Vick injured

[Turbulence]

With 4:20 remaining in the first quarter, QB Mike Vick fractured his right fibula. Vick was chased out of the pocket on the third-down play and was tackled by Adalius Thomas. Vick appeared to fall awkwardly on his right leg, and grabbed it even before he fell all the way to the ground. Thomas, after briefly celebrating the tackle, came back over to check on Vick, and several of Vick's teammates also kneeled over him. When it was apparent that he was hurt, a hush came over the crowd at the Georgia Dome. After he was looked at by the medical staff for about five minutes, Vick got up with some help and limped a couple of steps to the cart. He was wheeled to the locker room amid a standing ovation. It is not known at this time how long he will be out of action. His condition will be updated either Sunday or Monday.

So Vick breaks his leg...and will presumedly be out for a while. This make s it easier on the Cats for the division race...but you always hate to see this happen. You always want to beat your opponents at their best... I guess that's Football, though.

[tommy]

That's a bummer for Atlanta. But hey, if it helps Carolina on their way to NFC East dominance, then it can't be ALL bad...

[Turbulence]

NFC East
NFC south you mean...
I'm still getting used to the division changes too...can you believe that Seattle is in the NFC now? Sheesh... :beatup:

[tommy]

Oh, right... ugh, forgot about that...

btw, Vick is said to be out probably six weeks.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Too bad about Vick..you never like to see an athlete get hurt..unless of course Scott Stevens or Shanny got a stick permanently stuck up their......ummmmm...you know! ;)

(Sorry J..you know I love ya) :D

[Shell]

Vick has 'clean' break but ligament damage not yet certain
By MATT WINKELJOHN
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Flowery Branch -- Mike Vick learned more about the human ankle Sunday morning that he probably ever wanted to know.

With a splint on his lower right leg, the Falcons quarterback visited team headquarters on crutches, sitting down with team orthopedist Andrew Bishop. Using a three-dimensional teaching model, the doctor explained how Vick on Saturday night broke his right fibula, the smaller of two bones in the lower leg, near where it meets the ankle.

The three-year veteran was not available to the media, but Bishop visited with reporters Sunday afternoon. He said minor ligament damage also is expected in Vick's right ankle, and the quarterback is virtually certain to be out at least six weeks, which would include the first four games of the regular season.

"Typically, it takes six weeks for a bone to heal," Bishop said. "That just means the bone is healed, it doesn't necessarily mean everything else is as it's supposed to be. It could be as little as six weeks. It could be eight, 10. We just have to wait and see."

Simply put, when Vick was tackled by Ravens defensive end Adalius Thomas with 4:20 remaining in the first quarter, the quarterback's right leg bones continued to face forward as his foot rotated outward. That caused a break in the fibula, about 1 1/2 to two inches above the hard bony knot on the outside of the ankle.

Upon reading Vick's X-rays, Bishop was encouraged because there were no signs of serious ligament damage, nor was the bone displaced. "It's a very clean break," the doctor said.

The prognosis could change, however. X-rays will be taken "every few days up to about 10 days," Bishop said. "You can't tell exactly how much damage there was to [ligaments in the ankle] because the break is very clean. All the bones are perfectly lined up."

It's too early to be certain, however, that Vick won't need surgery.

"If there was substantial ligament damage [in the ankle], then the [primary bones] would shift laterally and require surgical intervention.

"There's no way to tell, an MRI is not going to tell you and no other test is going to tell you how much damage there is [to these ligaments]," Bishop said. "If there is significant [ligament] damage, it would affect these bones over the next 10 days to two weeks."

Vick is to keep his right leg elevated much of the time, and the leg is frequently iced to reduce inflammation. He's not taking anti-inflammatory medication, team officials said.

Although Vick is in a splint now, "The plan right now is to treat him in a cast, going along with X-rays," Bishop said. Vick may be X-rayed again as soon as today. Doctors will use the X-rays to monitor whether the bone is healing properly.

"[If] you have a widening between [the bones], if we see that happening, we have to put things back, put plates and screws in there," Bishop said.

Surgery would almost certainly change the timetable for Vick's return dramati -cally.

"I don't think that's going to happen, but we don't know," Bishop said. "The plan right now is to treat him in a cast, going along with X-rays. At the appropriate time, we'll place him in a removable cast and start some rehab."

In the meantime, Vick will be able to strengthen his upper leg with weight-lifting.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb broke his right fibula Nov. 17 against the Cardinals. He was out eight weeks, returning to play against the Falcons on Jan. 11 in the playoffs.

"I can't compare [Vick's break] to anybody else's injury," Bishop said. "There's lots of different ways you can break a fibula. The fact it's not displaced at all is a very good thing. Long term, he should be 100 percent."

[Shell]

No plans to add QB -- so far

By MATT WINKELJOHN
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Flowery Branch -- Right now, the Falcons are not in the market for another quarterback. That, like the prognosis for Mike Vick's recovery, is subject to change.

Team officials suggested Saturday night and again Sunday that they're likely to stand pat with Doug Johnson as the starter, second-year pro Kurt Kittner as the backup and first-year pro David Rivers as the No. 3 quarterback.

Even if that plan stays in place, the Falcons will enter the season with four quarterbacks on the roster, including Vick. That would cause some sort of a trickle-down effect, in essence bumping another player off the eventual roster -- at least until Vick can play again.

Until Saturday night, Rivers was a longshot to survive cuts. Now, he's almost certain to be on Atlanta's opening day roster. "You get bumped up [the depth chart], but you hate for it to happen that way," he said.

Adding another quarterback would cause more roster problems.

Most teams now have 80 to 85 players, and rosters must be cut to 65 players on Aug. 26, and to 53 players on Aug. 31.

Until teams start cutting players, there are few QB candidates to even consider. Former Falcon signal caller Jeff George, who played last season with the Seahawks but is not on a roster now, is not likely to be welcomed back here. Elvis Grbac, who played with the 49ers, Chiefs and Ravens, has said he will stay retired.

Dave Brown and Kent Graham, both of whom played for Reeves in New York, are unsigned. But Brown has been out of football for more than a year.

[canefan2k1]

The Madden Cover Curse strikes again... :evil: