Atlanta ? Lawyer Milloy didn’t sign up for this.

Having already won a Super Bowl ring in New England, Milloy came south eager to pick up another championship before his career was done. He chose the Atlanta Falcons because they were only a year removed from the NFC championship game and had the league’s most exciting player at quarterback.

Well, in less than two seasons with the Falcons, he already has been through the firing of coach Jim Mora, watched incredulously as Michael Vick’s career fell apart over ties to dogfighting and now plays for a team in a total rebuilding mode.

What did Milloy get himself into?

“People say we’re playing for the future,” the 13-year veteran said. “Well, I’m 34 years old. I don’t have a damn future. My future is now. Maybe when you’re 23 or 24 years old, you can say, ‘We’ll get ’em next year.”‘

But the Falcons (3-9) have little choice except to play for next year, having already assured themselves of the 30th losing record in their 42-year history heading into tonight’s game against New Orleans.

“I came down here because I thought this team was on the verge of something special,” Milloy said, more than a little frustration in the safety’s voice. “It’s not worked out that way.”

No, it hasn’t.

In another fitting bit of timing for this season gone wrong, Vick is scheduled to be in federal court a few hours before the game for sentencing on his guilty plea to dogfighting charges. He already turned himself in last month to begin serving what is expected to be a sentence of at least a year in prison.

Meanwhile, the Falcons will break out their third quarterback of the post-Vick era, giving journeyman Chris Redman his first start since 2002.

Redman was out of the league the last three seasons; in fact, he was selling insurance a year ago, believing his career was over.

“It’s been a long time,” he said.