Michael Vick glad to stay in Philly

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

Michael Vick said Tuesday that he believes he can be successful in new coach Chip Kelly's high-octane offense and that he's motivated to once again become an elite NFL quarterback.

In an interview with "Mike and Mike in the Morning," Vick said he has "enjoyed [his] ride" in Philadelphia, saying the city and the Eagles' organization have been "great" to him.

"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," Vick said. 

The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback on Monday signed a one-year contract with the Eagles, replacing the $100 million extension that included $35.5 million in guaranteed money that he received two years ago. The restructured deal is essentially for one year, however.

Vick could make as much as $10 million next season, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

His contract is technically a three-year deal but the second and third years are voidable and are included to spread out the signing proration. Vick received $3.5 million to sign, has a $3.5 million base salary and will receive a $31,250 roster bonus for each game he is active with a maximum of $500,000. The contract also includes playoff incentives that max out at $1 million and playing time incentives that can add a maximum of $1.5 million to the deal.

Vick was scheduled to earn about $16 million next season, including a $3 million roster bonus. He lost his starting job to rookie Nick Foles last season, but Kelly will give him a chance to win back the role.

Vick said he has watched Kelly's offense "for a long time. And I've watched Oregon have success." He said there's no way to know whether Kelly's offense will translate to the NFL unless it's given a chance.

"You really can't say you can't because you never know until you give it a shot. Obviously our owner, after doing his due diligence, thought it was worth a try. I feel like that. You have to give everything a chance before you count it out," Vick said. "In talking to Chip for the first time, even though we couldn't talk X's and O's, I could tell he was innovative."

Vick said the key for Kelly will be his ability to "change up from week to week, and I feel like Chip will be able to do that."

Vick has had success in the past running the ball and said Tuesday that he believes he can have success as a running quarterback in future years. He pointed to the 2006 season, when he rushed for 1,039 yards with the Atlanta Falcons, as proof of his past effectiveness.

"It wasn't hard. All you have to do is train. I feel as if I can still do that. To what level? I don't know, but the way I feel, I can do it at a high level," he said.

On Monday, Kelly said he will design his offense around his players' strengths. 

"I don't think what we do offensively can be said in one or two words that we're either this or we're this," Kelly said. "We're an equal-opportunity scoring operation. Whether we run the ball over the goal line or throw the ball over the goal line really doesn't bother me, it's how do we move the football.

"There have been games we've had to throw it in our league 50 times, and there are games we have to run it 50 times. You need to be built for the long haul. There is a skill set that Nick has that really excites me about him. I think we've got an older quarterback in Michael who is 32 now, and have a younger guy in Nick who is going into his second year, and I think it's the ideal situation for us moving forward this season."

Vick on Tuesday said that he has worried too much about not getting injured the past two seasons, which has hampered his game. 

"What I was doing the last two years was trying to protect myself, trying to make sure I was out there on the football field with my teammates, putting too much effort into not getting injured," he said. "When you do that, it just slows you down a half a second."

He said he's not worried about getting injured if he increases his number of runs in Kelly's offense. When Oregon quarterbacks ran the ball last season, they did so on designed running plays 62 percent of the time.

"The thing is, you have to be very cautious and meticulous about what you're doing on the field but not to a point where it takes away from your game," he said. "Once you try not getting hurt, that's when you get hurt. What I have to do is just go out and play lights-out football and not worry about getting hurt."

Vick had a breakout year in 2010, leading the Eagles to the NFC East title, winning the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award and starting in the Pro Bowl. But he has battled injuries and inconsistency the past two years.

"I'm not living in the past; I'm living in the present and the future," he said Tuesday. "I'm motivated now to get back into top shape to come back and to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the league again."

Vick, who will turn 33 in July, said he still believes he has a lot of football left in his career.

"I think the way my body feels and based on what I feel like, I can play another four to five years," he said.

Information from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe