Falcons QB Vick is struggling

He broke his leg Saturday in an exhibition game with the Ravens.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Michael Vick has never looked so human.
He's got a cast on his right leg, crutches under each arm and can't even take a shower without help.
Superman, he isn't.
"I need assistance," Vick said Tuesday, speaking for the first time publicly since he broke his leg in a preseason game. "It's tough. I've never experienced it before. This is the first major injury that I've had in my career."
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback has always been the guy everyone else was chasing, an aberration of nature who could run faster and throw farther than anyone else on the field.
That all changed Saturday night.
Scrambling out of the pocket, Vick was grabbed from behind by a Baltimore Ravens lineman, the leg buckling under him as he went to the turf. X-rays showed a clean break just above the ankle. Doctors say he'll be out at least six weeks -- longer if surgery is required.
Optimistic timetable
Under the most optimistic timetable, Vick will miss the first four games of the regular season, which begins Sept. 7 at Dallas.
While clearly upset about the most serious injury of his athletic career -- and still in some pain -- Vick vowed he'd return better than ever once the bone heals.
"I will be the same Michael Vick that I was last year, that I was last week," he said. "Nothing's changed about me. I won't play timid and I won't play scared, I promise you that."
Local and national media packed the small media room at the Falcons suburban training complex for Vick's half-hour news conference. At least one Atlanta television station aired live coverage.
Vick's injury was a stunning blow to the Falcons, who have sold out every home game and had high hopes of improving on last year's playoff season. Now, they've got to rely on fourth-year backup Doug Johnson to run the team for the first month.
"It was very emotional," said Vick, a Pro Bowler in his first year as a starter. "I've been looking forward to coming out and playing against Dallas in September and that's not going to happen."
Still, Vick insists he's not concerned about the team getting off to a poor start while he's on the sideline.
"I won't rush through it at all," he said. "We're going to come back and get right on track. We're going to move towards our goal -- and that's to win the Super Bowl."
Teammates are telling Vick to keep his head up.
"Of course, he's going to be a little frustrated," said safety and close friend Keion Carpenter, who broke two bones in his neck during the playoffs last season. "He's never had a big injury in his life. This is one of the big tests in his career. I told him, 'Welcome to the NFL.' "
Only an angle sprain before
Until now, Vick's worst injury was a high ankle sprain to the same leg at Virginia Tech.
"I'm feeling better than I did on Saturday," Vick said. "I'm still pretty sore, but I'm just going to have to let the healing process take its course."
Vick conceded that maybe he should have thrown the ball away instead of taking a hit. After all, it was only an exhibition game. But the Falcons' offense was struggling, so his competitive side took over.
"If you put me out there for two quarters and ask me to play, I'm going to play, bottom line," Vick said.