concurrently: People actually listen to Nicki Minaj? I mean, if you autotuned Minnie Mouse . . . ) The hectic, no-huddle (ever!) pace and dance-party-volume music were certainly novel flourishes on the fields Andy Reid trod for so long in South Philly.

If we can be sure of one thing about Sam Hinkie, it's that we can't be sure about anything. The man who will run the Sixers is said to be as smart as a master of business administration degree from Stanford suggests. He is known to be in the vanguard of using advanced metrics to evaluate players and make decisions. It is tempting from that sketchy information to conclude that Hinkie's hiring should drive the final stake through the Andrew Bynum Error. No matter how Hinkie crunches the numbers on Bynum, the only one that really matters is zero.

If Chip Kelly drafted Matt Barkley, a quarterback virtually no one thought he could be interested in, then there is no reason to think that he can't start this season. History says fourth-round quarterbacks hardly ever start in the NFL, let alone as rookies. But the NFL is evolving and in certain segments becoming more like the college game than vice versa. And there's something about the Great Kelly Unknown that suggests anything is possible. There are some pertinent reasons to support Barkley's candidacy, among them his decision-making, accuracy, and moxie.

MATT BARKLEY is here to play. The Eagles' fourth-round rookie quarterback made that clear yesterday afternoon when he met with reporters following the first workout of rookie camp, which continues through the weekend. The full squad assembles Monday, the first time reporters can watch the team under new coach Chip Kelly. Barkley said Michael Vick and Nick Foles are "outstanding men," who "have both done great things," but "you come in knowing that you have a job. They're trying to take that job as well.

NEW COACH Chip Kelly has touted an even competition between Michael Vick and Nick Foles for the Eagles' starting quarterback position, but given the reworked 1-year, $10 million contract the Birds gave Vick, most of us figure he is likely to emerge as the starter. That's pretty much what receiver Jeremy Maclin thinks, as well. Maclin was asked yesterday, if he had to guess, who will be No. 1? "Right now, you've got Mike going with the 'ones' and Nick sprinkling in some reps here and there, so . . . " Maclin said at his Lincoln Financial Field charity event honoring five moms of kids he met through his summer football camp in West Deptford, N.J., where Maclin lives.