FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (Dec. 13, 2005) -- Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora remained optimistic that the bruised ribs quarterback Michael Vick suffered Dec. 12 will not keep him out of a Dec. 18 game at Chicago.
Mora said Vick should play against the Bears, even if he is held out of most of the practice schedule this week.
"Mike is typically a fast healer," Mora said. "At this point in the season, he's basically seen everything he's going to see and practiced everything he needs to practice. I think he could get mental reps and still perform fine. The key is to get him as healthy as possible for Sunday night."
Vick said he suffered the injury in the Falcons' 36-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints when he tackled Jason Craft following Craft's second-quarter interception.
"I landed on the guy's foot and right on my ribs," Vick said.
After taking several hits, Vick left the game midway through the fourth quarter.
"I took the last shot and kind of fell on it and aggravated it a little bit, but I'm all right," Vick said after the game.
Mora said with "the stakes being what they are," there are no current plans to hold Vick out this week.
Vick said he is "very confident" he will play this week.
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