Vick will return for Giants game, source says

Michael Vick will start Sunday's game against the New York Giants, according to a league source.

When he was asked about it Tuesday, the Eagles quarterback was not ready to reveal his status. At one point, he appeared on the verge of saying he would play before restraining himself.

Vick later said that he expected to play, and that he could play at 80 percent. He missed two games with a pulled left hamstring.

Vick took the first-team snaps at Tuesday's practice, which is one of the week's lighter training sessions. Nick Foles did not practice while awaiting clearance to return from a concussion.

"I'm trying to do everything I can to get out there," Vick said.

The knot in Vick's hamstring that has vexed him the last two weeks is "going away," he said. Vick said his acceleration was still not all the way back, but his health has improved in recent days.

"It's progressed very quickly," Vick said. "It's gotten better each and every day. I just don't want to lose sight of what's gotten me to this point."

The only thing in the way of Vick's declaring that he'll play seemed to be the day of the week. He emphasized caution leading up to Sunday's game and said it's too early to go too hard.

"At some point this week, we've got to test it out and see what it feels like," Vick said. "But I think I have to give it a go, and I just don't want to do it this early in the week."

The Eagles will have up-tempo practices Wednesday and Thursday before a walk-through Friday, so Vick will have a better idea of how his hamstring responds in the coming days.

The question will shift from whether Vick will play to whether he can be effective in his first game back from a hamstring injury. One of the main things that makes Vick dangerous is his ability to run.

"If I'm out there, I'm giving it everything I've got," Vick said. "I'm not going to limit what I can do unless I really made up my mind to play that way."

Vick also said, however, that he cannot try to be a "hero."

Matt Barkley is the No. 2 quarterback with Foles absent. The Eagles signed G.J. Kinne to the practice squad Tuesday to add another arm during practice.

Vick said that it was difficult to watch the offense struggle without him against Dallas and that he had been in Foles' situation before and knows what it's like. His message to Foles on Tuesday morning was to learn from what happened and continue believing.

"We all have our share of growing pains and things will happen," Vick said. "We all want the game to go as planned, but sometimes it [doesn't]. A measure of a great player is how you come back from it, so that's the challenge right now."

Vick called his absence a "delicate situation" and said not being able to help the team was eating at him. He will get his chance again Sunday. The official announcement will likely come sooner.

"I wish I could give you a definite answer," Vick said, "but I can't right now."

Cornerback Bradley Fletcher missed practice with swelling in his knee, but he expects to play Sunday. Linebacker Jake Knott (hamstring) also missed practice.

Linebacker Emmanuel Acho joined the Eagles at practice after he was signed off the Giants practice squad Monday. According to the collective bargaining agreement rules on signing practice squad players, Acho is guaranteed a roster spot for at least three weeks. He was so confident that he would return to Philadelphia that he never gave up his residence in the area or even moved his furniture.

Vick topped a Forbes magazine poll of most disliked NFL players, but the Eagles quarterback said he was unconcerned about the ranking. "I don't care nothing about the people who still have ill feelings about me. What matters most to me is the people I do know who care about me," Vick said. "As long as I have my freedom and my family, nothing else matters."

@ZBerm