Backs get Falcons rolling

SEATTLE – Michael Vick will make his plays. It’s seemingly inevitable. No matter what tricky scheme defenses throw his way, Vick believes he’s prepared for it.

After all, Seattle defensive end Grant Wistrom thinks the Falcons quarterback is “the best athlete in the NFL.”

“Whatever you do, you just have to be under control,” Wistrom said.

So if it’s a foregone conclusion Vick will make an impact, slowing the rest of Atlanta’s running game might be most important aspect for the Seahawks’ defense when they host the Falcons on Sunday.

Atlanta’s running attack has quietly become one of the best in the NFL. While Vick contributes with his feet, Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett run behind a talented but often overlooked line.

After one week, the Falcons are second in the NFL in rushing, pounding out 200 yards against the Eagles in their Week 1 victory. With Philadelphia sending multiple blitzes from different angles trying to contain the elusive Vick, Dunn was able to find seams, rushing for 112 yards, opening up more options for his quarterback.

“They try to keep me in the pocket, try to make me throw the ball,” Vick said. “So what do we do? We gash them in the run game. We’ve got a counter for everything teams try and do.”

It’s easy to forget about Atlanta’s running backs, especially with the constant stream of highlight-reel plays Vick makes.

Yet success in the running game was a key component in the Falcons’ rise last year. Atlanta led the NFL with 167 yards per game on the ground, 13 more than any other team. While Vick rushed for 902 yards, it was Dunn and Duckett doing much of the grunt work. Dunn finished with 1,106 yards, and Duckett added 509.

Focusing too much on Vick and losing sight of Atlanta’s other offensive weapons is a concern of Seattle coach Mike Holmgren.

“You have to coach that. You have to be careful about that,” Holmgren said. “As much as you concentrate on Michael Vick as an athlete and what he can do, I think defensively you must always start with stopping the run. You have to start there, and I don’t think our defensive coaches are starting anyplace else.”

Last year, Seattle’s run defense was 23rd in the league, allowing 126.9 yards per game. By those numbers, the opener last week against Jacksonville must be considered an improvement, despite the loss.

Jacksonville’s running game was held mostly in check, gaining just 119 yards, but 28 of those came from triple-threat rookie Matt Jones on trick plays. Running back Fred Taylor managed just 76 yards on 20 carries. On average, the Jaguars averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, down from the 4.5 Seattle allowed last year.

Seattle was 7-0 last year when holding teams to under 100 yards rushing.

Atlanta coach Jim Mora said he’d be surprised if the Seahawks do anything out of the ordinary on defense.

“We never really know what a team’s philosophy is going to be coming into a game against us,” Mora said. “Knowing (Seattle coaches) Ray Rhodes and John Marshall the way I do … and knowing their philosophy, I’d be surprised if they did anything other than play their defense as well as they can play it.”

Offensively, Seattle will be trying to hold off an Atlanta pass rush that was able to consistently pressure and get hits on Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb. Patrick Kerney and Rod Coleman both got sacks on McNabb.

Mora’s been extremely happy with the development of his aggressive, attacking defense. The Falcons have taken on a personality similar to their fiery, emotional coach.

“We were just trying to establish the culture that we wanted and the style we were going to play with,” Mora said. “That was a high effort, high energy going after the football style of defense.”

Seattle’s offensive line struggled in the second half to protect quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, as Jacksonville brought a variety of blitzes. It’s been a point of emphasis in practice this week by Holmgren.

Hasselbeck also had one of the worst games of his career, throwing three interceptions and fumbling. Three of the turnovers came in the fourth quarter.

Hasselbeck enjoys watching the Falcons’ aggressive defense on film, but doesn’t want to see it too up-close.

“They are actually fun to watch. It’s fun to watch film because they are so good,” Hasselbeck said. “But at the same time you realize you have to play them this week.”