was talk. I just wanted to start my professional career.
The San Diego Chargers had the first pick in the 2001 draft and were widely expected to pick me as they looked to rebuild their franchise, but they had been burned by quarterback Ryan Leaf, a major bust. In the buildup to the draft, the Chargers waived Leaf and traded their No. 1 selection to the Atlanta Falcons just one day before the draft. In exchange, Atlanta gave San Diego their first-round choice (No. 5 overall), a third-round pick, a 2002 second-round selection, plus veteran wide receiver/kick returner Tim Dwight.
At the time, I thought that was an odd trade. I felt like my visit with the Chargers had gone well, and I knew they had some preliminary contract talks with my agents. I also knew they were looking for a quarterback and maybe a running back.
I later heard that the Chargers made the trade because they became uncomfortable with drafting me. I had brought friends with me to a workoutâfriends they didnât trust would be positive influences in my lifeâthus making me too great a risk for them to take with the top pick.
I acknowledge that showing up with friends for my workout was very unprofessional. Iâve heard it said that the world is 90 percent perception and 10 percent reality. Iâd agree. The Chargers didnât know my friends. They may have actually been good people, but the Chargers automatically assumed that those werenât the right people to have around because of the image and persona they projected.
In the big picture though, I was actually ecstatic about the trade because it worked in my favor. I didnât want to go all the way out to California and leave my family. Atlanta was a one-hour flight away,and an eight-hour drive by car, and I love driving. So if I went as the first pick, it was perfect for me.
Around the time of the draft, I had the opportunity to meet two of my quarterbacking heroes who, like me, had nimble feet to go with strong arms: Steve Young and Randall Cunningham. I was very flattered that Young said he believed I had once-in-a-generation potential. The admiration was entirely mutual.
Young was my favorite player growing up because, like me, he was a lefty and a runner. He played for the San Francisco 49ers, and I loved him with the 49ers. He had all types of weapons around himâJerry Rice, John Taylor, Ricky Wattersâand Deion Sanders was there a couple of years too. The defense had Ken Norton, Merton Hanks, Tim McDonald, Eric Davis, and Charles Haley. They were stacked!
I always dreamed of being the leader of a team like that.
The day of the draft was beautiful. It was a perfect spring day in New York City, and I just knew I would be the first pick. I had been waiting for this day since I was seven years oldâwhen I told my grandmother that I wanted to play professional football and she looked at me and said, âWell, you have to learn how to play.â
And here I was.
At the draft, I was with my mom, dad, brother, both sisters, two close friends, cousins, and my then-girlfriend and high school sweetheart, Tameka Taylor. We were really excited because we knew going to the NFL would be a life-changing situation.
Shortly after the draft began, I watched as then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped up to the podium and said, âWith the first selection in the 2001 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Michael Vick, quarterback, Virginia Tech.â I was beyond emotion. I hugged everyone I was with. Then I walked onto the stage of the theater at Madison Square Garden, shook hands with the commissioner, and was handed an Atlanta Falcons hat and a jersey with No. 1 on it, just like high schoolâonly this time I knew I would only wear No. 7. I couldnât keep the smile off my face. I was an Atlanta Falcon.
I was headed to a talented team. They had a veteran quarterback I could learn from in Chris Chandler, Pro Bowl running back Jamal Anderson, and talented
The San Diego Chargers had the first pick in the 2001 draft and were widely expected to pick me as they looked to rebuild their franchise, but they had been burned by quarterback Ryan Leaf, a major bust. In the buildup to the draft, the Chargers waived Leaf and traded their No. 1 selection to the Atlanta Falcons just one day before the draft. In exchange, Atlanta gave San Diego their first-round choice (No. 5 overall), a third-round pick, a 2002 second-round selection, plus veteran wide receiver/kick returner Tim Dwight.
At the time, I thought that was an odd trade. I felt like my visit with the Chargers had gone well, and I knew they had some preliminary contract talks with my agents. I also knew they were looking for a quarterback and maybe a running back.
I later heard that the Chargers made the trade because they became uncomfortable with drafting me. I had brought friends with me to a workoutâfriends they didnât trust would be positive influences in my lifeâthus making me too great a risk for them to take with the top pick.
I acknowledge that showing up with friends for my workout was very unprofessional. Iâve heard it said that the world is 90 percent perception and 10 percent reality. Iâd agree. The Chargers didnât know my friends. They may have actually been good people, but the Chargers automatically assumed that those werenât the right people to have around because of the image and persona they projected.
In the big picture though, I was actually ecstatic about the trade because it worked in my favor. I didnât want to go all the way out to California and leave my family. Atlanta was a one-hour flight away,and an eight-hour drive by car, and I love driving. So if I went as the first pick, it was perfect for me.
Around the time of the draft, I had the opportunity to meet two of my quarterbacking heroes who, like me, had nimble feet to go with strong arms: Steve Young and Randall Cunningham. I was very flattered that Young said he believed I had once-in-a-generation potential. The admiration was entirely mutual.
Young was my favorite player growing up because, like me, he was a lefty and a runner. He played for the San Francisco 49ers, and I loved him with the 49ers. He had all types of weapons around himâJerry Rice, John Taylor, Ricky Wattersâand Deion Sanders was there a couple of years too. The defense had Ken Norton, Merton Hanks, Tim McDonald, Eric Davis, and Charles Haley. They were stacked!
I always dreamed of being the leader of a team like that.
The day of the draft was beautiful. It was a perfect spring day in New York City, and I just knew I would be the first pick. I had been waiting for this day since I was seven years oldâwhen I told my grandmother that I wanted to play professional football and she looked at me and said, âWell, you have to learn how to play.â
And here I was.
At the draft, I was with my mom, dad, brother, both sisters, two close friends, cousins, and my then-girlfriend and high school sweetheart, Tameka Taylor. We were really excited because we knew going to the NFL would be a life-changing situation.
Shortly after the draft began, I watched as then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped up to the podium and said, âWith the first selection in the 2001 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Michael Vick, quarterback, Virginia Tech.â I was beyond emotion. I hugged everyone I was with. Then I walked onto the stage of the theater at Madison Square Garden, shook hands with the commissioner, and was handed an Atlanta Falcons hat and a jersey with No. 1 on it, just like high schoolâonly this time I knew I would only wear No. 7. I couldnât keep the smile off my face. I was an Atlanta Falcon.
I was headed to a talented team. They had a veteran quarterback I could learn from in Chris Chandler, Pro Bowl running back Jamal Anderson, and talented
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