Michael Vick appeared on the Dan Patrick Show Monday morning and spent time talking about the ups and downs in his career, the league’s current quarterbacks and the reception he receives from fans. The interview was pretty standard for any athlete on a prominent media program. Where it got interesting was when Patrick asked him if he ever felt bad for defenders, Vick responded:
Yeah, I did. Some guys tore their ACLs, sprained ankles. It wasn’t the prettiest situation. There were times in game when I felt I was dominating, and I was dominating too much.
Imagine that?! Being so gifted that you feel and know you are too dominant. The majority, if not all of us, have no idea what that level of dominance is like. For those of you too young to remember peak Atlanta Falcons Michael Vick, go YouTube some of those highlights. The man is an athletic freak and the league was not ready for him. He had blazing speed, elite quickness, and a rocket arm. The phrase “too dominant” is curious. I can only speculate as to what he means. The conversation was focused around his running ability. Maybe he was too dominant running and never had the needs or desire to spend time developing the other aspects of his game? Maybe he felt he held too much of the spotlight in a team game? I do know this is an athlete that is more mature and now at the twilight of his career, can appreciate things from a different perspective.
As for his time with the Falcons, they never put the right pieces (both coaches and players) around him to maximize his talent. The unrealized potential isn’t solely the Falcons fault. Vick’s dubious choice of friends and behavior, specifically the dog fighting ring, certainly didn’t help. But, if you are a fan of the NFL and you marvel at the abilities of Aaron Rodgers, Russel Wilson and Cam Newton; remember Vick was the original archetype.
Flip the page to see some of those outstanding Vick highlights.