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Courtesy of ESPN.com

Updated: Oct. 12, 2005, 2:02 PM ET
ESPN.com news services


Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who was inactive against the New England Patriots because of a sprained right knee, practiced Wednesday with the team, taking a good portion of snaps during practice.

Vick did not wear a knee brace, but did wear a sleeve over his sprained right knee. The Falcons have not said how they will list Vick on their injury report.

I say rest him another week. Schaub and company can and should do fine against the Saints. Vick needs to heal for the home stretch...

I say rest him till he's healthy...I don't think we need Vick before the bye week and I am sure with three more weeks of rest he'd be 100%....I wouldn't make him inactive if he is capable of playing just in case Shaub does something stupid...

Our next two games should be winnable without Vick, then we get the bye. Let the damage heal fully with a month off. Also it would be great to see Schaub get a win in this league. He has had some ok all the way to outstanding games and has yet to win. They guy needs to feel he can lead a team to a win, not just a close loss.

MF1

I think we should play him on the first set of downs.

This will accomplish two things. One, it will get the crowd into the game early.

And two, this will give Vick a chance to prove to the coaches that his knee is not a problem. This also gives the coaches the opportunity to see if he is having any residual problems and still give them the chance to pull Vick early, just in case. You can dog your reps in practice and not show any discomfort, but when you are being chased around by people intent on feeding you turf, you really can't hide your disabilities. Vick may be able to sprint forward and back easily, but side to side is going to really show.

Vick says he was ready and is disappointed, ok, let's play him and see. One way or the other, the truth will win out.

If we sit Vick everytime he gets dinged he'll never play more then 5 games in the NFL. Vick should start but be watched very close. If he aggrivates the injury then pull him and put Schuab in. But sitting Vick for a lingering strain isn't going to help his confidence at all. This man played a game with seperated shoulders and thumb.

He had a light week last week and he's having a moderate week this week. Unless Vick says "I can't go" then he starts period. I want to protect Vick but if he's 85% to 90% he is perfectly capable of starting. He's already angry he was inactive last week.

i say rest him, cuz i picked up schaub in one of my fantasy leagues...

These next two games will not be cake, but they will be easier than going up against the Pats. Schaub did very well against them, and I think he should be starting at least one more week to give Vick that much more time to heal. If Vick can go against NYJ, it will be good because they have a pretty darn good defense. Then he has two weeks to recover from the game. If he can't go for NYJ, it will be good for him to be fully recooperated for the remainder of the season - where we will really need him.

We don't need to baby Vick. If he says he's ready then he's ready. Remember the debate last year because Vick said if he doesn't feel like he's capable of being a playmaker he won't play. This in turned pushed is return back a week or two because Vick said he wasn't ready.

Vick knows when he's ready to go and he's smart enough to not comeback too early and risk injury. Only a medical doctors opinion of Vick would change my opinion of who know's best of when Vick is ready to play or not.

I say Vick starts, but put him on a short leash. If the knee becomes a concern at any point in the game, then pull him. This is VIck's team, and I think he should be given every opportunity to lead it on the field.

Every year we have this same conversation, "What is Vick made of?" And we are still asking. This is something that really needs to be aired out. If Mora is babying him, then Vick has a right to gripe. If, on the other hand, Vick has more problems than he is letting on, he really needs to either shut up or step up. Whichever it is, this has got to be answered once and for all.

I think you hear that mostly from the casual, bandwagon fan who didn't know we drafted Vick until we were in the NFC Championship game. Those of us who have followed the Falcons for more than JUST a couple years, know that Vick has played with seperated shoulders, fingers busted up, and all kinds of other injuries. We don't question his toughness & actually support Mora babying him because Vick is a competitior and will put himself at serious risk to go out & play.

good post dirty...I have never questioned Vick's toughness either....seing him in 02 (?) when he played the entire last half of the season with seperated shoulders earned my respect...

One thing I do find interesting is that whenever Vick has an upper body injury, there almost seems no question that he's going to play. But when it's a lower body injury, there always is a question mark about him. That's pretty backwards when it comes to most QBs.

when his upperbody is hurt, he can compensate with his legs, but down below he can't compensate with his arm,

plus upper body injuries ending a qb's career are quite rare (except for concussions) where as a knee or ankle injury is always scary for someone who relies on the run so much

I think Vick proved that an injury to his leg(s) did infact make him step up as a passer. Which is why I think he should start. If Vick says "lets go!" then start him but keep him on a short leash like Pudge said. Vick has got to learn how to pass the rock consistently and if he knows he can't run like he can he displays a pronpensity to stay in the pocket and pass.

He has to learn eventually or he'll fade into then sunset before he hits 30. His legs will go long before his body goes. When that day comes and he still hasn't learned to pass the rock he's no more then Kordell Stewart.

true, he did step up as a passer (relative to what he has done), but he also ran quite a bit as well. in fact during the bills game his leg seemed absolutely fine. he was making cuts and exploding like usual. he did restrain himself more which was good to see and he passed well enough to open up the running game, which is what he needs to do. the true question is can he do it consistently. and can he improve his passing. until then, what pudge said will remain true, that vick can play even with upper body injuries as long as his legs are good to go, but if the legs (esp knees and ankles) not at 80-90% then he will sit it out.

I think this answers our question:

Q: Does Michael Vick look more comfortable today in practice since he was injured?
Mora: Yeah, absolutely. I watch him move and that's part of my evaluation of him but I also just watch the expressions on his face and his demeanor. That's almost as significant as the way he moves. Mike has a look about him when he's confident and calm and relaxed and feeling good about where he is physically and I see that look in his face. I saw it the Buffalo week and I can't say I saw it last week.

running? passing? it's all really about his mojo