Jaguars prepare for Vick

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Defensive end Quentin Groves attended college about 100 miles west of Atlanta and watched Michael Vick every chance he could.

He saw ankle-breaking moves, game-changing speed and a left arm strong enough to throw seemingly effortless deep passes while running full speed.

Now, Groves will get to witness Vick up close for the first time.

"I'm going to be a bit star-struck," Groves said Tuesday. "Things he does on the football field don't go away with being locked up in a cell."

Although Groves and his Jacksonville teammates aren't sure what to expect when they play at Philadelphia on Thursday night, they anticipate being the first team trying to defend Vick outside a courtroom in nearly three years. The Jaguars hope to avoid embarrassment, too.

"You never want to end up on anyone's highlight tape," Groves said.

Vick, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Falcons, hasn't played an NFL game since Dec. 31, 2006. He was released from federal custody July 20 after serving 18 months of a 23-month sentence for his role in running a dogfighting operation.

He signed with the Eagles two weeks ago and is eligible to play in the team's final two preseason games. It's unknown what role or how much he will play against the Jaguars.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb and the rest of Philadelphia's starters are scheduled to play three quarters, and coach Andy Reid said Vick won't play in the fourth. So the Jaguars expect to see Vick early, either under center or in the wildcat formation.

"Fortunately, I don't have to try and tackle him," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "Obviously, he's a terrific threat with the ball in his hand. ... We're just going to go out and play our defense."

Jacksonville's defense might be short-handed.

All three starting linebackers - Daryl Smith (coach's decision), Clint Ingram (concussion) and Justin Durant (hip flexor) - missed practice for the second straight day Tuesday and aren't expected to suit up against the Eagles. Making matters worse for a unit that got roughed up against Tampa Bay, the Jaguars have prepared very little, if any, for containing Vick or defending variations of the wildcat.

Defensive end Reggie Hayward, though, said the pressure will be on Vick.

"I don't think it's anything different for us," Hayward said. "It may put more pressure on him because everyone knows that in the NFL your past kind of gets smothered by the ability to make big plays and make your team, owner and fans happy. But for us as a defense, it's just another person behind the center that's trying to put points on us. We just need to get our job done."

Jaguars quarterback David Garrard plans to get a good spot on the sideline for Vick's return.

"I'll definitely watch him," Garrard said. "You want to see how he's going to do after being in prison for two years. You want to see how he's going to perform ... seeing his ability to break the pocket and outrun everybody and see if he has that same kind of speed, that same kind of breakaway speed. I'm sure he'll be a little nervous since he hasn't been out there in a while."

Jacksonville has two former Eagles, left tackle Tra Thomas and safety Sean Considine, returning to the stadium for the first time since leaving Philly this spring. Normally, they might expect some kind of reaction. But they are prepared to be totally overshadowed by Vick.

"With everything else going on, I don't think it's going to be too big of a deal," Considine said. "I think that's a good thing, though."

It might be good for the Jaguars - unless Vick makes them look silly.

"It's time for him to get back into the groove of doing some of the great things that he did before all this dogfighting stuff went down," Hayward said. "I wish him much success; I don't wish him any success against us, of course. But it's a good story and a good learning lesson that he went through. Hopefully, the rest of the world can learn from it."