ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- When Tyler Bray walked into the first quarterback meeting of this week’s Kansas City Chiefs minicamp, he did a double take. Michael Vick was among those in the room with him.
“I used to play with him on Madden all the time and he was unstoppable," said Bray, one of the Chiefs’ backup quarterbacks. “The first day he walked in I was kind of starstruck. I didn’t know what to say to him."
Bray and the other Kansas City quarterbacks will have time to get used to Vick's presence. Vick, 37, will be with the Chiefs through the end of training camp as a member of their coaching staff through the NFL’s diversity coaching-internship program.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who once coached Vick with the Philadelphia Eagles, made the invitation to his former quarterback to join the Kansas City staff for the rest of the summer.
“He had been doing some coaching at the high-school level," Reid said of Vick, who last saw NFL action with the Steelers in 2015. “He really enjoyed that. Like a lot of players, when they get done playing, they’re searching for different things they can do with the rest of their professional lives. He’s got a bunch of routes he can go, but he had an interest in coaching, so we invited him up here and said, ‘Hey, give it a try and see what you think, see if you like it.’
“It’s been great for the players to bounce things off of. He’s been in this offense before so he understands it."
Reid indicated he thinks Vick has a bright future in coaching if he decides he wants to make it a profession.
"Michael is a great communicator," Reid said. “Not only does he speak well but he sees things and can articulate that. In coaching you’ve got to be able to do that. Guys are attracted to him. They like his presence and the way he carries himself, and so they’re not afraid to talk to him, and likewise he’s not afraid to talk to them."
Bray might initially have been bashful about approaching Vick, but Vick wasn’t shy about relaying some quick tips to the fifth-year pro.
“He’s given me some advice on footwork," Bray said. “I know we’re a little different style of player, but he’s been in the game a long time. He knows what he’s talking about."