Vick's replacement delivers win

ATLANTA -- There were plenty of Falcons fans wearing No. 7 jerseys at the Georgia Dome. They got a chance to cheer for Michael Vick's replacement.

Joey Harrington made a good first impression on Atlanta fans by throwing 2 touchdown passes Monday night in a 24-19 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a much-needed salve for a franchise trying to get past the stunning downfall of its most dynamic player.

The day began with Vick pleading guilty to federal dogfighting charges in Virginia, followed a short time later by Falcons owner Arthur Blank saying he won't cut the quarterback immediately, mainly because of salary-cap issues rather than any desire to bring him back two or three years from now.

Against that wrenching backdrop, Harrington and the Falcons (2-1) played their first home game of the preseason. Small groups of dueling protesters faced off outside the Georgia Dome, while hundreds of fans showed their support for Vick by wearing his jersey -- the best seller in team history.

Harrington received a smattering of applause when he trotted on the field for Atlanta's first offensive series. He was sacked on his very first snap, a jarring reminder the Falcons no longer have the quarterback who rushed for 1,000 yards last season.

But No. 13's luck changed after that. Harrington completed his first 6 passes, including a 28-yard touchdown to Adam Jennings. After Allen Rossum put the Falcons in scoring position again with a 59-yard kickoff return, Harrington hooked up with Dwayne Blakley on a 29-yard completion, then flipped a 12-yard pass to Jerious Norwood for another TD.

There were plenty of empty seats at the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome, which appeared about half-full at kickoff and was virtually empty by early in the fourth quarter.

Lifelong Falcons fan Gwen Tucker was among those sporting a Vick jersey. She is still clinging to hope he'll return to the team after serving his time for dogfighting.

"I don't see any reason why he shouldn't," Tucker said. "He's an electrifying player. It's not going to be the same."

Another fan, John Fox, considered wearing his No. 7 jersey with the word "Con" taped in front of Vick's name -- for "Con-Vick." But the Falcons fan ditched that plan, partly because he was impressed with the quarterback's televised apology shortly after the guilty plea.

"He actually showed contrition and I felt pretty bad for him," said Fox, who went with the No. 10 of former Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski. "Yeah, he did something stupid and ridiculous, but he did accept responsibility."