Vick ready to 'make it work' with Eagles, Kelly
Michael Vick turns 33 in June, but to be successful, he'll have to play as if he's years younger.
"What I have to do is just go out and play lights-out football and not worry about getting hurt. Over the last two years I was trying to protect myself, trying to make sure that I was out on the football field with my teammates. Just putting too much effort into not being injured. When you do that, it slows you down just a half second," Vick told ESPN Radio on Tuesday.
Vick hasn't played a full 16-game schedule since 2006 and last year absorbed more hits than any quarterback other than Colts rookie Andrew Luck behind a fragile offensive line.
Though the Eagles restructured Vick's contract and he could earn as much as $10 million in 2013, health might be his biggest hurdle. Vick was guaranteed only $3.5 million in what for bookkeeping purposes is a three-year deal that won't last that long. The restructure contract replaced the $100 million extension signed in 2011, including $35.5 million guaranteed.
He was injured twice on eight preseason snaps in August, setting the stage for a season of turmoil that ended in coach Andy Reid being fired.
"I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts and I'm going to take advantage of it," Vick said. "I'm not focusing on next year, I'm not focusing on what happened in the past. I'm focusing on the next down. That's going to be my mindset going into 2013."
Reid's offense was decidedly pass-first. Kelly, a first-year NFL coach whose Oregon offense was balanced but thrived on tempo, puts the onus on quarterbacks to make the rapid -- and right -- decision, then get up and do it all over again.
"Overall, you have to look at what really works and what makes you comfortable. I felt as if coming back made me comfortable. Meeting with Chip for first time, I felt like as if we can make it work," said Vick.
