Michael Vick told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he still has visions of being a starter in the NFL and thinks teams we see that they missed on a golden opportunity to trade for the former No. 1 overall pick in the offseason.

“Actually, I understood because I’d been out of football,” Vick said Monday after a workout at the NovaCare Complex. “I didn’t play behind a center for three years. I know how good I am. The [Eagles] coaches know how good I am. I know I could have landed some place, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Being a competitor, you always want to start,” Vick said. “I know in my future that’s there for me. I’ll be a starter in this league again. Right now, I’m just having fun honing my skills.”

“My skills are back,” Vick said. “I’m ready. I’m faster than I’ve ever been before. I’m quicker, light on my feet. So I guess somebody missed out this time around. But I’ll make it work here, and they’ll see.”

“When I get back to [practicing more], I’m going to be dangerous,” Vick said. “That’s all I can say. I’ll be dangerous.”

Vick had a fair amount of success in Atlanta due to his athletic abilities alone, but there were more than a handful of games in which he lost because he couldn’t read a defense. He wasn’t prepared for situations late in the fourth quarter when he needed to make a play against a good team that had the ability to bottle him up. Monte Kiffin used to make him look like a fool twice a year when the Falcons played the Buccaneers because Vick didn’t know how to adjust mentally.

The problem with Vick has never been his athletic ability. It’s always been with him taking that next step as a quarterback and as a student of the game. If he has changed, then maybe there’s still time for him yet. But if he’s still the same QB that relied solely on his athletic talent, then he’ll be nothing more than a gimmick the rest of his career.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

When Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com asked a NFL scout that watched all 64 snaps that Michael Vick took last season, this is what he said:

“He can’t throw,” the scout said. “A guy could be open 20 yards downfield and he’ll throw it 25. He never could throw, but he was fast before. It’s not like he’s slow now but he doesn’t stick out like, ‘Wow, this guy is faster than everybody.’”

I then sent a text message to a top NFL personnel director asking whether the lack of trade buzz surrounding Vick stems from the fact he is no longer a special athletic talent. The response: “Right on.”

What the scout said isn’t necessarily a shocking revelation. Like the scout, many people thought that Vick couldn’t throw before he went to prison, so it stands to reason that he still can’t after he spent two years in lock up. Factor in his drop in speed and athletic ability given his age and it’s no wonder that teams aren’t jumping at the chance to trade for Vick.

Marvez goes on:

But if teams were convinced he could become the old Michael Vick, wouldn’t some of his former bosses have tried to acquire him by now? St. Louis general manager Billy Devaney worked in Atlanta’s front office when Vick rushed for 1,000 yards in 2006. Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert Jr. held that same position last year in Philadelphia, allowing him a day-to-day look at Vick in practice.

The Rams and Browns entered the offseason desperate for quarterbacking help but both went in a different direction. St. Louis signed A.J. Feeley, who has experience in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s offense from the time both were with the Eagles. The Browns added free agent Jake Delhomme and traded with Seattle for Seneca Wallace, who has a similar skill-set to Vick.

It is a little surprising that a team like the Rams hasn’t made a move yet. The Eagles can’t be asking for too much in return for a quarterback that won’t be on their roster in 2011, so one would think that St. Louis would part with a sixth rounder in order to acquire Vick. But maybe teams don’t even think he’s worth that much.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

According to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, the Eagles might not trade quarterback Michael Vick until the preseason. The thought is to up Vick’s trade value by displaying him in preseason games and then waiting for other teams to panic due to injuries and uncertainty at the quarterback position.

If Philly does decide to wait, it’ll cost them. Vick is due a $1.5 million roster bonus on March 5 and if the Eagles don’t trade him before then, they’ll also guarantee $1 million of the quarterback’s 2010 salary. But if they can acquire a higher draft pick in return, it’s a price the Eagles are probably willing to pay.

The Rams remain the front-runners for Vick because of GM Billy Devaney’s relationship with the quarterback in Atlanta. Marc Bulger is no longer a viable starting option at quarterback and neither are Keith Null or Kyle Boller, so St. Louis would love to upgrade.

The Bills are another team desperate to start fresh at the quarterback position and with Chan Gailey’s history with mobile quarterbacks, Vick would make sense in Buffalo. The Raiders might make a play for Vick as well and a sleeper team that could emerge come preseason is the Cardinals, who aren’t completely sold on Matt Leinart yet.

Photo from fOTOGLIF