Still no practice for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, and personally I think it would be a complete shock if he played Sunday against the Patriots. That means at least one more week of Vince Young at starting quarterback while Vick's broken ribs continue to heal.
The most common question I'm getting on Vick is why the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo was able to play quarterback with broken ribs this year and Vick is not. Some seem to feel this reflects on Vick's toughness, his character or his leadership abilities. And hey, I'm not in the guy's head. All of those things could in fact be true. But I think it's a big jump to make, mainly because none of us are in the guy's body. We don't know how Vick's rib injury compares to Romo's. We don't know which ribs we're talking about, where they're located, how badly broken they are or how much the injury affects his ability to throw the ball. All we know is, by whatever standard Vick and the Eagles are applying, he's not able to play right now. And I've never personally been comfortable saying a player's not tough enough to play through injury because... well, it's not my injury. As for the Vick-Romo comparison, I guess I'd just say I have no reason to think their injuries were identical just because they were both classified as broken ribs.
The Eagles officially listed Vick as questionable for Sunday's game after he missed practice again Friday. He has not practiced since the Nov. 13 game in which he suffered the injury. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who injured his knee in Thursday's practice, also did not practice Friday. Neither did wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who has hamstring and shoulder injuries, or offensive lineman King Dunlap, who's still dealing with the effects of a concussion. Dunlap is listed as out for Sunday's game, Maclin as doubtful and Asomugha as questionable. Eagles coach Andy Reid said in his address to reporters that Maclin's more serious problem was the hamstring. I'd be surprised if he played. Rueben Frank of CSN Philadelphia reports that the Asomugha injury isn't serious and that he might be able to play.
Wide receiver DeSean Jackson is listed as probable after limited participation in practice Friday. And cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was a surprise limited participant in practice and is listed as questionable. I say "surprise," because I don't think most people expected him to practice Friday or have a chance to play Sunday.
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw and linebacker Michael Boley remained out of practice because of their respective foot and hamstring injuries. Wide receiver Mario Manningham, who has a knee injury, also missed practice. But defensive end Justin Tuck and right tackle Kareem McKenzie, who missed Thursday's practice, were both upgraded to limited participants Friday, and running back D.J. Ware was a full practice participant as he is now apparently recovered from his concussion. The Giants don't play until Monday, so all of these players have time yet. The only player they've ruled out is left tackle Will Beatty, who had surgery Thursday to repair the retina in his right eye and likely will be out for a while.
The injury news is basically all good for the Redskins, as tackles Trent Williams and Jammal Brown, wide receiver Santana Moss, linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry and cornerback Josh Wilson are all listed as probable. The Redskins list no one as "out" or "doubtful" and only two players -- receivers Niles Paul and Donte' Stallworth -- as questionable. The Redskins head to Seattle at something resembling full strength, minus the out-for-the-year guys like Tim Hightower, Chris Cooley and Kory Lichtensteiger. The return of Moss is especially significant for the struggling Redskins offense.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys' Week 12 game is already in the books, so there's no official injury report. But owner Jerry Jones went on the radio and said fullback Tony Fiammetta and backup quarterback Jon Kitna are already ruled out for the Dec. 4 game in Arizona. The Fiammetta thing is weird -- an illness that makes him nauseous when he exerts himself and of which the team has been unable to get to the bottom. Kitna's got a back injury, and it's serious enough that the Cowboys are looking around for a veteran backup to Romo, since they don't like to be without one of those.