Vick prepared to take the reins

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Michael Vick’s faith never wavered.

Not when months went by and the phone didn’t ring. Not when his arrival in Pittsburgh at the end of training camp sparked small protests outside the Steelers’ facility and a few raised eyebrows within it.

And certainly not when he saw Ben Roethlisberger grabbing his left knee in St. Louis on Sunday, the franchise quarterback’s medial collateral ligament sprained and his immediate future very much in doubt.

Sure, this isn’t the way Vick wanted to get back on the field. Yet the four-time Pro Bowler isn’t about to apologize for the opportunity in front of him, the one he was convinced would come.

“I kept the faith and kept believing,” Vick said Tuesday. “This is what I love to do, so I continue to work hard at it. I just have to keep fighting every day.”

Vick will run out of the tunnel at Heinz Field on Thursday night as the starter when the Steelers (2-1) host Baltimore (0-3). What better showcase to go out and prove that at 35 and in the twilight of an enigmatic career that he remains one of the most unique talents to ever line up under center?

“I feel like I have a chance to go out and play freely and enjoy the game, enjoy this moment and be out there with my teammates,” Vick said. “God has put this in front of me and it’s up to me to handle it like a professional.”

If Pittsburgh wants to keep pace with Cincinnati in the AFC North while Roethlisberger’s knee heals, Vick doesn’t really have a choice. For perhaps the first time in his football life, however, Vick will work within an offense in which he is not the most gifted player.

The presence of All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell means Vick won’t be required to save the day as much as not ruin it.

To that end, Vick and offensive coordinator Todd Haley have been cramming to put together a game plan that allows Brown and Bell to do what they do without asking Vick to do something he can’t.

“He is not just stepping in and doing what Ben did, so to speak,” Haley said. “He is going to be doing what gives Mike Vick the best chance to help us succeed.”

And that includes letting the big arm and the impossibly fast legs that turned Vick into a video game legend in his prime a decade ago do their thing.