Eagles QB Michael Vick needs some Jay Cutler in him

• Eagles coach Andy Reid says he was misunderstood when talking about possible QB change
• Reid says he never really considered benching Michael Vick this week
• Vick, with season hanging in the balance, must demand more from his teammates

PHILADELPHIA -- Before rushing to a quick meeting before practice Thursday, Michael Vick tried to explain just how he was set to accept potentially getting benched for a rookie.

The quarterback insisted he was duped during his postgame news conference on Sunday, which fueled days of intense speculation that the Philadelphia Eagles might make a switch and start Nick Foles.

"They asked me how did I feel that the quarterback position was still being evaluated," Vick told USA TODAY Sports in a hallway outside the locker room. "It kind of caught me off-guard."

Off-guard? Maybe that's part of the issue. If Vick, 32, didn't hear it straight from the mouth of coach Andy Reid that his job was in jeopardy, then he cannot react without collecting the facts. Instead, he took the bait and tried to accommodate his questioner.

He's too nice — at least in the sense of a quarterback at work.

Reid deserves blame, too, particularly for allowing the status of his starting quarterback to dangle for days before he set the record straight. The coach maintained Thursday that his postgame mention to "evaluate" didn't mean to possibly bench Vick, but to grade performance.

As the NFL's longest-tenured coach, he should know better. He should have a keen sense of how his words are interpreted. Especially in the City of Brotherly Love when the Eagles (3-4) are wallowing in all the glory of a three-game losing streak.

In any event, Vick, who has cut down the turnovers (four in the past four games after nine in the first three) talks of regaining his swagger and playing more aggressively. He should also get tougher in dealing with his environment.

That's not to suggest that Vick isn't football-tough. Anything but. He's a daredevil who runs fast and hard, and for years has given up his body too much for a quarterback. And Lord knows, he's taken a beating while in passing mode. He's on pace to take a career-high 46 sacks this season.

But have we ever seen Vick chew out an offensive lineman, Jay Cutler-style?

Some of the greatest quarterbacks over the years have also been some of the most demanding teammates, with a hard edge that also includes challenging coaches.

If I'm Vick right now, playing behind an O-line down two starters for the season — all-pro left tackle Jason Peters and center Jason Kelce — maybe behind closed doors I'm asking O-line coach Howard Mudd to adapt techniques to his personnel. Asking Reid and coordinator Marty Monhinweg to find better ways to protect him with the schemes.

And while Vick seems so beloved in the Eagles locker room that players probably would not have accepted a switch to Foles, now he might also need to demand accountability. It's about leadership.

We've seen Vick grow over the years, on and off the field. Contrary to his days with the Atlanta Falcons, he is said to arrive early and leave late now. To be a champion, as a quarterback, consistency, sound decisions and a more demanding presence might put him over the top. Change his personality? Not totally. Evolution, that's the ticket. Growth.

It's no wonder that Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is telling second-year quarterback Andy Dalton something similarly: As a quarterback, you need to be … a guy everyone respects but doesn't necessarily adore.

It is easy to understand why Vick might not want to ruffle feathers. Reid pumped new life into his career after Vick got out of prison. And with all the controversy that came with his heinous role in the dogfighting ring, he needs to be a model citizen. But the dogfighting deal is over. Vick, a family man, even has a dog.

When it comes to his job, he's judged on wins and losses. And if being the demanding quarterback results in more victories, so be it. Vick can take a cue from Reid, who is in such a survival mode that he dumped longtime assistant Juan Castillo.

There's no player in the Eagles locker room who can demand accountability like Vick, the quarterback who still has the ball in his hand.