The legend of Michael Vick appeared to be on the verge of ballooning yet again as he dropped back to pass in the game's waning moments. Down 17-10 to the visiting Detroit Lions, Vick had done what star quarterbacks are supposed to do -- march his team down to the the opposition 26 yard line with 51 seconds remaining.

In the past, this was Michael Vick's time to shine, game on the line, capacity crowd on edge.

Then, the unthinkable.

As Vick's eyes darted from sideline to sideline for an open receiver, Lions defensive end Jared DeVries swatted the ball out of Vick's hand.

As Vick lay on the Georgia Dome turf, he watched helplessly as Detroit's James Hall scooped up the football to end Atlanta's comeback bid.

"When the bullets are flying in the heat of battle, sometimes you lose track of (the pressure) when you are looking downfield," Vick said afterward.

"I just have to be better."

Indeed, the young quarterback's past penchant for success in dramatic situations is a trait his handlers have been quick to exploit during his three-plus years in the NFL. The Michael Vick propaganda machine would have you believe that he never fails.

Vick's new Nike commercial is a prime example. The popular television spot features a fan, pretending to be Vick, dangling from a mechanical arm that weaves the kid through a slew of headhunting defenders before scoring the winning touchdown.

The name of the virtual reality game is The Michael Vick Experience.

Yesterday, the Falcons' first loss of the season could have been described as The Michael Vick Inexperience.

Had he not hit Peerless Price with a 49-yard strike in the second quarter, Atlanta's longest completion of the afternoon would have been Chris Mohr's 26-yard pass to Brian Finneran off a fake punt.

When your punter is making almost as many key offensive plays as your quarterback, it spells trouble. Vick's struggles should come as no surprise.

Only the Falcons' impressive 4-1 record has kept much of the football world from identifying his inconsistent play.

The numbers don't lie, though. Vick has yet to register a 200-yard passing performance; has thrown more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two) and has already been sacked 17 times.

As Vick battles to grasp Jim Mora Jr.'s West Coast offence, the rookie coach seems to be counting on his marquee quarterback not to lose games rather than win them with his remarkable talents.

Mora relied on a strong defence and running game to lead the Falcons to their four victories, but that recipe came up short against the Lions.

And so did Vick.

"Maybe in my 10th or 11th year in the league I'll be able to grasp this offence but right now I'm still learning," Vick said, holding his head high. "It's hard to ever be comfortable because defences always are throwing new things at you."

Michael Vick, in a nutshell, is a 24-year-old kid experiencing the same teething pains Donovan McNabb endured early in his career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

That's a fact of NFL life you'll never see portrayed in one of Vick's commercials.