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Facing another injury ravaged team (if we loose I made shoot myself)

Atlanta
Kerney: Questionable
Vick: Questionable
Weiner: Questionable

New Orleans
LB James Allen: Questionable
CB Fakhir Brown: Questionable
WR Az-Zahir Hakim: Questionable
WR Joe Horn: Questionable
OG Kendyl Jacox: Questionable
OG Jermaine Mayberry: Questionable
TE Shad Meier: Questionable
S Mel Mitchell: Questionable
LB T.J. Slaughter: Questionable
RB Aaron Stecker: Questionable

Here's a quote from Mora on Vick's status thus far:

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.

I never saw this as a significant injury, so I'm still taking the stance that Vick is likely to play this week since I was shocked he missed last week.

He'll play. I think Mora knew that someone on that Pats D would eventually take a cheap shot on Vick, not unlike what you saw happen to Big Ben. It seems like the AFC teams are destroying each other over there with their "physical" style of play.

Yeah, I had the suspicion last week that Mora held Vick out because he was more afraid of the Pats D than he should have been.

Wow!! So, your coach let you lose a game when Vick was healthy enough to go? I guess that's one way to do it, huh?

No, our coach had complete faith in our backup QB to win the game. The guy went in and threw for 298 yards and 3 TD. Our offense didn't lose that game and there was no way Mora could have figured that the D would give up 31 points.

MF1

Well, his complete faith in Schaub was misguided as the Falcons lost the game. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm thinking Mike Vick gives you the BEST chance to win. And if I'm Mora, I'm putting the players on the field that give my team the best chance to win.

Of course, contrary to the conspiracy theories around here, I'm pretty sure Vick wasn't quite ready to go.

Hmmm. I was thinking just the opposite Pudge. I think Vick's knee is worse than the public knows. For him not too even suit up against the World Champs speaks volumes. They want him to wear a brace, which we all know restricts the mobilty of the knee. I.E., it only bends one way. I think he has a partially torn MCL or ACL or something to that effect. A full tear and he's done for the year. I think the Falcons are hoping it will heal on it's own in the next few weeks.

If Vick plays Sunday without a brace I guess I'm off base. If he doesn't play or wears a brace, something is wrong in the knee.

You're definitely off base. If it were something that serious Mora would sit him out, especially with the way Schaub played & considering we're playing the Aints this week.

Let's look at the facts here. The Pats D is decimated by injury. The Pats, and everyone else, view us as a serious threat to their chances of winning the Super Bowl. Teams have been taking cheap shots on Vick since 2002. With an already weakened knee, another cheap shot may have turned that sprain into a tear real quick. The Pats have a history of playing dirty in, and outside of, the rules. If Vick played against them you woud have seen a lot of D-linemen coming in low & hard, trying to jump on his leg in a pile, and a number of other cheap moves that they know they can get away with because the refs are in the Pats' preverbial pockets so to speak.

Vick didn't play because the Pats are a dirty team on both offense and defense, period. the Saints have more respect than to play like that so it's not as big of an issue, because when you play inter-division (NFC South) teams they know that you can easily turn right around & mess up their best player the next game in retalitation. That is why the Vikings, Pats, etc of the world are the ones you want to be careful when playing against.

You don't really believe that do you? That would indicate that Vick, the coaching staff and everyone else involved in the organization are afraid of the Patriots. You can't play this game in fear. Well, let's call the rest of the NFL and tell them to sit their starter when they play the big, bad Patriots.

Nobody is afraid of the Pats, just using an intelligent approach. Here you have a very proud team coming off an embarrassing loss and a number of serious injuries, so they were basically backed into a corner. When you put blood in the water (Vick with an sprained knee), the sharks will start biting...it's just how it is. This is especially true when they are backed into a corner as they were. Nobody was afraid of them, it was more a situation of why bother risking Vick in a pointless game against an already injured & cornered animal (the Pats D)?

I see what your saying 'Comp. I respectfully disagree that it was a pointless game, though. We had the World Champs coming to our house, hungry and motivated. It had to be looked at as a measuring stick for our season and franchise. I don't think we sat Vick to "duck" the Pats, I think we sat him because he's more hurt than the average fan knows.

World Champs, in your back yard, you want to make a statment to them, yourselves and the rest of the NFL. I don' think that is pointless.

Yeah I hear ya, but when it comes down to it you don't risk your meal ticket just to make a statement if his knee is already banged up. That's where I think Mora was coming from.

You can't win a game when your defense was as effective as calunder is in keeping water in. If you call 300 yards and 3 TD's a bad coaching decision then you are a complete moron when it comes to football.