Michael Vick Broken Hand: Should Vick Play It Safe or Toughen Up?

Last week against the Atlanta Falcons, it was a concussion. On Sunday against the New York Giants, it was a broken hand. At this rate, it won't be long before Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is in a body cast.

Monday has brought some good news, though. Despite widespread reports that Vick had broken his right hand in Sunday's 29-16 loss to the Giants, Eagles head coach Andy Reid revealed (via Pro Football Talk) today that Vick suffered a mere contusion.

Reid would not say whether or not Vick is going to be able to play on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, but Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer did weigh in on the matter on Twitter earlier on Monday.

"A deep bone bruise is much more significant than just a tissue bruise," tweeted McLane. "Vick a long shot for Sunday."

The problem, apparently, is the swelling. It's not going down, and that has Vick and the Eagles worried.

At this point, those who fancy themselves football traditionalists will probably jump out of their chairs and angrily proclaim that Vick should suck it up and play through the pain. We are, after all, talking about his non-throwing hand.

I admit, I'm actually tempted to do that myself, and I don't even fancy myself as a football traditionalist. Surely Vick's right hand can't be that important. If Tony Romo can play through a busted rib and a punctured lung, then Vick can play through a bone bruise in a hand he doesn't need.

But cooler heads need to prevail here. Even if Vick could conceivably play through the pain this weekend, he has every excuse to play it safe.

The biggest of these is a simple matter of who the Eagles are facing: the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners are not a good team, and the Eagles have the luxury of hosting them at Lincoln Financial Field. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they really don't need Vick to beat the Niners.

Besides, Vick could use a breather at this point. I'm not putting much stock into his pleas for help from the refs, but he has been battered around in the last two weeks. Vick barely recovered from his concussion in time to play the Giants, and he has the kind of hand injury that will only heal with rest.

To make a long story short, the Eagles would be wise not to risk it. After the Eagles take on the Niners, they'll have to take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 and the Washington Redskins in Week 6. Those are games the Eagles are going to need Vick in order to win, and they stand a much better chance of winning if he is at or close to being 100 percent healthy.

Then the issue will be keeping him that way, but that's another headache for another day.