| If you were lucky enough to catch Falcons rookie
QB Michael Vick’s act last Sunday in Atlanta’s tough loss to the Dolphins,
I’m sure you’ll agree with me on the following point: Some day, perhaps sooner
than later, the 2001 draft’s top overall pick is going to be a big-time fantasy star.
Same goes for his teammate, second-year WR Brian Finneran, who has made his presence
felt more and more in the season’s later stages.
At the moment, you’d probably have to say Finneran will be more of an immediate
force than Vick, since the release of veteran Tony Martin yesterday marked the begining a
full-scale makeover of the Falcons’ aging WR corps.
In a reserve role, Finneran, whose impressive 6-foot-5 size and ability to make key
catches has led many to compare him to Denver’s Ed McCaffrey, leads Atlanta with a
20.3-yard average on 22 catches with one game remaining. He also has scored three TDs.
With Martin now out of the mix, Finneran still won’t start Sunday at St. Louis.
Falcons head coach Dan Reeves prefers to keep Finneran at flanker behind Terance Mathis
and is planning on starting Shawn Jefferson at split end in place of Martin. At the same
time, though, Finneran will be on the field more in three-WR sets.
Next year, with both Mathis and Jefferson looking like possible salary-cap casualties,
there’s no way Finneran doesn’t take on a more prominent role.
What about Vick, you ask?
Before last Sunday, the smart money was on him continuing to be a clipboard carrier for
another year behind veteran Chris Chandler, whose career has definitely reached the
twilight stage.
Against the Dolphins, however, Vick might have changed the mind of new Falcons owner
Arthur Blank with his electrifying performance in relief of an injured Chandler.
After Chandler left the game with an elbow injury in the second quarter, Vick completed
11-of-20 passes — a couple of which were spectacular — for 214 yards and a TD,
in addition to scrambling five times for 63 yards.
"Vick is going to change the whole dynamic, the whole game because he’s such
a great athlete," said Dolphins DE Lorenzo Bromell, whose jaw dropped to the ground
on a play in which Vick escaped from his grasp on fourth down for a 23-yard gain.
"It’s hard to explain how good and how fast he is, how strong his arm is."
It won’t be real hard to explain the likely big-time boost in attendance at
Falcons game next season, however, should Blank and Reeves decide to cut the cord with
Chandler, whose cap value next season is an ungodly $8.5 million, and hand the reins to
Vick.
Here’s a prediction — which is hopefully better than the one I made in this
space last week when I wrote that 49ers WR Terrell Owens would have a huge day against the
Cowboys (sorry, folks).
When Vick finally does get his shot at a regular starting role, he is going to put up
numbers that will rival those of Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota two seasons ago.
Allow me to add one qualifier.
Vick’s success will be in part predicated on a dramatically different-looking WR
corps, which features at least one free-agent pickup or high draft pick with
top-of-the-line speed to go with Finneran, who I believe is already the real deal.
With just a few more weapons at Vick’s disposal, the sky’s the limit.
Stay tuned. |
