Michael Vick is one of the most electrifying players the NFL has ever seen. Along with becoming one of the most popular athletes in Atlanta sports history, Vick set the standard for mobile quarterbacks during his 13-year NFL career, paving the way for guys like Lamar Jackson.

Vick is also one of the most polarizing players in NFL history. His career was put on pause in 2007 after he pled guilty for involvement in a dogfighting ring and spent 21 months in federal prison. His comeback in 2009 with the Philadelphia Eagles yielded the best season of his career, which he pursued until his retirement in 2015. He now spends most of his time as an analyst with Fox Sports on Fox NFL Kickoff (as well as other FS1 programming) and working with the Team Vick Foundation.

Vick sat down with SB Nation to discuss his career, his time in prison, forgiveness (and the lack thereof), along with what he wants to do in the future.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

SB NATION: Some quarterbacks ran well before you, but you were the first Michael Vick. Which players did you admire growing up, and did you ever envision becoming a player that never existed before?

MICHAEL VICK: I grew up admiring Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Deion Sanders, John Elway, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon. Elite players who were all game-changers. I saw that there was room for that in the game of football. Even when I was young, when I first started attacking the field and running the football the way I did in high school, I just told myself I’d never change my style. And then I told myself when I go to the National Football League, if I made it one day, that I’d use the same style. I didn’t think that it was something different, I was just like, ‘This is the way I play. And it’s special, and it’s different, and I’m gonna use it.’

SBN: At what point did you realize, “I’m a different quarterback,” in the sense that you’re making plays that have never been made before?

MV: I think it was my second season, and we went on an eight-game run after a tough start. We went on an eight-game winning streak, and I just felt like I was the best player on the field when I stepped on the field. It’s different when you feel that way, and you know that, and you come into a game saying, ‘Nobody on the field is better than me. Even if it’s Ray Lewis out there, if it’s Charles Woodson. No offense, but I’m the best player on the field.’

SBN: And that said, Dec. 1, 2002. Vikings, in overtime, the 42-yard touchdown run. What was the huddle like before that? What do you remember about the play, and where does that rank for you among the best plays that you’ve ever made?

MV: It’s funny because that play versus the Minnesota Vikings don’t even rank among my top plays. I think it’s probably a play that I can be proud about because I didn’t pre-determine that I was going to run. They played a defense that I thought they was going to play, so I think part of being a good quarterback — a great quarterback is being one step ahead and always having a backup plan. And the backup plan just worked. I just made a great play, but an even better decision.

SBN: From your perspective, in terms of comfort and fit, what were the most significant differences in playing for Dan Reeves and Jim Mora? Do you wish you could have gotten more time with Reeves?

MV: Dan drafted me with a plan of what he would do long-term — he just never got the shot. He was fired after I made a comeback after an injury in my third season, and it was a really rough time because what he did in 2002 showed me that he was going to take advantage of my talent.

Even though it’s not what you see today, it was still him using my athleticism and my abilities. It worked for our team, and we had a somewhat average football team. I think our defense was probably better than our offense, and we were able to make the playoffs. But it was different when Jim came in and he brought his offensive coordinator that he had known in San Francisco. They introduced me to this West Coast system and it was like they was just trying to turn me into a passer. It took everything away from me. Everything I got, I had to earn. It certainly wasn’t easy because I was always in scramble mode, and always had to improv.

SBN: How frustrating was that for you? Because you had such a rare gift, and you said you felt like you were the best football player out on the field, and they’re not playing to your strengths.

MV: It wasn’t frustrating because I made it work. I was good enough to take a system, learn it, go out on a professional football field, and make it happen. We went to the NFC Championship game. I didn’t get frustrated until teams started picking up on tendencies and what we was doin’. It was just no change in direction, so everything was like, ‘This is the way it’s going to be.’

But the frustration wasn’t there because I was able to make it work. I think once I rushed for 1,000 yards in 2006, I felt like I had so much responsibility I knew I needed a change in the offense. I started to feel it myself, the coaches felt it, and I think ownership felt it as well.

SBN: That’s part of what made you great — you made things work. Now being from Newport News, getting drafted No. 1 overall by the Falcons — moving from there to Atlanta is a pretty big jump. How was the adjustment, being in Atlanta and signing a big contract, for you? What was your lifestyle?

MV: The great part was that I was raised humbly and I felt everything that I had to work for — high school, college — there was no need to change. I still like to go back home; I still like to be around my mom and my sisters and my family. Going to Atlanta, it wasn’t a culture shock — it was just more being so focused and not wanting to be a bust.

My only concern coming into the National Football League was just be the best player that you can be, earn a second contract, and prove that you’re not a bust. Any distraction that I had as far as going to a new city, a new culture, a place where hip-hop and entertainment was at its peak and pinnacle — I was just able to fall right in.

SBN: I think one of the most interesting aspects of your career that goes over a lot of people’s heads is that you peaked in Atlanta during a significant time for this city, culturally. Trap music godfathers were coming up and Atlanta was getting its respect as the place for hip-hop. What was it like being in the “Rubberband Man” video with T.I. and Usher, and how did that come about?

MV: Being in the “Rubberband Man” video was so cool, man. Me and T.I. kind of hit it off early. Ludacris, I used to run into him all the time — Usher, 2 Chainz, back when he was young, Gucci Mane, Outkast, you know — it was so fun to be out in the city and to know these guys that I respect what they do on so many levels. And here we are, together, changing the culture. I was just able to come around with the football aspect of it, and the sports demographic of it. I’ll tell you this, the hospitality from all those guys, even though most of them was from Atlanta — they welcomed me in like I was one of them.

And Atlanta will always be my second home. Those guys are all still friends to this day, and we did something great for the city at a time when times was changing.

SBN: You talked about your relationship with the city in your Players’ Tribune article, how difficult it was watching the Falcons draft Matt Ryan, including how you still follow the Falcons. How passionate are you about the Falcons and how often do you get back to Atlanta?

MV: I get back at least once a month. I still root for the guy; I still root for the fans, most important — that they get the entertainment. So it’s great to see, man. (Falcons owner Arthur Blank) always has me around; we still play golf together. I just continue to pray that they get it together and that they keep working through trying times. You know, better days are ahead, and I hope they keep head coach Dan Quinn. I think he’s a great guy. I had a chance to meet him personally, and I really like him. It’s more about the entertainment for the city and putting on for the city. That’s what’s most important.

SBN: I think one of the most iconic pictures of your time in Atlanta that best explains how important you were in making the franchise relevant is the one of Arthur Blank pushing you in a wheelchair when you were injured in 2003. What has your relationship been like with him over the years?

MV: When people ask me about my relationship with Arthur, I always tell them it’s consistent. He’s always the same person, always full of energy, always positive, and always caring. If it was ever a more honest man that I’ve ever met in my life, it was Mr. Blank. I think every player on the Atlanta Falcons team and every person that ever worked with him could probably say the same thing if you didn’t rub him the wrong way because he can be snappy too.

So that’s what creates the respect level, and that’s why people love him, because you talk about being a true boss. He’s a true boss. He’s a guy you want to work for.

SBN: Your time here obviously came to an abrupt end when you spent 21 months in federal prison. You had your humble beginnings; you reached the top of the top. How did being in that atmosphere change you as a person?

MV: It’s scary — when you first go in, and you don’t know what to expect. Anybody who don’t come from that type of lifestyle, or never put themselves in a position where you can be sent off to prison — I couldn’t adjust, I couldn’t relate. But I did because I knew enough, and I knew people, and I knew how to handle myself. It was life-changing, because I had to get to know more about myself personally, and the everyday challenge of pushing yourself to take your mind outside of the prison.

Your goals and your ways of thinking are always more vibrant, I think, when your back is against the wall. I can’t speak for other people, but I just came out a better person. More understanding, more loyal, more trusting — I had a better understanding of life. I always knew I needed that. I always wanted to be a person who wasn’t always shying away from the big opportunities and the rooms that I could be around, and the people I could be around. I always shied away from that. I thought I didn’t need it. It’s like, man, I gotta take advantage of some of the great things that God has put into my life. I came back more of a people person and I respect that more than anything.

SBN: Was there a single moment for you where you decided you wanted to be better?

MV: Nah, every day made it tough. You know, first of all, you’re sitting in the cell and you’re asking yourself, ‘Why am I here?’ And you feel like the scum of the Earth. So all you can do is aspire to do great things.

I was able to think in the short-term because I didn’t have a long way to go. I had so many people in there who supported me and pushed me to be better, pushed me every day. As crazy as it may sound, and I know it’s ironic, I always tell people I wouldn’t change that part of my life for anything because I learned so much about people, so much about myself, and it made me a better person.

SBN: What was it like to finally leave?

MV: I was happy to leave. I was so ready to leave. I was more than ready. I made notes and read a lot of books and wanted to stick to my script. And I did it — and I had a chain of events that happened in order to get back into the league and to accomplish certain things off the field, to build my family and restore my legacy on and off the field. That was more important to me than anything, more important than football because that came easy. The hard work was all the things that I had to think about and put together mentally.

SBN: There have been a lot of signatures and various petitions to keep you out of the Pro Bowl as a captain. For people who haven’t forgiven you for your involvement in dogfighting, what would you say to them?

MV: I understand the forgive-but-not-forget mentality. That’s supposed to be logical and the way we supposed to live. Just know that I’ve done everything in my power to make amends, and that’s about all I can do. And I’ll continue to do that for the rest of my life because it’s a lifetime commitment. The person I have to make happy at the end of the day is myself; only God can judge me just like he’ll judge everybody else.

So I’d say to those people just let God judge me and kind of ease on out of it. I’m finding my way in life. Allow me to find my way and everybody do them. Fight for their cause, but do it with integrity — do it without bringing down another individual or another man who has a family to feed and a lot of opportunity in life to help. We’re all human, and we all make mistakes.

SBN: Do you think it’s fair some people haven’t forgiven you and also probably never will? Do you understand where those people are coming from?

MV: No — I mean, I don’t really understand where these people are coming from. Honestly, I don’t. I don’t know them personally; I haven’t hurt anybody or any animal that’s connected to them. So that shows me that it’s just pure hatred. I can’t hate you because you’ve committed a crime — I can’t do that, you know? Now there’s a bunch of things that I don’t believe in, and there’s a bunch of things I do believe in. But when somebody breaks the law, I can’t hate them for it. I don’t know the reason why they went through that, and they don’t know the reasons why I went through what I went through. Or do they care to even entertain or research it? It’s too much; it’s too much.

SBN: Have you forgiven yourself?

MV: I forgave myself upon [the end] of my prison sentence. The entire time I was in prison, I knew why I was in there. Every day I was hurtin’ and cryin’, and my heart couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t until I knew that every dog was taken care of upon paying the $1 million restitution. I got clarity on that, and once I walked out of them doors and walked away, I left my life there in that prison. I left everything behind me, and I moved forward. That was the day I forgave myself. That was May 22, 2009. That was the day.

SBN: Coming out, did you expect to see success as quickly as you did? I’m sure it was difficult to try to stay in decent NFL shape in there.

MV: Yeah, I was just so hungry to get back, man. I used to always tell my wife, ‘If I could just get one more chance — I just want one more chance to start again.’ Because you don’t know if you’ll ever get another chance, I just wanted to be a starter again, and when I got it, I was just super-focused and so determined to be the best player on the field. There was nothing that was going to come between that.

SBN: Going through that first season back and your big success the following year, what was that experience like for you?

MV: I had to overcome a lot of adversity. First, getting my body back in shape and being able to test it out on a football field and knowing that the hard work over the last year and a half paid off. And then I looked at the competition I was about to face once Kevin Kolb went down. I had the chance to go up against Donovan (McNabb) head-to-head, and Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, head-to-head with Jay Cutler. Me and Matt Schaub, my former backup, had a chance to go back-to-back at each other on a Thursday night. All I could do was look up at the sky before the games and thank God that I was back out there. I was just watching it from prison. Real moments.

SBN: When you came back to Atlanta with the Eagles, what was that like for you?

MV: It was a tough week, man — just being the guy who was the starter in that city, and now you’re on another team and you’re not starting anymore. It just wasn’t a cool feeling because you know the reasons why. You feel sorry for the fans more than anything, the people you let down. Football will go on, but people will never forget the excitement and the things we was able to do. Now you’re on the other side, and it’s difficult. It was just a tough day for me. But I enjoyed it, and we won the game. That was even better. [laughs]

SBN: I’m curious, because I have a specific player in mind, who is the one player you hated facing during your career?

MV: Warren Sapp. Regardless of who you put in front of him, right guard or left guard, he’d beat them up for four quarters. He’ll be in your ear for four quarters, and he’ll hit you for four quarters, and it’s not fun for four. [laughs] So I just played against the Bucs twice a year, and I knew the night before the game, coming into the game, I’m gonna get hit. I have to get prepared for it, and be ready for it — be a man. He made me grow up as a quarterback, too, so that was a good thing.

SBN: OK, that was my second guess, I was going to say Simeon Rice. Back in the day, it always seemed like he was causing the most issues. I remember when I was a kid, and being annoyed with the Buccaneers defense twice a year.

MV: I would say Julius Peppers before Simeon Rice. Simeon Rice was good, but Julius Peppers was hard to get away from too.

SBN: 12-year-old me hated Simeon Rice.

MV: He was good off the edge. [laughs] Big dude No. 97 on over there. He was a monster.

SBN: Speaking of a monster, I have to ask: Along with Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson, what’s it like being the greatest video game athlete — Madden NFL 2004 Vick — of all time?

MV: [laughs] Yeah, it’s an honor man, because I idolized Bo in Tecmo Bowl. The best ever. To be labeled as one of the best video game players ever, it says a lot, man. It’s something my kids will hear, and it’ll last for a long time. It’ll be a part of my legacy forever.

SBN: When the game first came out, were you putting in work on the big screen with yourself and the Falcons?

MV: [laughs] Nah, I could never play with myself. That was one thing I couldn’t do; that was very difficult. Now, ironically, I can play with Lamar Jackson on the game and beat everybody.

SBN: I’m glad you brought up Lamar. Do you have any kind of relationship with him?

MV: Yeah, we talked coming out of college. And you know, I’ll probably want to pick up the phone and call him. If I want to get to him, I can. Lamar’s doing his thing, man, and that’s what’s most important right now. His focus is through the roof right now, and people are trying to leave him alone, they’re trying to limit all his contact. And I know what it’s about, man. I know what it’s about, we’ll catch up. But Lamar’s an amazing talent, and the NFL is blessed to have him right now.

SBN: You tweeted about him a few years ago saying he was five times better than you, which was a big deal — you’re you. But then this year happened, and he’s got a good chance to win MVP. Do you still think he’s better than you?

MV: I don’t think anybody’s better than me at the quarterback position. Now, I can say that you can do it better than me. And that’s what it is; he’s doing it better than what I did in the offenses that I was in versus the offense that he’s in. He’s doing it at a high level, man. He’s showing that he’s competent and capable, and he knows how to play the game at a high level. That’s what you want from a starting quarterback. That’s what you want your guy to look like, and build an offense around a guy like that, you’re gonna win Super Bowls.

SBN: You’ve mentioned many times that you felt you could have worked harder in your career, describing yourself as the last guy in and the first one out. Do you ever think about how much better you possibly could have been with different work ethic?

MV: Yeah, I think about how much better I could have been. But for me to be better, I would have had to become a coach on the field and call my own plays and change the offense up. You see what I’m sayin’? When you’re only doing so much, how much more can you allow to happen within the offense other than you being more vocal and more verbal and saying, ‘All right coach, I don’t like that, we need to do this.’ That’s not trusting the coach and everything he calls.

So I’m studying to make sure I understand everything that he calls. How about studying to call my own? And design my own.

SBN: Do you want to get back into the NFL as a coach or in another capacity, perhaps?

MV: Not until my kids grow older, so I can’t do that just quite yet. Down the road, man, I’ll coach college football down the road for sure. Head coach, that’s it, get some kids ready to go to the league. Have fun with it, win some games, win a bunch of bowl games, make whatever national championship. We’ll be that good.

SBN: Now, where is a lot of your energy focused these days?

MV: Working with the Boys & Girls Club, remodeling, rebuilding Boys & Girls Clubs all across the world. That’s what our charity is doing — Team Vick Foundation — that’s what we do. We give kids things to wear and places to be, places to go hang out, places to go learn.

SBN: Lastly, I just kind of want to know how you feel about where you’re at in life right now? You had an amazing career with its ups and downs, incredible life lessons. People talk about you, whether it be good or bad. I just want to know how you feel right now.

MV: I feel great, man. I got a family that loves me dearly. I got a wife that’s amazing. I have a great relationship with the NFL, and I have an incredible job working with Fox as a sports analyst. I’m around a ton of people that care about me and appreciate me and respect me. When that’s how you live your life, and simplifying, you put your family first, and then you work as hard as you can to be the best that you can be at your profession, to fulfill all your obligations, you can sleep at the end of the night. I’m proud of myself because I’m still learning in life, still educating myself, I’m still working to be the best person that I can be. Those are things that nobody can control but me. I appreciate that because that’s like playing quarterback — gotta get it done, baby. So that’s what I do.