Flowery Branch, Ga. ? As Michael Vick somersaulted through the air — cleats pointing toward the Georgia Dome roof, helmet just inches off the turf — he actually recalled a similar play from his Virginia Tech days.

“It was my first college game,” Vick said. “I was just running reckless and jumped. I didn’t know where I was headed. This time, I was conscious of where I was in the air.”

Vick didn’t want to land on his neck, so he rolled his head forward and plopped down on his back. No problem.

Just another play in the life of the NFL’s most amazing player.

And how’s this for amazing? Vick has guided the Atlanta Falcons to their first 2-0 start since 1998, which also happens to be the season of their lone Super Bowl.

“Man, he’s one of a kind,” cornerback Jason Webster marveled Wednesday. “I’m just glad we’re on the same team.”

Vick already has provided one of the season’s signature plays. On Sunday against St. Louis, he took off from the Rams’ 16 in a mad sprint for the corner of the end zone. Jerametrius Butler dove at Vick’s legs near the sideline, sending the quarterback spinning like a Ferris wheel.

The crowd gasped, but Vick popped right back up. Warrick Dunn scored on the next play, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead on their way to a surprising 34-17 victory.

“I know how to play this game,” Vick said, his tone more resolute than cocky.

Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick (7) goes airborne over St. Louis cornerback Jerametrius Butler last weekend at the Georgia Dome. Vick, perhaps the NFL's most exciting player, is off and running toward another big year, leading the Atlanta Falcons to their first 2-0 start since the Super Bowl season of 1998. The Falcons beat the Rams, 34-17, Sunday in Atlanta.

This is what he said all along during the preseason — a time spent mostly on the bench, sparking worries among the Falcon faithful that Vick wouldn’t be ready to run the West Coast-style offense brought in by new coach Jim Mora and coordinator Greg Knapp.

Mora was more concerned with what happened a year ago. Vick broke a leg in the preseason, missed the first 11 games of the regular season and returned to find a team on its way to a dismal 5-11 finish.

“We knew it was basically a no-win situation,” Mora said. “If you played him too much, people thought you’re risking injury. If you didn’t play him enough, then people didn’t think he’s going to be ready for the season. We knew what we were doing.”

Vick certainly looked comfortable against the Rams. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 179 yards, including a short swing pass — a staple of the West Coast system — that fullback Justin Griffith took for a 62-yard gain.

But it’s the running that sets Vick apart.

He carried 12 times for 109 yards, even though the Rams were intent on keeping Vick in the pocket and making him throw.

“Real clear we weren’t able to do that,” said St. Louis defensive end Leonard Little.

Webster puts it this way: “He can run like any receiver or running back — better than most — and he throws as well as any quarterback.”