NFL notes

LITTLE ROCK — EAGLES Vick likely to start

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Nick Foles has a broken right hand, and Coach Andy Reid said Michael Vick will likely start against the New York Giants in Sunday’s season finale.

Reid said Monday that Foles broke his throwing hand in the second quarter of a 27-20 loss to Washington, but returned to the game after X-rays at the stadium were negative.

Vick hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a loss to the Cowboys on Nov. 11. He was recently cleared to return.

“There’s a pretty good chance Michael will be the starter,” Reid said. “That’s what we’re looking at right now. That’s the direction I’m going as we speak right now.”

The Eagles (4-11) went 1-5 with the 23-year-old Foles as the starter.

“I banged it up a little in the first half,” he said. “It didn’t affect my throwing at all.”

A magnetic resonance imaging taken Monday revealed a hairline fracture, Reid said.

Reid added because it’s a nondisplaced fracture, Foles should be 100 percent in about three weeks.

“He was in quite a little bit of pain,” Reid said of Foles, who threw for 345 yards. “I know at one point he was having a tough time squeezing the ball when we went into halftime. He’s a tough kid and never said a word about it. He pushed himself through and did a good job.”

Foles, a third-round pick out of Arizona, completed 60.8 percent of his passes for an Eagles rookie-record 1,699 yards, with 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 7 games following Vick’s injury.

“It’s frustrating because I’m hard on myself and I want to win, but I’m going to keep working hard, and I know my teammates are, too,” Foles said after Sunday’s loss. “We’re going to keep sticking together. It’s been a tough year.”

With Reid’s status as head coach uncertain, it’s impossible to determine whether Foles will get an opportunity with the Eagles next year.But Reid said he was impressed with what he saw over the past two months from Foles.

“I think he’s a winning quarterback or he’s a quarterback that gives your team an opportunity to win,” Reid said. “I think you’re seeing him in a unique situation where he comes in later in the season. You look at the young quarterbacks who’ve had an opportunity to come up through and they’ve had time here to grow.

“It wasn’t really pretty when they first began and it continued to pick up as they got games under their belts. Nick got thrown in when other teams were working to their peaks. He was thrown in in that situation.

“He has enough skill and ability to play.”

The Eagles were 3-6 in Vick’s nine starts this year. Vick, in his fourth season with Philadelphia, completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 2,165 yards with 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions before his injury.

Vick was not in uniform Sunday. Veteran Trent Edwards served as Foles’ backup, and he’ll be Vick’s backup against the Giants. Edwards has not thrown a pass this year.

PACKERS Cobb to stay as returner

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy says leading receiver Randall Cobb is too valuable to take off of kick returns for safety reasons.

McCarthy said Monday that if Cobb is healthy, he will be the Packers’ full-time punt and kick returner, even in the wake of the ankle injuryhe suffered in Sunday’s 55-7 rout of the Tennessee Titans.

Cobb was injured when tackled by Tennessee’s Tracy Wilson while returning a punt with 8:38 left in the third quarter - a game in which Cobb set the franchise single-season record for all-purpose yardage. On his previous two punt returns, Cobb had gained 14 and 17 yards.

“I’ll be honest with you: I don’t have a really high tolerance for this [line of questioning] because I don’t understand how you play scared in the game of football. I don’t get that,” McCarthy said sternly. “I think it’s convenient questioning. I understand the risk involved in every single play. Some plays are higher risk than others, and I’m fully aware of that.

“But you can’t sit here and say special teams is important if you don’t put a guy like Randall Cobb out there as a returner. Now, if we’re sitting here next year, we might be having a different conversation. But the way our team is built for 2012, Randall Cobb is a huge part of oursuccess on special teams.”

McCarthy didn’t have any update on Cobb’s health, although he said Cobb seemed optimistic and the team’s medical staff wasn’t overly concerned, either. Cobb was scheduled to undergo further testing Monday.

Even with quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ not-so-subtle post-game suggestion that Cobb is too valuable to risk on returns, McCarthy said Cobb remains the returner, including in Sunday’s regular-season finale at Minnesota if he’s available. After Cobb went down, first-year wide receiver Jeremy Ross had a 58-yard punt return that set up Ryan Grant’s 7-yard touchdown run on the next play.

JETS

Tebow ‘disappointed’

NEW YORK - Rex Ryan acknowledges that Tim Tebow was “disappointed” the New York Jets coach chose Greg McElroy over him to start for the benched Mark Sanchez, but says Tebow would have played in any role that was asked of him - including the wildcat.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday that Tebow asked out of his wildcat offense duties last week after hearing that McElroy, the thirdstringer, would get his first NFL start over Tebow, listed as the No. 2 quarterback.

Another person, also familiar with the situation, adds that wildcat plays involving wide receiver Jeremy Kerley instead of Tebow were added before practice last Wednesday.

Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Jets do not disclose personnel discussions.

ESPN New York first reported that Tebow opted out of running wildcat plays.

BILLS Chandler on IR

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The Buffalo Bills placed tight end Scott Chandler on injured reserve a day after he hurt his left knee in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Chandler was hurt on the Bills’ third play from scrimmage after he fell awkwardly while making a 25-yard catch. He was walking on crutches following the game, and Coach Chan Gailey said the injury “doesn’t look good.”

The Bills close their season against the New York Jets on Sunday.

Chandler and Stevie Johnson are tied for the team lead with six touchdowns receiving. Chandler has 43 catches for 571 yards.