He listens—and he hears

Sporting News, The, April 9, 2001 by Paul Attner

Vick's neighborhood is harmful enough that Johnson says the club's main challenge "is to see how many lives we can save every day through things like our gang prevention program. But Michael and Aaron, they were great guys, you didn't worry about them. Michael was always full of energy. Even then, he had a work ethic. You challenged him, and he worked to win."

Vick's parents, Mike and Brenda Boddie, eventually married. The father was a pretty good athlete in his day; his son has inherited his talents. Dad and son are decently dose, but his mom is his universe. The family still lives in the same housing development, in a three-bedroom apartment, but Michael plans to buy them a house and buy Brenda a car and whatever else she wants. That was part of the reason he gave up his last two years at Tech. He wanted to provide for her. Besides, what else could he really accomplish in college when he could go first in the draft?

"Michael hasn't really changed at all," says Brooks, who replaced injured Jeff Blake in New Orleans near the end of last season and quickly emerged as one of the league's brightest quarterback prospects. "He's very cool, laid-back, very humble. That's what I like about him. I just tell him that I will set the NFL standard first, then it will be up to him to match it. We laugh about it, but it will motivate both of us."

Vick toiled diligently at Tech. It was a way out of his neighborhood, a way to move up from McDonald's. He lifted weights and studied film and learned to deal with the growing expectations. "Never in a million years would I expect to be in this position," he says. "But I'm proud that no one has handed me anything."

Octagon and Colona already have devised a detailed marketing plan for Vick, filtering all interview and endorsement requests. They also brought in Bratkowski and had Vick work with quickness expert Tom Shaw in New Orleans and set up last week's individual workout with San Diego-and another this week for other interested teams.

But most of Vick's preparation has been self-directed. Since mid-February, he has been practicing on his own three days a week and completing a conditioning program two other days, all in Blacksburg. Since New Orleans, Bratkowski has visited him three times at Tech to continue the educational process. But otherwise, there has been no coach around to prod him. Yet Vick has stuck religiously to his routine. In street clothes, he seems solidly built. But without his shirt, he's incredibly impressive, with a chiseled chest, tapered waist and trunk-like arms. His body fat is below 4 percent; this is what a modern-day quarterback looks like.

"He is a very motivated person," says Rickey Bustle, Tech's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "He told me from the first day he wanted to be better than anyone else. But what is great about Mike is that he has fun doing this. You enjoy being around him. He lights up a room. I looked forward to spending time with him. We would always laugh."

That's how Vick likes it, light and positive. He's not particularly glib or flashy, but he's just good company, well-mannered and not full of himself. And he's still a big kid in a lot of ways. He will sit in front of PlayStation 2 all day--"we have these tournaments but you know who is going to win every time"-and go to scary movies with his girlfriend-"those are the kind she likes"-and take on all comers in basketball. He just keeps moving, staying active, not letting things get too deep.