ShareThisBy ANDY KENT
Two Miami Dolphins with very recognizable last names - Gerald Riggs, Jr., and Marcus Vick - made themselves noticed Thursday night at Dolphin Stadium in Miami's final preseason game against the St. Louis Rams, a 29-9 victory.
Both players were signed as undrafted free agents back in May from big-name schools. Riggs, Jr., whose father, Gerald, played 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons at running back, was a four-year letterman at Tennessee and rushed for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns as a junior.
Against the Rams, the 22-year-old showed a little of his father's toughness and speed with a 20-yard run up the middle in the third quarter that set up a 5-yard touchdown reception by Vick. Riggs, Jr. finished with 41 yards on 14 carries.
"I just thought it was a matter of time before I broke a long run with the way the offensive line was getting off the ball," Riggs, Jr. said after the game. "It felt good just to get out there and run a little bit and get some carries. It's been a while since I played significant snaps in a game."
With his older brother, Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, leaving a huge shadow at Virginia Tech, Marcus Vick struggled to fulfill the expectations as the Hokies' quarterback. He was suspended from the team for the entire 2004 season, his sophomore year, then returned as the starter in 2005 and completed 177 of 289 passes (61.2 percent) for 2,393 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for 380 yards and six TDs.
But more off-the-field problems garnered Vick negative publicity as he was kicked off the team at the end of the season. All 32 teams stayed away from Vick, 22, in April's NFL Draft after he declared himself eligible, but Dolphins head coach Nick Saban wanted to give him a chance.
Against St. Louis, Vick returned a kickoff 17 yards, made a diving catch of a 17-yard pass from Cleo Lemon in the first half and another 19-yard reception in the second half to go along with his touchdown reception, then lined up at quarterback late in the fourth quarter.
"I knew I wasn't going to pass it, just waste the clock, and I wouldn't dare change the play," said Vick, who caught three passes for 41 yards and also had a 4-yard punt return. "I don't got the heart to do that yet. I was just happy to get significant playing time and get into a rhythm and to get my first NFL touchdown."
Vick handed the ball off to Riggs twice and scrambled once for little gain on his first drive in Rams territory that was set up by a Rams fumble, and watched Olindo Mare kick his fifth field goal to close out the scoring. Then he quarterbacked the last drive with Riggs in the backfield with him and took three knees to kill the clock.
Now the two NFL legacies will have to wait until Saturday's final cuts to see if they did enough in Saban's eyes to make the final 53-man roster. And if they didn't, there are 31 other teams that will see the game film.
"You never know what happens, but if you don't get a chance to make this team then being out there is giving you an opportunity for other teams to see what you can do," Riggs, Jr. said. "If they feel like you can help them they'll pick you up, but hopefully it doesn't come down to that because I really like this team and this area."
