For Falcons, a Major Flap

QB Says Obscene Gesture 'Won't Happen Again'

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga., Nov. 27 -- Quarterback Michael Vick has pledged to keep his emotions in check when the Atlanta Falcons visit Washington this weekend -- and beyond.

Vick reacted angrily to a heckler's taunts Sunday, twice raising his middle finger as he and his teammates left the Georgia Dome field after a 31-13 loss -- the team's fourth in a row -- to the New Orleans Saints. He then apologized for his gesture.

"My emotions got the best of me, and I apologize sincerely to all my fans and everybody who saw me make that gesture," Vick said Monday. "People that know me know that's not what I'm about. Honestly . . . I just got caught up in the moment. . . . It was very inappropriate at the time, but I just let my emotions get the best of me in that situation and it won't happen again."

Atlanta suddenly is reliving its collapse of 2005, when six losses in the final eight games left Vick feeling empty, disappointed and angry.

"I just did one thing I've never done throughout all the games I've lost," said Vick, whose 36 victories rank second in Falcons history and are 19 behind Steve Bartkowski's team record. "I can't go back and change anything that happened yesterday. People make mistakes . . . and sometimes you've just got to forget about it."

Vick, who also apologized after the game, has endured a few embarrassing moments off the field since he left Virginia Tech as a sophomore and became the first overall draft pick in 2001. The most high-profile incident occurred in March 2005, when an Atlanta woman filed a civil lawsuit alleging Vick knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease, but the case ended with a settlement.

Vick has not drawn as much negative attention as younger brother Marcus, whose Virginia Tech career included a suspension and ended with a dismissal.

Michael Vick was signed to a 10-year contract worth $137 million in December 2004, and the Falcons advanced to the NFC title game the following month. That has been Atlanta's top achievement during Vick's tenure.

"We are in a situation . . . where if we don't make the playoffs, it is two consecutive years that we didn't achieve our goal," Vick said. "I am trying to do everything in my power to prevent that. That is why I ran the ball so much yesterday. I had the mind-set that I was going to try my best to move the chains and put the ball in the end zone. I put my heart into it yesterday and we still didn't come out with a victory."

Vick rushed 12 times for 166 yards against the Saints, but completed just 9 of 24 passes for 84 yards.

A loss to the Redskins would drop the Falcons to 5-7. Before Sunday, Vick had never lost more than three straight starts for a franchise that has yet to achieve consecutive winning records in its 41-year history.

Coach Jim Mora, who used words such as "culture," "accountability" and "resilience" after Falcons owner Arthur Blank hired him to replace Dan Reeves in January 2004, seems unable to stop another free fall.

Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, a longtime friend who left San Francisco to join Mora's original staff, is under fire for the second straight year. The optimism that exuded from both men seems dashed with the realization that the philosophies they learned from former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and San Francisco legends such as Bill Walsh, Steve Young and Jerry Rice no longer apply in Atlanta.

Vick's struggles as a passer are far more pronounced in Knapp's offense when compared with the success he had in 2002, his first season as a full-time starter. Under Reeves, Vick had a breakout season that included career highs in attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns.

Mora and Knapp publicly support Vick, and the quarterback takes a mutual stance, but neither party can overlook a passing attack that ranks next-to-last in the league and finished 27th in 2005 and 30th in '04.

Although the team runs behind the zone-blocking schemes of assistant coach Alex Gibbs, who helped Denver win consecutive Super Bowls and drew up the plans that allowed the Falcons to lead the league in rushing for the last three years, Mora and Knapp have yet to design plays that complement Vick's skills.

"When you're not having the success you're trying to achieve, it becomes very frustrating," Mora said. "At some point, you have to take the frustration and turn it into determination and that is what we are continuously trying to do."

At least Mora has the assurance that Vick will keep his behavior in check.

"I think because we are celebrities and we play this game and we are role models, we have to conduct ourselves in a certain way," Vick said. "We have to understand this is the fishbowl we are in and we have to come out and put on a good show. The fans want to see you win. They want to see you put on a good show, and when you don't, the fans are disappointed and they have the right to say what they want to say. We have to be professionals and shake it off and come back the next week and make them scream, not boo."