Nov 10, 2002 By Mike Ciarochi 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Michael Vick. Have you read or heard that name once or twice in the last week?

You’ll undoubtedly hear it again this afternoon, when the 5-3 Pittsburgh Steelers host Vick and the 5-3 Atlanta Falcons for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Heinz Field.

In case you’ve spent the last week under a rock, Vick is Atlanta’s second-year quarterback who is causing sleepless nights for defensive coordinators around the NFL.

Vick is what NFL scouts call the total package. He ranks fourth in the NFC with a passer rating of 86.9 and didn’t throw his first interception of the season until last Sunday. He also is the league’s No. 2 rushing quarterback (behind Donovan McNabb) and ranks 18th in the NFC with 362 rushing yards. He leads his team in rushing.

“He is a very fast individual,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. “He is throwing the ball accurately, he has a quick release and a very strong arm.”

Cowher said the Steelers hope to contain Vick by giving him “different looks,” which means they will try to disguise their coverages so Vick can’t get a handle on what he sees when he looks at the Steelers’ defense.

“We probably have to give them some different looks, spy him at times and be very conscious of lanes and make him work laterally on the field and not give him a big alley where he can start working downhill,” Cowher said. “When he starts running north-south, he is very dangerous because he is big and he is very, very fast.”

In simpler terms, the Steelers will employ a defensive strategy Bill Parcells first used to keep former Steelers starter Kordell Stewart in check. Pittsburgh’s hope is to keep Vick in the pocket and force him to beat them with his arm, not his legs. Of course, that’s not as simple as it might sound.

The first part of it is keeping Atlanta’s traditional ground game in check. That means shutting down running back Warrick Dunn, who combines with Vick and rookie running back T.J. Duckett to give Atlanta a three-pronged rushing attack. Duckett may not play due to a foot injury.

Once the running game is in check, the Steelers will try to clamp down on Atlanta’s passing game, all the while keeping an eye on Vick or, more appropriately, keeping him in the pocket.

“We use the word plaster,” Cowher said. Loosely translated, when the Steelers say plaster, they mean defenders in coverage must plaster themselves to receivers to allow rushers more time to get to Vick.

While there is caution in and around the Steelers’ defensive scheme, there is not fear.

“The last time I checked, I haven’t been tackled by a quarterback,” linebacker Joey Porter said. “We’re chasing him, he isn’t chasing us.”

If you didn’t notice, there was a bit of sarcasm in Porter’s answer. He, too, has heard the name Michael Vick more than a few times in the last week.

“I almost forgot they had running backs,” he said when asked about Duckett and Dunn. “All I keep hearing is Michael Vick, but our game plan won’t change. We stop the run and make the quarterback try to beat us.”

For his part, Vick admits he is still adjusting to the NFL. In fact, he got a crash course on the 3-4 alignment and zone defenses during last week’s 20-17 win over Baltimore.

“Dropping almost everybody back into zone coverage, that’s been the most difficult thing I’ve seen,” Vick said. “It doesn’t allow you to escape and run out of the pocket. But when they do drop everybody, there are not really too many places you can throw the ball.”

He said the timing of this week’s game has helped him understand the 3-4 and get a handle on how to attack it.

“I’m very comfortable with the 3-4 front now,” he said. “Trust me. I’m very prepared. Come Sunday, I know I have some ways where I can attack the defense and make some positive plays.”

On the other side of the ball, keep an eye on Falcons inside linebacker Keith Brooking, who with 65 tackles is far and away Atlanta’s top tackler. He is a very active linebacker and could cause problems for the Steelers offense.