Michael Vick Becomes First QB To Reach 6,000 Rushing Yards
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Michael Vick is still making plays with his legs, running up his record-setting rushing total with each knee-buckling scamper.
He became the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 6,000 yards rushing, getting the mark in the third quarter of the New York Jets' 20-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
"Really, it makes me feel old because that's years of hard work," the 34-year-old Vick said, smiling. "It's probably something, well I know it's something that hasn't been done in the league up into this point. It's a major milestone."
Vick entered the game with 5,967 yards rushing and hit the new mark with an 18-yard scramble that put the Jets in field goal range. He finished with 39 yards on eight carries, giving him 6,006 for his career.
He set the NFL record in 2011 while with Philadelphia, surpassing Randall Cunningham's 4,928 yards rushing.
"Reaching those types of milestones and continuing to play the game at a high level at my age makes me appreciate the game of football," Vick said. "I love this game so much that I would do anything to win with my teammates. That's what means a lot to me. So, those 6,000 yards came through a lot of guys blocking for me, a lot of guys putting their bodies out on the line for me, and a lot of sacrifices so it just wasn't me.
"I give a lot of credit to my teammates that I have played with, from Atlanta to Philly to New York."
Vick also showed he still has the ability to fake out defenders and make them look silly. Late in the first quarter, he took off down the right sideline and juked Brice McCain with a shake-and-bake move that sent the Steelers cornerback to the turf. Vick ended up with an 18-yard run that put the ball at the Steelers 3. Three plays later, he threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jace Amaro that gave the Jets a 17-0 lead.
"It happened so fast that I've got to go back and look at it," Vick said with a big grin. "All I was thinking about was straightening him up and, for some reason, he bit. They're still biting on the old dead-leg fakes. It's all good."
Vick, who took over for struggling second-year quarterback Geno Smith, said he believed all along he could still start in this league. He acknowledged he could have helped the Jets win more games this year, but also said he "totally understood everything that was taking place" with Smith.
"It was all about developing a young quarterback, mentoring a young quarterback and giving him every opportunity to succeed," Vick said. "And now he has a chance to do it from afar and I think it's going to help him."
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