Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has revealed that he will make his decision on who will start at quarterback on Sunday when he knows how fit Michael Vick is.
Vick picked up a hamstring injury against the New York Giants in week five that ruled him out of last Sunday's 31-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a match that saw replacement quarterback Nick Foles throw for three touchdowns and run for another.
Foles's performance raised questions over whether he has done enough to earn a starting berth, but Kelly insists that he will have to evaluate Vick's fitness before making his decision.
"Depends on where we are from a health standpoint," Kelly told reporters. "Until we know what the health is, I'm not saying what anybody is. [Vick's health] is what we're going to evaluate.
"All my decisions are made - whether it's James Casey with a groin or Mike a hamstring or Chris Polk with a shoulder - all our decisions on who's going to play are based on health. [I'll monitor] just how does [Vick] run around, how is he in practice, can he execute?
"Mike's legs are a big, important part of his game. That's part of the decision in terms of putting the whole thing together, in terms of where he is and what he can do and what's his effectiveness."
Should Vick not be fit, however, Kelly said that he would have no trouble in putting Foles into the side again following his recent performance.
"I thought Nick did a really nice job. I was really happy with how he performed within our offense. He did a good job of taking what the defense gave us," Kelly added.
"There were a lot of times where he got us out of some bad plays and got us into some good plays with some decisions he made."
The Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday in a match that will determine who moves into sole control of the NFC East.
Barney Corkhill
