The Eagles defense finished first in the NFL with 56 sacks, surrendering just 15 points a game, second best in the league for the second straight season.

	Michael Vick led the Falcons to a 27-7 win over the Packers.

But on Saturday night at Veterans Stadium in the divisional playoffs, Philadelphia (12-4) will face a running, passing, scoring machine -- one Michael Vick, the guy who wants to be called "Mike," just like a certain basketball player who had skills no one else playing on any given day could match.

"He's very unique," said Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. "I can't emphasize that enough."

And Johnson, who has been around football since the Eisenhower administration, is not easily impressed. Johnson has made a nice reputation around the league for taking the latest NFL fad or flavor and reducing it to an innocent, bland puree.

But after marching the Atlanta Falcons (10-6-1) through a snowy night at Lambeau Field in the wild card round, Vick has the league talking again.

"From the way people talk, you would think he was the first quarterback to run with the ball," said Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end Hugh Douglas.

And in Philly, the chatter is unusually candid.

"You can do certain things -- a spy, but all of a sudden that spy is not good enough. You might need three spies," said Johnson.

So, what in the world will the Eagles defense try to do to stifle Vick?

At first glance, the answer seems fairly simple: Make Mike Vick throw the ball. Over the final five games of the season, during the Falcons' late season mini-slide, the cape was torn from Vick's back. He completed just 48 percent of his passes for 1,115 yards with 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Quarterback rating: 68.5.

Against Green Bay last Saturday night, Vick created havoc with his scrambling, buying time for his receivers to get open, finishing the game as the Falcons' leading rusher with 64 yards on 15 carries. But he could muster just one long touchdown drive in the game.

Atlanta's opening drive against the Pack went 76 yards and resulted in Vick's only touchdown pass of the game. After that, the Falcons did not have a touchdown drive longer than 31 yards. Vick finished 13-25 for 117 yards. QB rating: 78.2

But Vick created the illusion, at least, that the Falcons offense was unstoppable. Why? The Packers gave Atlanta a short field and Green Bay's defense, decimated by injuries, could not corral the elusive Vick. He was not sacked in the game.

"It reminds me a whole lot of when Barry Sanders was in the National Football League," said Eagles all-Pro cornerback Troy Vincent.

And the key, said many Eagles defensive players, is to turn this would-be running back into a pocket passer. Don't let him escape. Easier said than done, you say. Well, the Tampa Bay Bucs did it. Twice.

The Bucs held the Falcons to six points in October in the Georgia Dome. Then, in what was billed as a late-season showdown with the Bucs defense in Tampa, Vick was smothered again. The Falcons were handed a humiliating 34-10 loss and lost three of their final four games. If the Saints don't collapse, the Falcons are watching the playoffs on TV.

How did the Bucs do it? They employed NFL defensive player of the year Derrick Brooks as one spy and used another spy -- usually a defensive back -- as a safety net if Vick got beyond the line of scrimmage.

But with Brooks and Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp, the Bucs have more speed in the front seven than the Eagles do.

"They have a lot of quick people on Tampa's defense," said Johnson. "They have a lot of quick players on the field, defensively. And they are able to contain him. You can't just have one guy, you have to have a lot of people around him, a lot of quick people around him. That's the key right there, getting a lot of people around him. Not just watching. But be aggressive and people still stay downfield in coverage."

Which begs this question: What to do about the middle linebacker Levon Kirkland, a behemoth who has proven invaluable in helping to stop the run but somewhat of a liability in pass defense and can be easily out run by Vick?

"Levon is going to be a big factor," said Johnson. "They do run the football well. Levon's going to be a big factor in that part. But there are going to be times when we're going to have certain match-ups, certain players. We are going to get speed on the field."

Translation: Kirkland comes off the field. The Eagles go to nickel with one of their young, hard-hitting defensive backs. When that happens will be key.

"You're going to see a guy like (rookie reserve right cornerback) Sheldon Brown playing more," said Johnson. "That's going to be one of the keys. It will be a down and distance personnel, how do we match up."

	“	It's very important to stay disciplined with him. That's part of our game. That's what we do. For our scheme to be effective on defense we have to play disciplined football and get after it. This is the playoffs and, of course, everything is moved up a notch. We just have to go out there with the same intensity we played with all season long and get after it. ”
		— Corey Simon, Eagles defensive tackle

And how well the Eagles tackle.

"When you go to make a tackle," said Vincent, "you run through your tackle. With talented guys like these, when you break down rather than run through the tackle, that's when they make you look stupid."

Added Johnson: "The biggest thing we have to make sure not to be spectators on defense. I just want to make sure we're not just standing around watching him and not playing our defense."

But "our" defense -- the one that Johnson has made the calling card in Philadelphia -- is a blitz first, ask questions later defense. And if the Eagles capture Vick in its fire zone vise, the Falcons will have a long evening on offense. If not, if Vick escapes, well, look out.

"It's very important to stay disciplined with him," said defensive tackle Corey Simon, who played against Vick in college. "That's part of our game. That's what we do. For our scheme to be effective on defense we have to play disciplined football and get after it. This is the playoffs and, of course, everything is moved up a notch. We just have to go out there with the same intensity we played with all season long and get after it."

Of course, the Vet crowd has seen this show before -- from their own quarterbacks. Yes, plural. Not only Donovan McNabb, but from the man who blazed the trail -- Randall Cunningham, the original Ultimate Weapon.

Cunningham, of course, was a more of a loping leaper. Old No. 12 had long strides. But he had a great arm and his ability to escape trouble made him a human highlight reel. And when Cunningham arrived in 1985, the Eagles asked him to just make a few big plays -- first to complement entrenched starter Ron Jaworski, then to put some points on the board for a ferocious defense.

When McNabb arrived in 1999, Andy Reid kept him on the bench and then asked him to run the West Coast offense -- to work within the system. McNabb went to the Pro Bowl sooner than Cunningham, but No. 5 was not as elusive as Starship 12, as Cunningham was known. Cunningham would avoid the defender, McNabb has been known to hurdle, but also with his size can run through a tackler.

So, do the math: Take 12, subtract 5 and you get 7. And that's Michael Vick -- more like Cunningham than McNabb, only faster. In the Falcons' offense, Vick is the system. And his speed separates him from everybody else on the field.

Even though they have seen this act before, that's what worries the Eagles.

"This guy is so much quicker than Donovan," said Johnson, who has had a difficult time finding anybody on the roster to simulate Vick's speed in practice. "He has such great speed and great quickness and great balance. If we play our game on defense, I think we'll be all right."

Sal Paolantonio covers the NFL for ESPN.