Despite thwarting Michael Vick in two playoff games, Eagles safety Brian Dawkins hasn’t developed a good feel for how to stop the Falcons quarterback.
“I could say yes, but I’d be lying,” said Dawkins, who intercepted a Vick pass in last year’s NFC championship game, won by Philadelphia 27-10. “You can’t really get a grasp on when he’s going to tuck it and run. You can tell right at the last second, but is that going to help you? Not really.”
Philadelphia’s contained rush and mixed coverages held Vick to 136 yards passing (11-for-24) and 26 yards on the ground on four carries. However, the Eagles say they can’t use last year’s title game as a blueprint.
“We’re trying to look at the stuff we did last time, but know that was last year, so that’s behind us,” said defensive end Jevon Kearse, who had one of the Eagles’ four sacks of Vick. “We’re going to have to be ready to adapt to whatever they do different from last time.”
The Falcons say they want to pass more, and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has seen Vick make a lot of deep throws on the scramble. But he recognizes that this is still the team that led the NFL in rushing last year.
“Vick, if he has time, he has a great arm,” Johnson said. “And he knows the system a lot better. He looked good at times in the preseason as far as throwing the football. We still have got to do a good job against the running game and containment. That’s still our main goal.”
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