The value of Vick: the true worth of Michael Vick—an unconventional quarterback who can't be measured by conventional numbers—is that without him the Falcons are mediocre, but with him they can beat anyone

His teammates know it, too. It isn't uncommon for the Falcons' sideline to be geeked when Atlanta is trailing in the fourth quarter. Other sidelines might be lifeless in the same situation. Other sidelines don't have Vick or the hope he embodies.

Before Blank invests a significant percentage of his fortune in a player, he wants to know the player will represent his team in an honorable way and that he won't allow the money to change him. He had no concerns about Vick.

As a former first-round pick, Vick already was wealthy beyond the dreams of most men. "This contract was just to shore up his future," Carpenter says. "His kids' kids' kids' grandkids will never have to work."

Teammates have a new nickname for Vick. "New Money," they call him. With that new money, Vick plans to purchase a second boat and add to his car collection with a Mercedes Maybach, which goes for $400,000 or so, and maybe open a sports bar.

In an age when a cartoon character called "Thurston Long" yuks up a pregame show and the NFL season is kicked off first by Elton John and then by Mike Vanderjagt, it is Vick who crosses the bridge between entertainment and football the best. Neither Hollywood nor Broadway can provide theater as he can.

Vick doesn't act or rap. He just plays--like no one else. And everyone wants to see. They sold every season ticket at the Georgia Dome the past two seasons, which had happened only once in the previous 37 years. Each of those season-ticket holders--as well as each of the helpless Rams defenders--was watching Vick's every twitch Saturday night, when he had the typical Vick game: 82 passing yards, 119 rushing yards--a record for a quarterback in the playoffs--two touchdown passes and a lost fumble.

When the Falcons' bus pulls up to a road hotel, it often is greeted by hundreds of fans. McKay teases Vick, telling him he's like a rock star. Blank teases McKay, telling him he should send a bill to the other 31 team owners because of Vick's value to the NFL. "What he does is put people in the seats, and that's how you justify his contract," Cardinals coach Dennis Green says. "I think he's worth it."

Blank and McKay say they did not consider Vick a revenue stream when they determined his value because the salary cap wouldn't allow for such a concession. They merely considered him a quarterback and the centerpiece of the franchise. Still, it took them more than four months of deliberating and negotiating with Segal to settle on his value and agree to the deal.

Is a player who can't be game-planned for worth $800,000 a game, even if he doesn't fit the mold?

He can be because he doesn't fit the mold.

Altering Atlanta

Michael Vick, with help from owner Arthur Blank and the team he put in place, has made the Falcons players on many fronts. This is what the Falcons looked like in 2000, the year before Vick was drafted, and in 2004.

                                   2000                  2004

Team merchandise sales             $9,600                $1 million
Page views at atlantafalcons.com   10 million            82 million
Season-ticket holders              20,000                70.000 (wth a
                                                           waiting list
                                                           of 16,000)
* Television ratings               12.4                  22.2
Highest average salary             $5.5 million (Chris   $13 million
                                     Chandler)             (Vick)
Team passing yards                 3,166 million         2.692
Four-year winning percentage       .469                  .508

* Percent of households watching the Falcons' telecast each week, on
average.--D.P.

Expert picks: NFC title game

Paul Attner, senior writer                Eagles 27, Falcons 24
Chris Bahr, associate editor              Eagles 27; Falcons 22
Dennis Dillon, senior writer              Eagles 27, Falcons 17
Vinnie Iyer, projects editor              Eagles 27, Falcons 17
Carl Moritz, assistant managing editor    Eagles 24, Falcons 20
Dan Pompei, senior writer                 Falcons 16, Eagles 13
War Room scouts                           Eagles 23, Falcons 17