Michael Vick says he was jealous of Donovan McNabb and thrived in Philly for the same reason: Andy Reid

On Monday, former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick joined former NBA star Carmelo Anthony on his 7pm In Brooklyn podcast to discuss his NFL career — including the impact Andy Reid and the Eagles organization had on him when he returned to football after serving 21 months in federal prison for felony offenses related to operating a dogfighting ring and a gambling enterprise.

“That second act was everything that I needed in my life,” Vick said. “Talk about full circle, completion.”

Vick joined the Eagles shortly after his time in prison in 2009, with Reid bringing him in to back up then starter Donovan McNabb. At the time, it was unclear if Vick, a three-time Pro-Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons and the 2005 MVP runner-up, would get a second chance in professional sports following his indictment.

“I hate to say it, but I needed some time to myself,” Vick said in reference to his time in prison. “As much as it hurt and as much as I cried, because I didn’t come from that, I had to adjust and adapt to that. I did, and I made it through, but within that time I was just building my whole [mentality] to come back and be a better version of myself.”

A backup in his first year, Vick was able to return to a starting role in 2010 after the Eagles traded McNabb, and his replacement, starter Kevin Kolb, suffered a concussion against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. Vick was eventually named the starter, helping the team go 10-6 while earning himself NFL comeback player of the year honors.

Vick finished second to Tom Brady, the eventual MVP, in offensive player of the year voting in 2010, and the Eagles fell to the Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The lefty quarterback, who signed a six-year, $100 million deal with the Birds that offseason, credited his career resurgence to his teammates and the culture Philly had established before his arrival.

“I still was young,” Vick said. “Still had so much to learn. I appreciated it the second time around because I ended up with Andy Reid. I ended up with a great group of teammates: DeSean [Jackson], LeSean [McCoy], Jeremy Maclin, Jason Peters, Jason Avant, Jason Kelce, Nick Foles — all these dudes were my brothers, Donovan, [Brian] Westbrook, it was family.”

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Vick noted how he didn’t apply himself fully in Atlanta, and that the Eagles taught him how to be a professional, and described how too many nights out and an unserious mindset hampered his growth while with the Falcons.

“I had seen that they were just different in Philly,” Vick said. “It was just all about learning and getting better every day and supporting one another. Things that I didn’t do in Atlanta, that I wish I had done, I was able to do. Being able to come back and win comeback player of the year, all the hard work I put in, it’s like, damn, mentorship is really real. Brotherhood is real. Trust is real. Accountability is real.”

Vick also pushed himself to improve off the field, which started during his time in prison.

“When I was away, I wanted to prepare myself to be a better version of myself,” Vick said. “As far as being media friendly, being more approachable, just being better, a better person all around, a better family man for my kids, my wife, just searching for completion.”

Before he ever wore midnight green, Vick says he was jealous of McNabb and the situation the former quarterback had in Philly — specifically highlighting Reid’s coaching style. McNabb and Reid ended two of Vick’s playoff runs with the Falcons, defeating Vick in the divisional round in 2003 and in the 2005 NFC championship.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Donovan, but I was a little envious,” Vick said. “Like, damn, man, you got a great coach. I’m looking at the offense, watching them on film, and if I was doing that type of stuff, we’d be winning more.”

At the time, Vick didn’t understand how transformative playing for Reid would be. Not only did the coach help give him his second shot in the NFL, but he also opened the door for Vick to one day become a coach himself.

“God blessed me and put me in that man’s presence,” Vick said in reference to Reid. “I didn’t take that for granted, and what it taught me … [was] I can be a coach one day, even though that was something I never thought I would be doing.”

Vick is now the head coach of Norfolk State, a historically Black university located near his hometown of Newport News, Va. Last October, Vick found himself at Lincoln Financial Field once again, this time as a coach, where he faced off against former teammate DeSean Jackson, who is now the coach of another HBCU program, Delaware State.