Mike Vick was already feeling better on the plane ride home last night, but the Eagles coaching staff said Monday it's too early to talk about when he'll be back on the field.
"I can't give you a time frame on this. That's foolish on our part, medically," said Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder a day after the Eagles 35-31 loss in Atlanta. "I keep emphasizing, we're 13 hours post-injury. . .That's not fair to Michael, it's not fair to coach, it's not fair to us, the NFL, anybody."
At Monday's noon press conference, Burkholder said Vick was "just a little bit off" his baseline test last night. "He had his head whipped, so his neck was sore. He'd bit his tongue. To me, he was pretty good, but we just wanted to be sure. . .We had to make a medical decision with him. We made the right medical decision," Burkholder said.
Now they have to go through a specific protocol -- which includes a lot of rest and tests -- before Vick is cleared to play.
Vick needs an MRI, he needs go through "impact testing," which is done on a computer, and he has to see an independent neurologist. Burkholder may want him to see team physician, Dr. Gary Dorshimer, who saw Vick last night. And Vick's baseline will have to be checked again.
"He was very far along last night," Burkholder said.
The MRI could happen later today and if Vick's up for it, they may also start the impact testing today.
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"There's a lot that needs to go on over the next three, four, five, seven days," Burkholder said. "I'm not gonna be back up here tomorrow and tell you that he's cleared, that's for sure."
