His first day on the job, and Michael Vick has already separated himself from the rest of the Atlanta Falcons' rookies.

Vick was the only one of the 19 players participating in Atlanta's rookie minicamp who could not complete the first of two workouts this afternoon. Vick needed a 20-minute break during the hour-and-fifteen-minute session after falling ill from what team officials described as an upset stomach.

His first day on the job, and Vick got sick. The sad part: He got ill doing drills in the Falcons' indoor facility, where the hot Georgia sun and humidity was not even a factor.

It all started after the players went through some stretching exercises and sprints to loosen up for several running tests. The players were separated into two groups. Vick seemed to be fine, initially breezing through a cone drill that tests agility before impressing coaches with a 4.36 time in the 40 -- the fastest of the day. But after that, Vick needed to take a break.

After he completed his second shuttle run around the cones, Vick walked off to the side of the field and took a knee while the rest of the rookies continued working. After talking with a team trainer, Vick laid down on his stomach before getting up and taking a seat on top of an ice chest. A trainer offered him some water, but he turned it down. Finally, Vick took the trainer's advice and took a sip of water before finally getting up and walking into the training room.

When he returned, Vick finished the two drills he missed, the standing broad jump and a vertical-leap test in which he jumped 37 inches -- not the best of this bunch, but not the worst by a long shot.

"I had two barbecue sandwiches and some chips during lunch," said Vick, who went on to complete the day's second workout without incident. "I learned my lesson. Tomorrow, I'm just going to drink some juice."

"I think it was more anxiety, nervousness and excitement for him," Atlanta coach Dan Reeves said of Vick's brief illness. "But what I liked, is he came back out and showed some leadership qualities."

Today was a reality check for Vick. Ever since the Falcons pulled off the trade with the Chargers for the right to select him with the No. 1 pick in the draft, his life has been a fantasy. Especially in Atlanta, where Vick is already on his way to icon status. He was the only rookie who arrived to find a locker, nameplate (M. Vick) and jersey number (7) already in place.

"Hey, the guy is the only No. 1 pick [here], too," deadpanned Falcons running back Jamal Anderson, who minutes earlier had walked up and introduced himself to all the rookies and undrafted free agents participating in the minicamp.

Anderson said Vick better get used to special treatment. Talk radio is filled with Vick chatter. Since the draft, the organization has sold over 1,000 season tickets and local K Mart stores are already selling Vick jerseys.

"The transition from college to pros is a beast," Anderson said. "But from what I have seen, I think he's going to be ready. The guy is only 20, but he seems to be very mature. I hear all the talk about how he's not going to be able to run in the NFL, but I don't see why not."

The afternoon session was open to the public, and drew a crowd of about 100 fans. They got to see Vick show off his arm, as he threw several nice deep balls and put some zip on throws over the middle and out in the flat.

"I didn't feel nervous, I was just happy to get out on the field," Vick said. "I have a lot to learn, a lot to learn. I can't stress that enough. But I'm going to work hard and once I learn the offense I'll be fine."

How long will that take? Vick wouldn't answer.

But when asked what he thought about the playbook Reeves gave him the day after the draft, Vick said: "It's humongous. Humongous."

Just like the expectations on his shoulders.

David Cummings is an NFL editor for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at david.cummings@espnmag.com.