Jimmy Garoppolo reveals Mike Vick was his favorite player growing up

Jimmy Garoppolo has two rushing touchdowns over his six-year NFL career. He barely has totaled more than 100 yards on the ground. 

And yet, his favorite football player growing up might be the greatest rushing threat as a quarterback of all time. 

Garoppolo took part in SAP's "Virtual Take Your Child to Work Day" on Wednesday by answering questions from some younger fans. The 49ers QB was asked who his favorite player was growing up, and he was quick to answer. 

"It was, without a doubt, Mike Vick," Garoppolo said. "That guy, I don't know if you played Madden on XBOX or Playstation, man, but he was unbelievable. So, whenever I could, Mike Vick, he was my guy."

Garoppolo and Vick might have contrasting styles of play, but the answer shouldn't come as a surprise.

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Jimmy G was nine years old when Vick made his pro debut with the Atlanta Falcons, a 16-13 loss to the 49ers nonetheless. Anyone Garoppolo's age (28) wanted to play QB like Vick. He could out-run the defense, avoid all tacklers, and fire the ball down the field. 

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In video games, as Garoppolo mentioned, Vick was a cheat code. He likely never will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but if there was a Madden Hall of Fame, he would be a first-ballot selection. 

Vick was selected to be on the cover of Madden 2004 and was a scrambling cheetah with a rocket of an arm. He was rated 90 out of 100 overall with a 95 speed rating, 97 in throwing accuracy, 98 in throwing power, and 92 in elusiveness.

In reality, the throwing accuracy probably is a little high. Vick finished his career with a 56.2 completion percentage and only completed more than 60 percent of his passes twice in his 13-year career. The elusiveness, however, should have been a 99. 

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Vick's 6,109 rushing yards are the most by a quarterback in NFL history, by over 1,000 yards. He spear-headed making the dual-threat QB mainstream, especially in pop culture with video games like Madden. There's no doubt at one time or another, Garoppolo imagined himself evading defenders like Vick made look so effortless. 

So while the two QBs are completely different players, it's easy to see why Garoppolo wanted to be like elusive lefty as a kid.

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