Noah: Ruffled Feathers

The Atlanta Falcons season appears to be over and it's not even August yet. Michael Vick was ordered by Roger Goodell not to appear at the Falcons training camp until the league collects more facts and determines what further punishment will be handed down. The team issued a statement saying that they had planned on suspending Vick for 4 games, but Goodell stepped in and told the Falcons to hold off until he had made his decision.

What does all this mean? It looks like the Falcons season rests on the arm of the much maligned Joey Harrington. Some people feel that the Falcons are lucky to have an experienced QB that's ready to step in, but I beg to differ. Teams want to be able to plug in a "proven" guy and Harrington is just that. The problem is, the only thing he's proven is that he can't get the job done. Lions fans are laughing at the very notion that Harrington can stop the bleeding in Atlanta. They've seen this guy's game and they'll tell you just how pretty it's not.

To give you an idea of how much trouble the Falcons are in this year, you have to consider their major problem from last season. The passing game absolutely stunk. Everyone who has watched Vick and the Falcons before has thought to themselves, "If this guy could just pass, they would be unstoppable." There's no doubt that Vick is an amazing runner and a dangerous quarterback, but he flat out can't pass the ball effectively. Are you ready for the scary part, Falcons fans? Harrington is even worse. I'm not kidding. Even if Vick never ran for a single yard, he's got the better passing numbers. That's how much trouble you're in. Here's the statistical cavalry to back me up.

Vick:

• Starts: 67
• TD's: 71
• INT's: 52
• Raiting: 75.7
• Wins: 38

Harrington:

• Starts: 66
• TD's: 72
• INT's: 77
• Rating: 68.1
• Wins: 23

As a kid, I had this neighbor who was about a year or two older than me. He was a little demented and just an absolute sharpshooter with his BB gun rifle. He spent many days shooting birds out of the sky. I remember when I would see a bird come falling from the heavens and then smash violently into the ground, I knew he was close by. As I watched the Atlanta Falcons take a brutal shot and start free falling straight towards the dirt, I was reminded of him. I'm pretty sure he didn't have anything to do with this one, but it's hard to let go of those things that are ingrained into you as a youngster. And that's why it's going to be very difficult for lifelong Falcons fans to let go of their hopes for this season. A bit of advice...just let go.