Mullin: Some early Vick-ing

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Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010
Posted: 11:05 p.m.

By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com

For all of the Vicks-ation on Michael, and it will do nothing but increase as this pre-Eagles week plays out, certain members of the Bears can boast a very respectable record against him.

The Bears virtually owned Vick when he was against them as a member of the Atlanta Falcons and it wasn't always pretty for Vick.

Brian Urlacher had one of the greatest games of his very distinguished career against Vick in 2001 when Urlacher registered an interception, sack, tackle for loss and a 90-yard touchdown return of a fumble in a 31-3 destruction in Atlanta. In an icebox game late in 2005, Vick clearly had no real interest in being anywhere in Soldier Field and went turtle when Urlacher and others assaulted him to the point that he angrily flipped the ball at his tormentors after one failed play.

Julius Peppers saw Vick twice a year for many of Peppers' early seasons as a Carolina Panther and has 7 career sacks in nine games against Vick. The left-hander, however, owns a 5-4 record against Carolina teams with Peppers in the lineup.

"We're going to have our hands full with Michael Vick," said cornerback Charles Tillman. "Everyone knows the kind of year he's having this year. He's having an MVP year right now. So he'll give us our money's worth."

The problem for the Bears is there is more than one problem when they play Philadelphia. For all of the broadcast attention paid to Vick, the game turned on 149 rushing yards by the Eagles vs. 55 by the supposedly superior running Giants. Vick ran for 35 yards and a TD, but the real damage was by tailback LeSean McCoy with 111 yards and a score on 14 carries.

"The Eagles are a tough team," said running back Matt Forte. "They are a really good team. We have to prepare for them". We have home-field advantage and we have to get a win there."

Interesting commentary from NBC's Cris Collinsworth, who on more than one occasion of Sunday night's broadcast noted how pressure on Vick from Vick's left side forces the Philadelphia quarterback to his right. And when that happens, Collinsworth said, Vick tends to become a runner first rather than passer, which this season is a decidedly a good thing.

John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider, and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.

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