page_title: Michael Vick
section_title: Atlanta Falcons
hierarchical_section_title: Michael Vick / Professional career / Atlanta Falcons
caption_attribution_description: Michael Vick (en), of the Atlanta Falcons (en) scrambles past Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney in the 2006 Pro Bowl held at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
context_page_description: Michael Dwayne Vick is a former professional American football quarterback who played 13 seasons in the National Football League, primarily with the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Virginia Tech and was selected by the Falcons as the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. During his six years with the Falcons, Vick was regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities and was named to three Pro Bowls. He was the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and holds the record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback.
  Vick's NFL career came to a halt in 2007 after he pleaded guilty for his involvement in a dog fighting ring and spent 21 months in federal prison. His arrest and subsequent conviction garnered Vick notoriety with the general public, which lasted throughout the rest of his career. He was released by the Falcons shortly before leaving prison.
  After serving his sentence, Vick signed with the Eagles in 2009. As a member of the Eagles for five years, he enjoyed the greatest statistical season of his career and was named to a fourth Pro Bowl in 2010.
context_section_description: At his Pro Day workout, Vick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds; his time has been clocked as low as 4.25, which is the fastest-ever for an NFL quarterback. Vick was selected first in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first African-American quarterback to be taken with the top pick. The San Diego Chargers had the number-one selection but traded it to Atlanta Falcons the day before the draft for the Falcons' first- and third-round picks in 2001. Vick was taken in the 30th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies, despite not playing baseball since the 8th grade.
  He signed a six-year $62 million contract. Vick made his NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers on September 9, 2001 and saw limited action. He completed his first NFL pass to wide receiver Tony Martin in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers on September 23 and scored his first NFL touchdown on a two-yard rush in the fourth quarter to help the Falcons to a 24–16 victory.  Vick made his first start against the Dallas Cowboys on November 11 and threw his first touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler in a 20–13 victory. He accounted for 234 of Atlanta's 255 yards in the season finale against the St. Louis Rams on January 6, 2002. In two starts and eight total games played that season, Vick completed 50 of 113 passes for 785 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He rushed 31 times for 289 yards (9.3 avg.) and one touchdown.
  Vick made 15 starts in 2002, missing one game against the New York Giants on October 13 with a sprained shoulder.  He completed 231 of 421 passes for 2,936 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had 113 carries for 777 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Vick set numerous single-game career highs during the season, including in passes completed, pass attempts and passing yards. Vick also set a then-NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 173 against the Minnesota Vikings on December 1, broken by Colin Kaepernick (181) in 2013. He tied for third in team history for the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in a season. He had a streak of 177 passes without an interception as the Falcons finished with a 9–6–1 win-loss-tie record and reached the playoffs. On January 4, 2003, Vick led the Falcons to an upset victory over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers 27–7 in the first playoff round. The Falcons lost 20–6 to the Donovan McNabb-led Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football Conference divisional playoff game the following week. Vick was named to his first Pro Bowl after the season.
  Vick suffered a fractured right fibula during a preseason game before the 2003 season against the Baltimore Ravens. He missed the first 11 games of the regular season, making his debut in week 13. Vick substituted for quarterback Doug Johnson in the third quarter of a game against the Houston Texans on November 30, completing 8 of 11 passes for 60 yards and rushing for 16 yards on three carries. He started his first game of the season against the Carolina Panthers on December 7 and amassed the third-highest rushing total by a quarterback in NFL history with 141 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. The Falcons won the game 21–14. Vick ended the season with a 21–14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 28 in which he completed 12 of 22 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
  Vick returned to form in 2004, passing for 2,313 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 902 yards of rushing and three touchdowns as the Falcons finished with an 11–5 record. On October 31, 2004 in a game against the Denver Broncos, he became the first quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game. Vick set an NFL postseason record for a quarterback with 119 rushing yards in the first round of the 2004 NFL playoffs; Atlanta beat the St. Louis Rams in that game, but lost the following week to the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference championship game. Vick, whose single-season rushing total was the th
caption: Vick at the 2006 Pro Bowl
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