Vick brings alarming talent

But he has been just threat, so far

Cowbell. Every so often, you might notice one clanging in the stands, but those aren't the ones that players talk about hearing.

Rather, it's the sound going off in their heads and the ears of their helmets when someone or something different enters the fray — i.e., the signs of an impending gadget play or a quarterback suddenly deployed at wide, wide receiver. This week's Chargers opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, have a player who sets off all sorts of alerts and warning signals.

“We'll be calling ‘Cowbell’ for him,” linebacker Shaun Phillips said. “That means, sound the alarm, because there's a playmaker on the field.”

Michael Vick has that effect on people. He used to have maximum effect on games as the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback, of course. Everybody knows what happened next, knows why and where he sat out two full seasons, and now he's back in a far more limited capacity with the Eagles.

Philadelphia runs one of the NFL's most intricate offenses, but Vick so far has been the tiniest bit player in their attack, a third-string quarterback who's completed 2-of-6 passes for 6 yards and run the ball 12 times for 27 yards. So far, the threat has been greater than the reality.

“They're just using him sporadically right now, trying to put him in position where he can break off a big run,” Phillips said. “He hasn't been able to do much thus far, but you never know. He's an explosive guy who's done it before, so we can imagine him doing it again. If he comes into the game, we'll definitely echo that he's in the game.”

That he's back in the game required reinstatement from the NFL for Vick, who was imprisoned 23 months for his involvement in dogfighting. Clearly, the Eagles are a re-starting point for him, and nobody really expected him to hit the ground running the way he did for six seasons with Atlanta.

“When you've got that amount of time off football, it's tough,” linebacker Shawne Merriman said. “I've been healthy for a while now, but just getting back into the flow (after a year off due to surgery) . . . it takes a while. To go right back onto a field and start drilling, that's not gonna happen right away. But he's still young and he still has an arm and he can still move. He's dangerous.”

The last time Vick played against the Chargers, it was 2004 and the Falcons won 21-20. Vick completed 12-of-21 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 35 yards and the other Atlanta touchdown.

“I didn't get to chase him,” Chargers defensive end Jacques Cesaire said. “But I heard him go by.”

Hardwick update

Chances seem good for a return to the lineup by center Nick Hardwick, who hasn't played since tearing ligaments in his right ankle in the season opener and undergoing surgery. As he did last week, Hardwick took part in the Wednesday practice. While head coach Norv Turner said he is “farther along” this week and should see more extended practice time, Hardwick was unable to participate in the entire practice, and Scott Mruczkowski could remain the starter another week.


