Tough watching the Falcons...

It was quite odd watching the Atlanta Falcons' game with Joey Harrington as starting quarterback and Michael Vick nowhere to be seen. If Sunday's 24-3 loss to Minnesota was any indicator, this is going to be a very long season for the Falcons.

I say that, because, going into the year and knowing Vick was not going to be playing, the game at Minnesota was one of the few I thought the Falcons may be able to win.

Overall, in terms of accuracy throwing the football, Joey Harrington didn't fare poorly, but he was inconsistent at times, was sacked six times (a couple were his fault), and had two costly turnovers (one was his fault). Both of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns. The second was the fault of wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who dropped a pass that hit him square in the hands and into the arms of a Viking, who ran it in for 6. The first interception was Harrington's fault, as he was pressured and made a poor throwing decision. He took a bit too much time in the pocket on a couple occasions and was sacked as a result, but was sacked six times overall, so the line didn't do the guy any favors. That's for sure!

Overall, the Falcons didn't play too poorly on defense, as the Vikings only scored 10 points offensively. The Falcons' offense, especially in the (gulp), running game, couldn't garner much of anything. THAT's where Vick will be missed the most. In the passing game, it won't make too much of a difference, but it will make a huge difference in the run game. The Falcons gained under 100 yards on the ground against the Vikes and averaged 186 per game last year. Not only does Harrington not have the scrambling or running ability of Vick, the presence of Vick alone opened holes for his tailbacks. Warrick Dunn averaged less than three yards per carry on twenty-two carries on Sunday. Jerious Norwood had a better ypc average, but carried the ball less than Dunn. With the presence of Harrington as opposed to Vick, there won't be any linebackers spying on the quarterback or any defenders eyeing the quarterback whenever he fakes a hand-off or hands the ball off. The eyes will solely be on the tailback. Expect the Falcons to drop from being the top rushing team for three consecutive seasons to being a middle of the pack to lower tier rushing club.

There was something different about watching the Falcons when Vick was their starter. Without him, they've become like any other NFL team and I'm now wondering if I'm bored with NFL football. I'll always love the college game, because it combines the attitude and atmosphere of a high school game with the talent of the professional game. It's a nice hybrid, where it's still fun and there's quality football. You can see one offense run a spread, while another runs the west coast, and another runs the option. You're not going to see that kind of diversity in the NFL. With Vick, the Falcons had a college feel to them and the NFL didn't feel as structured as it had been in years past. But, without him, without that diversity, a lot of the teams feel too similar to be much fun anymore. Long live college football, because I'm starting to lose the taste for NFL football, unfortunately.