Nearly seven years later, DeAngelo Hall can still see the play. Atlanta and Minnesota were in overtime when Falcons quarterback Michael Vick took off running. Vick split two Vikings defenders, who collided while he scooted 46 yards to the end zone.
Ballgame.
“That’s one of the most exciting plays I’ve ever seen,” Hall said.
Hall was attending Vick’s alma mater, Virginia Tech, at the time and became Vick’s teammate in Atlanta in 2004. He saw plenty of similar improvisational plays in practice the next three years. And now the Washington Redskins cornerback is set to face his former teammate for the first time when the Redskins meet Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 26 at FedEx Field on “Monday Night Football.”
“I can’t wait to see what kinda defense we’re going to orchestrate,” said Hall, who received a text message from Vick on Thursday when he joined the Eagles. “The guy made three Pro Bowls and an NFC championship game. He deserves more credit than he got as a quarterback. I saw him this summer; he looked good to me. I don’t think it will take him long [to get back].”
The only time that the Redskins have faced Vick was in 2006, when he completed eight of 16 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards. The visiting Falcons won 24-14.
“When he breaks that contain, he can make people look silly,” said cornerback Carlos Rogers. “That’s another package we gotta put in for Philly. It was trouble with [Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook] they already had in the backfield. Now with them three…”
Defensive end Andre Carter winced at the idea of that dangerously elusive trio lining up in the same backfield with the Eagles in the Wildcat package. Carter, who debuted in the same 2001 game in San Francisco as Vick, hasn’t forgotten thinking he had the quarterback trapped only to have him scoot around the end for 25 yards.
“You just gotta be smart when you’re dealing with those speed guys,” Carter said.
Defensive end Phillip Daniels, then playing for the Chicago Bears, remembered sacking Vick in 2001 - taking him down on a bootleg.
After chasing Baltimore quarterback Troy Smith in Thursday’s 23-0 loss to the Ravens, defensive end Renaldo Wynn wasn’t thrilled about having to face Vick again.
“You think Troy Smith is fast?” Wynn said. “Take Troy Smith times five with a [strong] arm. He’s that X factor. He’s a heck of an athlete, but he’s been gone for two years so I don’t know how long it will take to get him back in the groove.”
Rogers said he wonders about that, too. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he’ll consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6, the week before the Eagles visit the Redskins. If Vick does debut in Week 6, it’ll be in Oakland.
“If you get him the first game, you don’t know what they’ll do with him, but he might also get out there nervous and mess up,” Rogers said. “But if he’s already played a couple of games, you’ll know more what they gonna do with him. They run the same offense he used to run in Atlanta, so picking up the offense won’t be a big deal. He can pass, but he wants to get that ball and run. Running isn’t gonna be hard for him.”
What could be hard is running after Vick.
“He’s going to be very difficult [to defend],” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “Unfortunately, he’s in our division. … He’s with an excellent football coach, and he’ll get to learn from some tremendous veteran leaders. Just hanging out with Donovan, it will help him.”
• David Elfin can be reached at delfin@washingtontimes.com.
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