All signs point to Michael Vick returning Sunday but Eagles head coach Chip Kelly wasn't ready to make that pronouncement Wednesday morning.
The only constant about the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback carousel that has been spinning in recent years is that there is never much certainty over the team's starter for very long.
This season that theory has proved to be more evident than ever.
With Nick Foles concussed and according to head coach Chip Kelly yet to take even a baseline test and Michael Vick on the verge of returning from a hamstring injury suffered against the New York Giants three weeks ago, there is little clarity even four days out from gameday who will be under center Sunday.
Both Vick and Barkley have been splitting the first-team practice reps this week with Vick taking a majority. However, with Foles sidelined by default it leaves more reps for Barkley to take on a daily basis.
All signs point to Vick returning, but the head coach wasn't ready to commit to that on Wednesday.
"I just know Mike will be ready to practice today," Kelly said when asked if he has any indication that Vick will be healthy enough to play Sunday. "We'll wait to see how he progresses and how this week goes. A lot of that comes from feedback from Mike."
However, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was singing a different tune.
"We expect Michael Vick to start and that's how we'll prepare" Coughlin told reporters via conference call at the Novacare Complex. "Obviously we have tape on Nick Foles and from the end of the game Sunday Matt Barkley but the starter at the beginning of the year and up until he got hurt against us was Vick and that's who we're preparing to face."
This is a football team that has not had stability at quarterback since Donovan McNabb was traded on Easter Sunday in 2010 but this season and in particular this month has been a trying one given the health concerns of both Vick and Foles.
In practice today Vick appeared healthy enough to make his return but as we saw last week, that seems possible to change as the week progresses.
The only thing left to do is sit back and watch as the quarterback carousel goes 'round and 'round one more time.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
