Before Michael Vick spent 18 months in federal prison on dogfighting charges, he was the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback and made three Pro Bowls.
After his release last May, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick as a backup. That isn't enough for him anymore.
Vick said that he'll be a starter again and pledged to be "dangerous" when that happens, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"Being a competitor, you always want to start," said Vick, who accounted for three touchdowns (two running, one passing) in limited playing time last season. "I know in my future that's there for me. I'll be a starter in this league again. Right now, I'm just having fun honing my skills."
"You're going to have an opportunity to be a starter. And I'll say, 'OK, I'm going to go back to the drawing board and work on a lot of things that I didn't have a chance to work on because I was forced into action so fast.' I have to work on those things, and when I get back to doing them, I'm going to be dangerous. That's all I can say -- I'll be dangerous."
Vick lobbied the Eagles to trade him during the offseason, but the lack of interest from other teams didn't discourage him.
"Actually, I understood," Vick said. "Because I'd been out of football. I didn't play behind a center for three years. I know how good I am. The [Eagles] coaches know how good I am. I know I could have landed some place, but it wasn't meant to be. But now my skills are back. I'm ready. I'm faster than I've ever been before. I'm quicker, light on my feet. So I guess somebody missed out this time around. But I guess I'll make it work here and they'll see."
For now, Vick is backing up Kevin Kolb, whom the Eagles gave a one-year, $12.5 million extension in April after they traded longtime starter Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins.
"I expect to be here at the start of the season playing the role and doing what I'm doing," Vick said. "I enjoy this organization, the locker room and the staff. It's a great place to be. Unless something else happens, I expect to be here."
