Injured quarterback Michael Vick put his worst foot forward on Thursday and the news for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was actually pretty positive.

The latest X-rays of Vick's broken right leg continued to indicate that the ligaments in his ankle were not severely damaged, that they continue to hold the talus and tibia bones in place, and that surgery will not be likely.

Vick fractured his fibula, the non-weight bearing bone in last Saturday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens when he was sacked by defensive end Adalius Thomas in the first quarter. The break was described as "clean" by team orthopedist Andrew Bishop, but he also added one caveat, which was that there might be some ligament damage.

Because the involvement of the ligaments does not appear on an MRI exam, the only manner in which to discern if they are damaged is to X-ray the ankle every few days and to ensure that the other two bones, the talus and the tibia were not displaced.

Had there been ligament damage, that would have required surgery, and under that scenario Vick might have missed the entire 2003 season.

Said team spokesman Aaron Salkin on Thursday: "Everything is the same with Mike. Nothing has changed, which is good news."

Bishop placed a fiberglass cast over the bottom portion of Vick's right leg and it is still uncertain how long that will remain in place. The third-year quarterback has already begun treatments that should allow him to maintain some semblance of conditioning.

Vick and the Falcons remain hopeful he will be able to return to the field in six weeks. Bishop has said that is the normal healing time for such an injury, but cautioned it doesn't necessarily mean Vick will be back in action that quickly.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.