Can Unorthodox Falcons Win a Big Game?
THE ATLANTA FALCONS, who destroyed the Rams Saturday, 47-l7, could win again in Philadelphia this week with their field leader, wild-man runner Michael Vick , who is an unprecedented kind of quarterback and the most unpredictable athlete in the league. The Falcons are a team whose good running game is set up not by passer Vick (which is an acceptable NFL way) but by scrambler Vick. If that isn’t sufficient this time, the reason will be obvious: Vick isn’t enough passer to last any longer in the playoffs. There is only one challenge to the Eagles this week — defensing Vick wisely, properly — and the Eagle leader with that assignment is Jim Johnson. An upper-echelon defensive coach, Johnson, who’s kept most of Philadelphia’s opponents at bay throughout the century, has helped Coach Andy Reid reach four consecutive NFC championship games. The Rams, meantime, are out of the playoffs because their defensive team and their special teams have all deteriorated alarmingly during the five-year t
