MICHAEL VICK
END RUN?
The 13-year veteran quarterback, who started three games for the Steelers in 2015 before being sidelined with an injured hamstring, believes he still has the speed and skill to play one final season at age 36.
DAN PATRICK:What kind of interest are you getting from teams [for this season]?
MICHAEL VICK: We got a couple of phone calls. I won't say it's as many phones calls as I'd like, but I understand the dynamic. I'm 36 years old. The thing is, I still have a lot in the tank. You know, I go work out, I still throw, still feel good. I ended last year inactive, and that's not me. I'm truly better than that. I know I can still win football games.
DP:Can you still run a sub-4.5 40-yard dash?
MV: I'd say about a 4.5, a legit 4.5. And you know with a legit 4.5 that's enough escapability, so you're doing pretty well.
DP:What if you had a pro day to show teams what you can do?
MV: If I had a pro day I would light it up. I mean, I work out and I look good in my training. But do I want to run the 40 again? No.
DP:You gotta run the 40.
MV: Your hamstrings are at risk, and I haven't had the best history with my hamstrings. [Laughs.]
DP:Which current QBs could outrun you?
MV: In terms of long speed, there are a couple of them who could do it. [Colin] Kaepernick seems like he moves the fastest. I've never really seen Russell [Wilson]'s straight-line speed. I know he's got escapability, but I would have to go with Kaepernick.
DP:Could you run backward and beat Ben Roethlisberger if he's running forward?
MV:[Laughs.] Ben's going to get offended by this, but yes. If you ask Ben, he'll tell you he's a great athlete, which he is. But running backward, I still might get him. You know running, that's not Ben's forte. Ben's movement in the pocket laterally is what makes him special, but he's not going beat anybody in the 40.
DP:Did coaches ever discourage you from running?
MV: In all of my years in the NFL and college, I never had a coach discourage me from running or tell me not to run. They've always encouraged me to do it. They knew it was a gift. They knew it was a part of my game. It was a way to escape and not to get hit.
DP:What do people say to you on the street?
MV: It's all love when I'm out on the street. Some people think that everybody's not on your team [when you make a mistake], but I beg to differ.
DP:Are you allowed to have a dog now?
MV: Yeah, I'm allowed to do anything I want to do now, as long as it's not illegal.
GUEST SHOTS
SAY WHAT?
Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald told me that a big challenge during the off-season is maintaining healthy eating habits. "When you have kids, there's a lots of snacks around the house," said Fitzgerald, who has two sons, Devin and Apollo. "Then you mess around and eat their Golden Grahams late at night."... I asked Pete Rose if he ever wrote a Hall of Fame speech. "I've never written a speech of any kind," Rose said. "I can't read off a piece of paper because I'm embarrassed to put on my glasses, and if I don't, I can't see the piece of paper."... Former pitcher Rick Sutcliffe told me that the late Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray could sometimes be detrimental to the team's health: "We called it the Harry Caray Flu. You go out with him the night before, you wake up feeling like crap."
