When the Philadelphia Eagles face the Cleveland Browns on the road Friday night (6ABC, 7:30 p.m.) they will be playing without quarterback Michael Vick, who suffered bruised ribs in a 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots. According to Eagles head coach Andy Reid, Vick, a three-time Pro Bowler, has probably seen his last action in the preseason. However, Reid expects him to be ready for the season opener, which ironically is against the Cleveland Browns on September 9 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“In season, you’d probably have him in there for the game,” Reid said. “As I’m standing here today, unless I’m drastically changing something, I’m not going to play him (the rest of the preseason). That was a pretty good shot he took. It was in a soft spot…”

Reid will start rookie Nick Foles in place of Vick against the Browns. Foles, a third round draft pick out of Arizona, has performed extremely well in the preseason. The 6-foot-6, 243-pounder, has completed 24 of 38 passes for 361 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Foles will be battling the Browns first-team defense. He will be really tested in this contest.

“We’ll see how he does,” Reid said. “It’s good experience for him. He’s a young guy and so every rep he gets, I think, is a positive rep for him. But he’ll get the prep time now, short prep time he’ll get, but we’ll see how it works for him.

“He did a good job (against the Patriots). He trusted people around him, which, for a young guy, that’s a real positive thing. He trusted the play and then he trusted the player running the play. He probably said it best: he gave the playmakers around him an opportunity to make plays, the o-line did a nice job for protecting him and he got the ball out on time. Those are plusses.”

Foles isn’t the only rookie to shine in the preseason. Brandon Boykin, Eagles rookie defensive back, has done a good job in coverage. Boykin, a fourth round pick from Georgia, has played some good football on special teams. The 5-foot-9, 182-pounder, seems to be getting more accustomed to the level of play in the NFL.

“I feel like the game is a little bit slower than practice,” Boykin said. “In practice you’re going against the first team and everything is going fast. You’re tired out there so it is a good preparation for the game. When you finally get out there it kind of slows down.

“It feels good. You want to come in as a rookie and be able to contribute as much as you can. I definitely (have to) be ready and at some point this season hopefully I get my shot.”

NOTES: The Eagles are 2-0 in the preseason. On Sunday, August 26, the Eagles will host their third Eagles Flight Night at Lincoln Financial Field. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, go to www.philadelphiaeagles.com. The Eagles will play their final preseason game against the New York Jets on Thursday, August 30 at 6:35 p.m. (6ABC). The game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .