PHILADELPHIA - Michael Vick, as only he can, applied the brakes a split second after his glowing endorsement of Eagles head coach Andy Reid included "and every good thing comes to an end."
"If that is the case," Vick said after the Wednesday morning walkthrough. "We don't know. And the same thing goes for me."
The formal announcement on the future of Reid almost certainly won't come until Monday, at the soonest. He's not likely to return for a 15th season, the last on his contract.
The Eagles are 4-11. They've missed the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time under Reid. Owner Jeffrey Lurie very publicly leaned on the playoff streak during the news conference in which he also said Reid gave the Eagles the best chance to win this season. Seemed liked a good idea at the time.
Reid has lost 10 of his last 11 games after a 3-1 start. The Eagles would like to send him out a winner Sunday against the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. A victory would make Reid 140-92-1. A loss and his winning percentage dips from .603 to .598.
The victories total ranks 22nd on the all-time NFL list. With Reid calling the shots the Eagles have won six division titles, reached the conference championship round five times and appeared in Super Bowl XXXIX.
"If you look at his track record, the things he's been able to accomplish it's going to be hard to top," Vick said. "It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of commitment. And the one thing I can say is that he's committed himself to being the best coach he can be and having his players in the best possible position week in and week out to try to win games."
"And you don't win them all. You don't win them all. And every good thing come to an end...if that is the case."
The Giants (8-7) are favored by seven points over the Eagles. Washington has to beat Dallas, Minnesota and Chicago has to lose for the defending Super Bowl champion Giants to qualify for the playoffs.
And of course the Giants have to beat Vick, who in his last game at the Meadowlands sparked the Birds to a 38-31 victory so dramatic it earned its spot with Miracles of the Meadowlands I and II.
During the 2010 season DeSean Jackson's 65-yard punt return as time expired completed a rally that began with the Giants hold a 31-10 with 7:29 remaining.
What a difference a couple of years make. The Eagles and the Giants both were 2-1 when they last met on Sunday night in Philadelphia. The Eagles survived, 19-17, when Lawrence Tynes was short on a 54-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds left. Reid, you may recall, called time to ice Tynes right before the kicker was wide on his first 54-yard attempt.
The Eagles exited with a 3-1 mark - and the respect of their counterparts.
"At that point in time I thought they were definitely going to be the team to beat," Giants leading receiver Victor Cruz said on a conference call. "They had everything going. They were on a nice winning streak. And they were doing some good things. So in my mind I was thinking they were definitely going to be the team to beat."
While the Eagles would lose their next eight games, the Giants would go on a four-game win skein. The view from afar is interesting.
"I think it's a matter of just injuries and turnovers and things that have gone on within the organization that I can't speak of obviously that just haven't resulted in W's," Cruz said. "At the end of the day there have been a lot of close ball games and they just haven't come away with the W. I don't think it's indicative of the type of team they have."
Vick has completely cooled off after that dramatic win over the Giants at the Meadowlands. After winning eight of his first 10 starts he's 10-15, including the playoffs. That's 18-17 overall for a guy making $12.5 million in base salary.
The Vick era likely will end Sunday along with the coach who gave him the second chance following his 22-month jail stint for operating a notorious dogfighting ring. It sure sounded like Vick had one foot out there door.
"My time has been great," Vick said. "I've enjoyed being here. I've enjoyed the teammates I've had. Some have come and gone but given the opportunity I was able to go out and be productive in 2010, finish strong in 2011 and this year was a roller coaster ride. We had a lot of ups and downs. We had a lot of guys who got hurt."
Well, every good thing comes to an end.
If, of course, you believe that is the case for the Reid-Vick partnership.