Vick practices for first time, could play against Houston

The quarterback has set the Nov. 30 game as the target.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Michael Vick expected his leg to be little sore. It was.
He figured his teammates and coaches would be glad to have him back on the field. They were.
The wait for Vick -- now at nearly three months -- reached a major milestone Wednesday when the Atlanta Falcons quarterback practiced for the first time since breaking his right leg in a preseason game.
If all goes well in the next two or three weeks, he'll probably be ready for his regular season debut. He has set the Nov. 30 game at Houston as the target.
"When you're injured, you really do feel like you're an outcast," coach Dan Reeves said. "Nobody pays attention to you. When you're able to come back and be a part of it, it's exciting."
Injury setback
Of course, plenty of people have paid attention to Vick since his fibula snapped in an Aug. 16 exhibition against the Ravens. Initially, the prognosis called for him to return within six to 10 weeks, but the rehab dragged on much longer.
In recent weeks, there was debate over Vick's commitment to return to a losing team and Reeves' urgency to get his best player back on the field.
But Vick insisted all along he would come back when his body allowed. Finally, he decided the time was right.
"I wanted to be in the mix," Vick said. "I wanted to come out and do some drills and touch it a little bit and see what it felt like. My objective was to come out and push it and see how it felt at the end of the day."
So, how did it feel?
"It's kind of sore, but that's what I expected," Vick said. "I think that's a good thing."
Different team
A playoff team last season, the Falcons (2-7) haven't been the same since Vick was injured. Doug Johnson started the first six games at quarterback, but costly turnovers and questionable decisions led to his benching.
Former third-stringer Kurt Kittner will make his fourth straight start Sunday at New Orleans, even though his efficiency rating is an abysmal 40.0. He knows he's just holding down the job until Vick returns.
"He does a lot of things that no one in the league can do," Kittner said. "It'll be exciting to have him back."
The rest of the team was already on the field when Vick trotted out from the locker room, wearing his No. 7 jersey and carrying his shoulder pads. About a dozen cameramen and photographers documented every step.
Practice was uneventful. Vick served as the third-team quarterback behind Kittner and Johnson, which meant working with the scout team and backups. At times, Vick appeared to be favoring his leg and he didn't show off any of his celebrated running skills.
"I didn't have any expectations because I really didn't know how much he could do," Reeves said. "I was definitely pleased that he did as much as he did."
No one was more pumped up than Vick.
"I asked him how he felt," Reeves said. "He said, 'Coach, I couldn't sleep last night. I was so excited to come out and start practicing.' That's what showed up -- the excitement he had all day long."