Michael Vick might be 36 years old, but he has little doubt he’d beat Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in a 40-yard dash.
Once the best player in the league who felt he was dominating too much, Vick doesn’t lack for confidence when it comes to his athletic ability.
Vic recently spoke with Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer and offered an interesting take on his comparison to Newton:
“Cam couldn’t beat you in the 40?” a reporter asked. Vick ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at his pro day while Newton was clocked at 4.59 seconds.
“No, Cam can’t beat me in the 40,” Vick smiled. “But his speed is decent. Decent speed. Good enough. Fast enough, I will say that.”
All in good fun, Vick also offered praise for one of the league’s best young quarterbacks:
“I like Cam’s style. I think you’ll have more kids that will want to play with this kind of style,” Vick said. “But everybody’s not going to be blessed to grow to 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds. And it’s all muscle. He’s special.”
While easy to scoff at Vick’s proclamation, few sit in a position to doubt the guy if they’re familiar with his past. One of the best NFL athletes of all time, it wouldn’t bee too much of a shock to see Vick get a job and still be able to keep up with the speed of today’s game.
Vick hasn’t had a chance just yet. He’s still looking, and plenty of young quarterbacks around the league could use a guy with his experience behind them.
Then again, Vick figures to want to play for a contender to chase a ring. Clearly, he’ll add natural competition to any roster, no matter where he ends up. Odds are another brutal summer of camps will open up a roster spot somewhere.