Michael Vick Injury: 3 Reasons Philadelphia Eagles Star QB Shouldn't Play Sunday

After he left the Philadelphia Eagles' 35-31 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night with a concussion, quarterback Michael Vick's status is uncertain for this week's game against the New York Giants. Eagles fans got good news today, however, as Vick participated in the morning walk-through practice, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

"

Per the Associated Press, trainer Rick Burkholder said that Vick doesn’t have “a whole lot of concussion symptoms.” Burkholder said that Vick will undergo additional testing, and that he’ll see an independent neurologist in “the next day or two.”

“Just because he doesn’t have symptoms today doesn’t mean he won’t have symptoms tomorrow,” Burkholder said. “You can’t predict.”

"

While the Eagles would obviously be ecstatic if Vick could play on Sunday, it simply wouldn't be worth the risk. Here are three reasons why.

Concussions Can Cause Long-Term Issues

There have been far too many cases of of mental illness and depression related to ex-NFL players due to concussions. While I would be jumping to conclusions if I said this would happen to Vick if he played Sunday, it serves as an example of why it is important to treat concussions with extreme caution.

Vick was unable to return to Sunday's game, so he obviously exhibited concussion-related symptoms, and he was supposedly woozy following the game. Even though Vick hasn't had many symptoms since, it doesn't mean they won't resurface. Concussions are very tricky, and unnecessarily playing with one could have dire long-term effects.

The Eagles Can Beat the Giants Without Vick

The Eagles weren't considered a Super Bowl favorite prior to the season simply because of Vick. Philadelphia is stocked with skill players on offense and has plenty of talent on the line and in the secondary defensively. The New York Giants are extremely banged up in their own right, so I believe the Eagles can win without Vick. 

It isn't yet known whether Vince Young or Mike Kafka would start in Vick's place, but I doubt it would matter. Kafka played well in the late stages of Sunday's game and could certainly give Philly an opportunity to win.

The Eagles would simply have to feature running back LeSean McCoy more on offense and tighten up defensively. Even if the Eagles sit Vick and lose, it is a much smaller price to pay than Vick re-injuring himself. 

Further Injury Would Severely Hurt Eagles' Chances

While the Eagles can win individual games with Young or Kafka at quarterback, it takes an elite quarterback to go deep into the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. The Eagles have an elite signal caller in Vick and should not, under any circumstances, allow him to risk further injury by playing with a concussion.

For Vick to play he will have to pass tests from a team physician and an independent physician, but even if he does, he should be given a week off. Without Vick for the duration of the season, the Eagles would go from Super Bowl contenders to fringe playoff contenders at best, or a non-playoff team at worst.

Vick is going to take hits due to his reckless style of play and iffy offensive line, so there is no logical reason to put him in harm's way when he is compromised by a concussion. In a must-win situation I would say that the Eagles should absolutely play Vick, but the NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. Sitting Vick will hurt them in the short-term, but it is certainly in favor of their long-term benefit.