Mike Vick Shows He Isn't Dead Just Yet with Win over Steelers

The Jets were on the verge of losing nine straight games, something that had never happened to them before. But they won. They finally, finally won. It's hard to tell who deserves more credit—Mike Vick or Justin Bieber.

Bieber is a notorious front-running twerp who has never seen a bandwagon he didn't like. If there's an inch of room, he will squeeze his little ass on it. So when news broke late Saturday night that Bieber had joined Pittsburgh players for Bible study, the Steelers' future was set. They were going to lose.

Okay, just kidding. (A little.) The Jets got their improbable win in part because of Vick. That Jets defense was obviously impressive in stopping Ben Roethlisberger from scoring 400 touchdowns in a game again. But also Vick. These are words that haven't been uttered in some time: Vick is still a weapon.

What we are seeing with Vick is a player who is nearing the end of his career, but unlike other players who hobble out of football or are shoved out the door and onto their keisters, Vick is still prospering.

Vick isn't done. Not yet. Not now.

In an improbable game from an improbable player, Vick made perhaps the play of the day. It was second down deep inside Pittsburgh territory when Vick began scrambling to the right. Steelers corner Brice McCain came up fast to make the tackle. Vick stutter-stepped left, then right—thwop, thwop—and McCain's legs became pretzels. He actually fell to the ground trying to tackle Vick.

It was stunning. We've seen Vick do that a thousand different times in a thousand different stadiums, but it was generally thought the speedy Vick had lost a step in his mid-thirties.

I always thought it was a mistake to bring Vick to the Jets. He's too good to sit on a bench, and his presence would undermine Geno Smith. Vick wouldn't do it intentionally but just his presence was a threat.

Now we see that Bieber might be a better quarterback than Smith, and Vick is a born-again badass (Warning: NSFW/language).

In this game, Vick also became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 6,000 yards. In fact, Vick has obliterated the mark. The next closest QB is Randall Cunningham at 4,928 yards.

Brett Favre's consecutive games streak is the most impressive record in all of sports. The all-time rushing record is a close second. Vick's mark is third because some of the passing records are dramatically inflated thanks to restrictions against defenses.

Think about it for a second. A quarterback rushed for 6,000 career yards. He's got at least 2,000 more rushing yards than running backs Alfred Morris and Knowshon Moreno. The same with Pierre Thomas, Ryan Matthews and DeMarco Murray. Almost 2,000 more than Mercury Morris or Craig "Ironhead" Heyward. More than Ahmad Bradshaw, Christian Okoye or Reggie Bush.

Remember, these are all running backs.

SUSAN RAGAN/Associated Press

Of all the running quarterbacks in history, Steve Young is the best. Fran Tarkenton is probably second. Then there's Vick. He won't have the Super Bowl titles of Young or the Super Bowl appearances of Tarkenton, but his durability and skill distance him from all others after those two.

Remember this: Vick has amassed over 25,000 yards of total offense.

We're seeing a different Vick now than the one who committed atrocities against dogs or who used to never, ever study the game. In his days with the Falcons, he would be among the first players out of the building and among those seen studying film the least.

Vick is more humble now. Slightly more. "I was the guy who started it all," Vick told ESPN this past summer. "I revolutionized the game. I changed the way it was played in the NFL."

He did, and in some ways he continues to do exactly that.

Vick is still polarizing (for valid reasons), but separate, for a moment, all of the Vick baggage from Vick the player. Just look at what he's doing on the field. He led a horrible Jets team to a win against a Steelers team almost everyone thought would atomize the Jets today like Godzilla against Mothra.

We won't see this Vick every week. The Jets won't have the advantage of the Bieber curse every game. But the way he's playing, he might just hang around for several more years.

No, Vick isn't dead. Not yet.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.