Jets quarterback Michael Vick: 'I revolutionized the game'

Michael Vick may be a backup quarterback with the Jets this season, but in his mind, his footprint is all over today's NFL.

"I was the guy who started it all," Vick said to reporters on Friday about the trend of running quarterbacks, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini. "I revolutionized the game. I changed the way it was played in the NFL."

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Vick, who turns 34 on Thursday, is the all-time leading rusher as a quarterback with 5,857 yards in his 11 NFL seasons. He ran for 1,039 yards for the Falcons in 2006, his last season before missing the next two because of his prison time for his involvement in a dogfighting ring.

He has 21,489 career passing yards, with 128 touchdowns and 85 interceptions. He also has 36 rushing touchdowns in six seasons with the Falcons and five with the Eagles.

"The things I've done, I've pretty much surpassed myself and expectations — over 25,000 yards in total offense in the NFL, and I missed a lot of years and a lot of games," he said. "That's more the reason I have to keep it going."

Vick also said he felt that only one player during his career felt like an athletic equal — former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

Vick will likely be Geno Smith's backup this season, and he thinks the second-year player can take the Jets to the Super Bowl.

"It'll seal my legacy — for me, myself," Vick said of winning the Super Bowl, even as a backup. "For the public, I don't know.

"It's something I've always shot for. When we went to the NFC Championship Game in 2004, I was almost certain I'd be involved in two or three more, at least. It goes to show how tough this league is. This is such a team game that, even in my prime, I couldn't do it all by myself."

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