|
ATLANTA (Ticker) --
Michael Vick
gets to play the team that passed on the chance to draft him Sunday when the
Atlanta Falcons
host the
San Diego Chargers
in an interconference matchup.
The Chargers had the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, but traded it to the Falcons for three draft selections and receiver-returner
Tim Dwight
. They used the first-round pick - fifth overall - in 2001 on
LaDainian Tomlinson
, who is regarded by many to be the best all-around running back in the NFL.
Last year, Tomlinson became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season. This year, Tomlinson has rushed for 471 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and caught 15 passes for 173 yards.
Vick led the Falcons to the playoffs in 2002 and a stunning playoff win at Green Bay. But he broke his leg in the preseason last year and missed 11 games. Now Vick appears to be struggling in the Falcons' new West Coast offense implemented by coordinator Greg Knapp despite the team's 4-1 start.
The NFL's fastest quarterback, Vick was sacked six times and fumbled three times, losing two, and threw an interception in last week's 17-10 loss to Detroit.
"It's going to take some time to get the reads down with the receivers in this system," said Vick, who has completed 60 percent of his passes for 801 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. "But I can't be as careless with the ball as I was against Detroit."
Meanwhile, the Chargers erupted for 72 points in back-to-back wins over Tennessee and Jacksonville the last two weeks. Just one team - the
Peyton Manning
-led
Indianapolis Colts
- has averaged more points per game than the Chargers.
Drew Brees
, who was taken by the Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 draft, is boasting a 95.5 passer rating, completing 61 percent of his passes for 893 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions. He threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 34-21 win over Jacksonville.
Both of the touchdowns were caught by
Antonio Gates
, who leads all tight ends with 31 receptions.
The Falcons have allowed just 13.2 points per game under rookie coach Jim Mora Jr. Last year, the Falcons ranked last in the league in total defense.
Matchup to watch: Falcons receiver
Peerless Price
lines up across left cornerback
Quentin Jammer
.
Series: Atlanta leads, 5-1, including wins in the last three meetings.
Next week: San Diego visits Carolina on October 24 Atlanta visits Kansas City on October 24
|