Eagles' Andy Reid gives Michael Vick vote of confidence

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick has taken a lot of hard hits this season, though it now appears that at least his coach has his back.

Two days after giving Vick the most tepid endorsement of his four-season tenure in Philadelphia, Eagles coach Andy Reid told reporters Wednesday that he was not re-evaluating the team's quarterback situation.

"Michael's our starting quarterback," Reid said of a player who has been sacked nine times in three games. Reid went on to say that comments he made to reporters Monday had been misinterpreted and were a matter of "semantics."

Reid spent a portion of the past two days doing damage control and addressing those semantics, after saying in Monday's news conference that the team "would evaluate as [they] go" when asked if Vick's job was safe. Reid went on his radio show Monday night to address the confusion, and he also said Wednesday he had met privately with Vick to talk about it.

Though the Eagles enter Sunday night's home game against the Giants with a 2-1 record, they lead the league in turnovers with 12. Vick, by himself, has nine, more than any other team except for Kansas City, which also has nine.

The Eagles almost lost their first two games because of turnovers. Cleveland scored all of its points off turnovers in the Eagles' 17-16 victory in the season opener. Baltimore scored 10 points off turnovers in the Eagles' 24-23 win. Philadelphia is the only team in NFL history to win each of its first two games by a point.

Last week was Vick's worst week yet as he was sacked five times and fumbled twice in the Cardinals' 27-6 crushing of the Eagles. One fumble was returned 93 yards for a touchdown. Vick said Wednesday he knows he has to cut his turnovers, but that he wasn't upset by the mini-controversy caused by Reid's remarks on Monday.

"We spoke about it. But it wasn't anything serious," Vick said. "We have to look forward to this week. We have to get ready for this game."

Ready for a game that could be the toughest yet for Vick and the Eagles' injury-depleted offensive line, considering that the Giants have one of the most powerful pass rushes in the game. Vick said he isn't worried about his job security, but he is worried about keeping hold of the ball.

"I'm very concerned about the turnovers," he said. "Being the competitor that I am, I understand you have to protect the football. I cut on back on interceptions last week, and I have two fumbles. But I know that's something I can get corrected."

Reid also believes it can be corrected, and said the blame can't all be put on his quarterback.

Said Reid: "There's more to it than that. We've got to protect, too. We've got to make sure we're calling the right plays and putting him in a good position . . . We've all got to get better at our job, Michael included. We all need to do better, and that's what we're going to take care of this week."