It will be the Giants' job on Sunday night to do what no team has been able to do when Vick has started and finished a game this season: Limit him, and beat the Eagles.
One of the big reasons the Giants enter this game 6-3 is that their defense has been phenomenal. It is built from the inside out, with a strong front four that has harassed opposing quarterbacks, knocking five, including Dallas' Tony Romo, out of games because of injury.
The biggest fear the Eagles have is that the Giants will do the same to Vick. Given how he has played the last two weeks, that would be a crushing blow to a team that is starting to feel as if it could do something special this season.
Last week, the Giants were coy about how they planned to contain a player who had a career game against Washington on Monday. But the players, like the rest of the league, were obviously impressed with Vick's speed against the Redskins, his command of the offense, his ability to throw the deep ball, and his presence in the pocket. In Atlanta, if his first read was covered, Vick often would take off to pick up yards himself. Now, he reads through his progressions and runs when he sees an opportunity.
Sometimes Vick's runs are called plays. Sometimes he improvises. The Eagles have used additional blockers to help him settle in to the offense and have time to make plays with his arm.
The Giants do not want Vick to have time in the pocket, but they also don't want him to hurt them with his legs. It is becoming hard to pick a poison, because Vick has evolved into a multifaceted threat.
"Right now, he's looking unlike any player I've ever seen, just with his athleticism, how dynamic an athlete he is, the way he's delivering the ball," said Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield. "It's impressive. It's going to take a group effort to be able to stop him, to be able to disrupt him."
Cofield said the Giants needed to force Vick to throw quickly.
"You definitely don't like to see him stretching the play out - an eight-second play and him scrambling all around the field," Cofield said. "Those things are definitely frustrating.
"You don't like to see him as a defensive lineman, but he's a guy who holds the ball, so that gives you opportunity to get sacks. Last week, they were getting rid of the ball pretty quick, so this is a guy who's going to try to create something and improvise, so that gives you a chance to make big plays, and hopefully we make more big plays than he does."
While the Giants have 24 sacks this season, including 10 against Chicago on Oct. 3, they haven't had one in the last two weeks. They sat back and challenged Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna to beat them last week, and he did, throwing for 327 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-20 Dallas win.
Similarly, on Sept. 19, New York dared Indianapolis to run the ball. The Colts did, gaining 160 yards on 43 attempts in a 38-14 romp.
On Thursday, New York defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said the Giants "have a good game plan," but admitted it will be a challenge slowing Vick.
"Some people, when they give him time, that's when he takes off," Fewell said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. "Sometimes when people pressure him, he throws the ball up quick and he hits it accurate. So there's not a rhyme or reason for what he does or why he does it.
"I wish I could sit here and tell you that if we do this, he's going to do that. He defies all odds. He breaks the mold."
The Giants' defense can do everything right, and Vick is so unpredictable that he can still make a big play. Asked how often that happens, Boley said: "A lot. A lot."
So the best way to defend Vick is?
"For him, it's getting him out of the pocket," Boley said. "He's always had an incredible arm, that's any quarterback. You give him time, he can beat you. But for him doing more running than passing . . . after a while it can be [his] downfall. I think that was what hurt him back then."
Nothing seems to be hurting Vick now.
Contact columnist Ashley Fox at 215-854-5064 or afox@phillynews.com. Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AshleyMFox
