Sports: Enigmatic? Yes. But one thing is for sure, Michael Vick is good

NFL

Enigmatic? Yes. But one thing is for sure, Michael Vick is good

The young Atlanta quarterback has players scrambling to catch him, and define him.

By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer

He is listed as a quarterback, but Michael Vick is so much more. He is a natural runner, but he's not really a running back. And he wins games with his feet, but he's not a kicker.

It is difficult to define Vick in football terms, perhaps because football never has had anyone quite like him. Not anyone with his speed, his athleticism or his throwing accuracy. And, heaven knows, not anyone with all of that at age 22.

"He really does change the game in terms of his speed and his ability to get out of there," said Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks, Vick's second cousin. "He's completely revolutionized the game here in the new millennium, and that's good for all the scrambling quarterbacks who are able to make plays with their feet."

There have been a handful of players who have altered their position in a similar way. Hall of Famer Deacon Jones added dimensions for defensive linemen such as speed and the head slap. Lawrence Taylor ushered in a new style of linebacker, turning the position into a speedy, pass-rushing weapon.

Bob Hayes brought about the advent of zone defense because his blistering speed at receiver made man-to-man coverage risky. Marshall Faulk has made the all-purpose running back one of the most indefensible positions in the game. And Deion Sanders brought a level of glamor and finesse to cornerback that never had existed.

Vick, in his second season in the league and first as a starter, is changing the quarterback position.

"If there has ever been a guy that I've seen revolutionize the game, this guy is a revolutionary man," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "There is not a guy like him that I have seen. I used to think Steve Young revolutionized the system of football that I always study with his unique scrambling ability. I hate to tell Steve Young this, but this guy is a hell of a lot faster."

Not everyone, though, is ready to hang the revolutionary tag on Vick.

"He's a great player and he's faster than everyone who has played that position," Fox sports commentator and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said, "but I think there will always be a place for the pocket passer in this game."

What some people find so revolutionary about Vick is not simply that he can run as well as pass. The league always has had running quarterbacks: Young, Bobby Douglass, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb.

Vick is unique in that he possesses a blend of speed, elusiveness, throwing accuracy and arm strength never before seen in one quarterback. He is, in a sense, Barry Sanders, Randy Moss and Rich Gannon all wearing the same jersey.

As a pure passer, he is only decent. He's fourth among starting quarterbacks in the NFC in passing (87.1 rating) and has the fewest interceptions (three).

But with his running ability, he becomes a robo-quarterback, a guy who can buy extra time in the pocket and squirt his way out of trouble when the pocket collapses, turning precarious situations into big plays.

And, unlike other mobile quarterbacks who typically scramble for first downs, Vick is so fast he can break off runs of 40, 50 and even 80 yards.

"When Michael Vick starts to run, he thinks end zone -- from anywhere on the field," Colts general manager Bill Polian said. "You take all the great scramblers -- (Fran) Tarkenton, Cunningham, Young -- they didn't think end zone from 80 yards away. This guy does, because he's done it before."

Sunday against the Vikings, for instance, Vick's 173-yard rushing day included a 40-yard run in the second quarter, a 28-yarder for a touchdown in the third and the winning 46-yard touchdown run in overtime.

All told, he has 648 rushing yards (in 11 games), including five runs of 30 or more.

"It looks like he is running at a different speed than everybody else," Saints linebacker Sedrick Hodge said. "He's running past cornerbacks, defensive backs, everybody."

In short, he is the ultimate offensive weapon, a jack-of-all-trades and a master of them all, too.

"I can't ever remember a quarterback with the athletic ability that he has. I'm talking about Steve Young, even Donovan," said Bucs guard Lomas Brown, who has played 18 seasons with various teams. "A guy running a 4.2 (in the 40), and the way he can just click it into another gear. So, what he's able to do physically, I think he very easily could change the position because how can you stop him?

"You can spy a guy, but he can pretty much outrun your spy. You can send your defensive ends up to contain, but if he gets a crease, he's gone. To really do something special to stop him, I don't see how you do it."