Playoffs Home Playoffs History NFL Scoreboard NFL Home Photo Gallery Bracket
ESPN.com
The Role Model vs. The Next Model
By Greg Garber
ESPN.com

Here is the marquee quarterback matchup of the weekend, a fitting sequel to Michael Vick vs. Brett Favre. Last week, Vick carried the Falcons to a 27-7 victory over the Packers. His numbers -- 13 of 25 passing for 117 yards and 10 carries for 64 yards -- fail to capture his monstrous impact. On several memorable occasions, Vick turned would-be sacks into major gains.
Quarterback central
More QBs:
  • A quarterback story
  • Maddox vs. McNair
  • Garcia vs. Johnson
  • Pennington vs. Gannon
    • On Saturday night, Vick meets his mobile role model, Donovan McNabb, who hasn't played since breaking his right ankle on Nov. 17 against the Arizona Cardinals. "I'm excited about where I'm at and getting back on the field," McNabb said Tuesday. "I'm able to do a lot of things I was able to do before I got hurt and I learned a lot by watching." Yes. This is the scary part: McNabb, once he shakes off the rust, could be better than he was before, which is saying something. After breaking his ankle early against the Cardinals, McNabb played the rest of the game. He couldn't leave the pocket, so he picked Arizona apart, completing 20 of 25 passes for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns. It was one of his best games ever and it taught the agile McNabb that he could thrive in the pocket. "It bodes well," said Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress, "because he can play a couple of different ways now." The Eagles were 7-3 with McNabb in the lineup and 5-1 with Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley, but make no mistake. The Falcons are far superior to teams like the Rams, Redskins and Cowboys. Five years ago, these two players came together. Vick was looking at colleges and he stayed in McNabb's dorm room at Syracuse. Vick liked what he saw but, ultimately, his mother wanted him to stay closer to home. In 1999, McNabb was the No. 2 pick in the draft -- the highest position ever for an African-American quarterback. Two years later, Vick was the No. 1 overall choice. They're still friends. They still talk occasionally. One of them will have something to talk about late Saturday night. The numbers
    Donovan McNabb: 6-foot-2, 226 pounds, 26 years old, 4th season with Eagles … Drafted No. 2 overall in 1999 out of Syracuse … McNabb was having the best season of his career when he got hurt, having completed 211 of 361 passes (58.4 percent) for 2,289 yards, 17 TDs and 6 INT, 86.0 passer rating.

    Mike Vick: 6-foot-0, 215 pounds, 22 years old, 2nd season with Falcons … Drafted No. 1 overall in 2001 out of Virginia Tech … After starting only two games as a rookie, Vick started 15 in 2002, completing 231 of 421 passes (54.9 percent) for 2,936 yards, 16 TDs and 8 INT, 81.6 passer rating. Greg Garber is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

    .