Falcons' new look was planned all along

The sad saga of Michael Vick's fall from NFL icon to societal outcast has unfolded for several months through many different venues. Except, of course, a football field, where the Atlanta Falcons ultimately will discover just how rough the post-Vick era will be, if at all.

New coach Bobby Petrino, the up-tempo offensive mind behind the University of Louisville's rise to national prominence, and quarterback Joey Harrington, Vick's replacement, have worked quietly on a potentially exciting new spread offense that could transform the run-oriented Falcons and maybe — just maybe — give them a chance to succeed against all odds. Meanwhile, Vick, even in his absence, has overshadowed their every move.

Vick's story began in April when sordid details of dogfighting emerged from his Surry County, Va., property. It continued into a Richmond, Va., federal courthouse, where Vick pleaded guilty to a felony; and on to New York City, where NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely as he awaits sentencing Dec. 10.

Falcons offense an unknown

The next chapter — Life after Michael — begins Sunday at the Metrodome. The Vikings are three-point favorites in the season opener, although the outcome is anybody's guess. Especially since no one at Winter Park knows exactly what Petrino and his offensive staff concocted this offseason when they built what they believe is a unique playbook using bits and pieces from each of their backgrounds.

"Even when the coach you're facing has been there and is established, the first three games of every season are difficult to prepare for because teams change so much," Vikings linebacker Ben Leber said. "But this situation is extremely difficult because we really have nothing to go off of. I guess you could say we have his preseason film, but everybody knows the preseason is just a bunch of vanilla plays that don't mean anything."

Petrino, 46, has only three years of NFL coaching experience, as Jacksonville's quarterbacks coach in 1999 and 2000 and its offensive coordinator in 2001. The other 21 years of his career were spent in the college ranks at places that love to spread the field and wing it.

"Bobby Petrino is a very creative guy," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I expect them to throw us some curveballs. I expect them to roll personnel. I expect them to be no-huddle. I expect them to be four wide, five wide. You understand where he came from in the Big Sky Conference [at Idaho, Weber State and Utah State]. There's a lot of 51-49 games out there."

Comparable to Louisville?

As Louisville coach the past four seasons, Petrino created what was called a power spread formation. Using multiple receivers, good balance and a quick-strike passing attack, the Cardinals ranked second in total offense (475.3 yards per game) while going 12-1 and finishing ranked No. 6 in the country by the Associated Press last season.

Childress said the Vikings have to be "well-versed" in Louisville's offense. Meanwhile, Harrington downplayed the Louisville connection but did say it's an Atlanta offense that puts a lot of control into the hands and mind of the quarterback.

"It's the type of offense where you need to be able to think; you need to be on your toes, to recognize what's going on," said Harrington, who beat the Vikings for the first time in seven tries while running the Dolphins spread offense last season. "Those are the things I do well. I've never been a guy who is a great improvisor. The things I do well are I study, I can recognize things, and I can read a situation."

Harrington, who is 23-43 as a starter since the Lions drafted him No. 3 overall in 2002, said he's done putting undue pressure on himself. And that means not worrying about being Vick's successor.

"I'm not trying to step in and fill Michael's shoes," Harrington said. "I'm not trying to be Michael. I'm not going to replace Mike. ... I'm not trying to be somebody else and try to make the team forget about Mike. That's not my job."

'We're not talking about it'

Petrino has handled the Vick situation well. He was calm when asked a few questions about Vick during a conference call with the Twin Cities media Wednesday. He said the team is not distracted and is ready to move on, thanks to the leadership of several veterans.

However, Petrino finally cracked with about two minutes left in the 12-minute conference call when one final question about Vick was asked.

"You know, it's time to drop Michael Vick questions," he said. "I'm sorry, but we've answered enough of them. I've told you what we've tried to do here. And we're not talking about it anymore."

Sounds like it's time for Life after Michael to begin.

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com