Booker knows ‘video-game’ Vick

Lorenzo Booker, a former Eagle, can hardly believe what he sees out of quarterback Michael Vick this year. He compared him to the video-game version, where the unrealistic comes to life.

Lorenzo Booker has found himself becoming a big fan of Michael Vick. With many of his former teammates preparing to give the Vikings a rude welcome to Philadelphia, Booker said he’s glad he’s on the offensive side of the ball and not responsible for containing Vick.

The QB is a frontrunner for league MVP and Booker said he’s been incredibly impressed with what he’s seen.

“He’s awesome,” Booker said. “What do you say? You can’t really defend him at the end of the day. We have to play perfect and they have to make mistakes – or he has to make mistakes. You blitz and he gets away and you’re in trouble. If you blitz and you don’t get to him, you’re still in trouble because he will get rid of the ball. I don’t really know what the answer is. After what I saw last week, New York pretty much had them done. I don’t want to say (he) singlehandedly (beat them), but I know he made some plays that, had he not made (them), they wouldn’t have been in it like they were.”

Booker said the things Vick is capable of doing with the ball in his hands is reminiscent of the Madden video game, where the impossible is possible with the right click of a button. But, Booker said as impossible as some of Vick’s video moves seem to be, he is able to mirror them in real life.

“What do you do?” Booker asked with a shrug and smile. “It’s like playing the Madden video game. What do you do? It’s funny because you’ll play with that guy (the Madden version of Vick) and say, ‘That’s unrealistic.’ It’s not. Madden is right on.”

Vick won’t be a video game image Sunday night. He will be all too real and Booker said he’s glad it won’t be his job to stop him.

SATURDAY NOTES

The Eagles have been established as a whopping 14½-point favorite – the biggest underdog role the Vikings have played in years.

The final injury report was released Friday and Brett Favre is listed as doubtful, which is an improvement from being ruled out last weekend before starting Monday. But this time, he has to pass required concussion tests. Even if he gets the itch Sunday morning, the tests don’t lie, so his latest consecutive-starts streak looks like it will end at one.

Adrian Peterson is listed as questionable with ankle and thigh injuries, but there is a lot of optimism that he will play. Three other players – safeties Madieu Williams and Jamarca Sanford and cornerback Frank Walker – are listed with concussions. Williams is questionable and both Sanford and Walker are listed as probable.

LB Stewart Bradley has been ruled out for the Eagles.

Sunday’s game will mark a homecoming for interim Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier, who was a member of Andy Reid’s staff with the Eagles that included deposed Vikings head coach Brad Childress.

Sunday will be the third straight game in which the Vikings have played in prime time. They were scheduled to play last Monday against the Bears, but, following the collapse of the Metrodome, their game with the Giants was postponed from Sunday to Monday night. The Eagles game was moved by the NFL into prime time – bouncing the scheduled San Diego at Cincinnati matchup to earlier in the day. Until last Sunday, the Bengals hadn’t won a game since September.

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John Holler has been writing about the Vikings for more than a decade for Viking Update. Follow Viking Update on Twitter and discuss this topic on our message boards. To become a subscriber to the Viking Update web site or magazine, click here.

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