Falcons just might be the team to clip Eagles

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Jim Mora was sitting in an office at the Atlanta Falcons' training complex, musing about the various uniform combinations worn by his team.

Then he glanced at a picture of Michael Vick hanging on the wall.

"That guy looks good in any uniform," Mora said with a sly grin, looking very much like a coach who knows he's got that one player who could take a team all the way to the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia (10-1) has the best record in the NFC, and most pundits consider the Eagles to be helmet and shoulder pads above anyone else in the conference.

Next stop, Jacksonville?

Not so fast. The Falcons (9-2) are on the verge of wrapping up the NFC South and starting to take on an uncanny resemblance to the lone Super Bowl team in franchise history.

Sure, this group has some troubling issues: a tendency to struggle after halftime, a lack of production from the receivers, a 56-10 loss at Kansas City in which the Falcons gave up an NFL-record eight touchdowns rushing.

But Vick is the great equalizer.

Just imagine the Eagles' state of mind if they're hosting another NFC championship game, knowing anything short of the Super Bowl would make the season a disappointment - and they've got to stop No. 7.

Hmmm, do you think there would be a little tension in the City of Brotherly Love?

"The Falcons have a secret weapon over there who is the league's worst-kept secret," New Orleans cornerback Mike McKenzie said. "He's from another world."

In the West Coast-style offense Mora and his staff put in, Vick still doesn't appear totally comfortable. His numbers through the air - 58 percent completions, 169 yards per game, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions - leave him sandwiched between Kurt Warner and Joey Harrington in the league's passer ratings.

Of course, Vick isn't measured by the same standard as other quarterbacks.

He leads the Falcons in rushing with 709 yards, averaging more than 7 yards per carry. He's at his most dangerous when he ditches the offense and just goes with a play that could have been drawn up in the school yard.

Just ask the Saints, who gave up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Vick to Alge Crumpler with 1:22 remaining in Atlanta's 24-21 victory last Sunday.

This one was vintage Vick. He took the snap and looked left, cut to his right to avoid a rusher, darted back to the left and unleashed the game-winning pass as a New Orleans defender took a swipe at the quarterback's legs.

"Well, he's Vick," Saints defensive end Charles Grant said. "You can't try to contain him. You've just got to contain the other guys. Vick is one of the greatest players ever to play the game already."

The comeback victory could pay dividends in the postseason.

"It's a very important win because these situations prepare you for down the road," Vick said. "There are going to be situations come playoff time where you are not always going to be in the lead."

If the Falcons win their division (a formality) and finish with at least the second-best record in the conference (everyone except Philadelphia is at least two games behind Atlanta), they'll get a first-round bye and play at home in the next round.

That formula worked just fine in 1998. Atlanta won its division going away with the best record (14-2) in team history. Still, the Minnesota Vikings were the conference's anointed superpower after losing only one game during the regular season.

An eraser was needed when the Falcons stunned the Vikings in the NFC championship game, winning a 30-27 overtime thriller.

This year's team is considered a notch below Philadelphia and AFC juggernauts New England, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Some head-to-head comparisons reinforce the notion Atlanta is still a pretender in this group of Super Bowl contenders.

One week after the Falcons struggled to a 14-10 victory over the New York Giants, the Eagles blew out the same team 27-6. On the same day Atlanta had to rally to beat the Saints (4-7), the Patriots cruised to a 24-3 victory over a much better team, the Baltimore Ravens (7-4).

The Falcons have let up noticeably in the third quarter, getting outscored 48-14 overall. The last two games provided ample fodder for those who say this is a good team, not a great one.

At Giants Stadium, Atlanta had a 14-0 lead at halftime and got the ball to start the third quarter. But three penalties and a sack ruined the first possession, and the Falcons managed only one first down the next time they got the ball.

By the end, they were hanging on.

Atlanta was up 17-6 on the Saints at halftime, only to get dominated in the third quarter. New Orleans had a 146-22 lead in total yards, piled up nine first downs to only one for Atlanta, and held the ball for more than 11 minutes.

Mora is concerned about his team's tendency to let down.

"I wish we could find a way to come out of the locker room and get something going right away on offense," he said. "It's something we have to get better at."

But the coach isn't consumed by the third-quarter numbers. Mora is encouraged by the overall picture - and, of course, he always feels better when he looks at that picture on the wall.