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Philadelphia Eagles' 'flyswatters' help quarterbacks

Even in 7-on-7 drills, Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly isn't going to let his quarterbacks off the hook.

In an effort to make sure his signal-callers are creating good habits, the Eagles use three "flyswatter" ballboys with black nets on their shoulders to imitate tall defensive linemen with outstretched arms.

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 6-foot Michael Vick has hit the stationary obstructions most often.

"The first day Chip put them out there I complained about it, complained about it, and he said, 'The more you complain, the more I'm going to keep it out here,' " Vick said. "I've got to deal with it and it's been helping me. And now I don't even pay attention to it."

Kelly doesn't believe height is the issue with batted balls -- he didn't have tall quarterbacks at the University of Oregon either -- but rather a quarterback not finding the proper lane.

"I think as far as sliding, finding lanes, up and over with the throws, it's going to help me," Vick said. "At some point, it's going to pay dividends for me. It's embarrassing when you do it in practice because it's not a moving target."

Vick had 2.5 percent of eligible passes batted last season, according to Pro Football Focus, while his competition for the starting quarterback gig in Philly, Nick Foles, came in at 1.6 percent.

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