O Atlanta, where to next?

Bobby Petrino, the new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons (& former Louisville head coach - go Cards!!), really thought that things were going his way for awhile: he was formulating an offense which was best suited to Michael Vick's fancy (& could work well in his favor, given his dazzling playmaking abilities). Like a lot of folks out there, I really felt that the Falcons, come regular season, would have something to prove after last season's debacle of underachievement & inconsistency.

Boy, was I wrong.

Vick, facing the music for dogfighting, is out of the question this season. The next best QB whom the Falcons could have saved as backup, Matt Schaub, got sent over to the Houston Texans. Which adds up to one great big "oops" for the entire Falcons organization in terms of sound decision-making & knowing who & who not to trade.

Now it's Joey Harrington's turn to step up & make a difference for Atlanta. However, this will be a test of his faith & a trial by fire thrown into one since Vick's not likely to play this season. And considering the fact that he's a first-round bust extraordinaire (with stints @ Detroit & Miami), he's got a huge chip on his shoulder to contend with. Can he cut the mustard in a Falcons uniform? We shall see, we shall see. Harrington knows he has the confidence to do great things for Petrino & staff, not to forget his fellow players. But from looking at his track record, you can't help but ask yourself: Is this the best we could do? Harrington's no Michael Vick. And it could take some time for him to get adjusted to the very system Petrino devised to suit Vick's trademark playing style. If he's the right man for QB, Joey Harrington will definitely have a full plate of responsibilities to worry about coming into regular season action.

As for Vick, his days as a NFL player at worst are numbered - the end result of bad decision-making which he could have easily avoided. For Petrino, he is left to wonder on how well his team will respond to adversity & how confident his new signal-caller is in the current scheme of things. All this with the regular season just over a month or so away.

Where to now, O Atlanta?