Michael Vick's public persona is like the weather in Texas. If you don't like it, wait five minutes and it's sure to change.
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First, he was young dynamo. Then the dog killer. Then the redemption story. Now? He's the guy who always gets hurt. Even the president talks about it.
Vick told USA Today on Thursday that his bruised ribs are feeling 80 percent three days after he was injured in the Philadelphia Eagles' preseason win over the New England Patriots. That injury came one week after he hurt his thumb in the preseason opener.
As you might guess, Vick's health has been a topic of much consternation in Philly. Can the Eagles trust Vick to lead them for an entire season? Is he simply too brittle for the game?
"I'm trying to do the best I can. I can only do what I can do," Vick said Thursday. "I'm feeling better. Hanging in there. Trying to make it to Sept. 9."
Before training camp, Vick pledged he would do his best to stay healthy. On Wednesday, he explained why that's a difficult promise to keep in the NFL.
"I just let everything happen in that moment. I can't go to the line dictating what I'm going to do," he says. "I can't go to the line trying to predict everything that I'm going to do. That would hurt your game a little bit, because I might miss somebody getting open. I have to go through my progressions to the best of my abilities."
Translation? I am who I am. The moment I stop trying to be who I am is the moment I become less of a player. Vick can be dynamic for the Eagles in 2012 -- but don't expect him to be durable.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
