He turns simple plays into exotic runs, changes momentum and field position with dashes of improvisation, and leaves defenders grasping at air.
Quarterback Michael Vick's next attempted act of transference will be to get the streaking Atlanta Falcons past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and into first place in the NFC South.
It won't be easy, but it could go a long way toward determining whether Vick is a viable Most Valuable Player candidate in his second NFL season or merely a candidate in waiting.
To watch Vick's electric 46-yard touchdown scamper to beat the Minnesota Vikings in overtime in Week 13 was to glimpse an extraordinary talent performing at an extraordinary level. It tantalizes the senses to wonder what he might accomplish, injuries permitting, once he has truly learned the pro passing game.
But for now, it's premature and unfair to compare Vick to the pre-eminent quarterback of the era, Green Bay's Brett Favre, or even the struggling Kurt Warner of St. Louis. Favre has won three MVP titles, Warner two.
Ascension takes longer than Atlanta's eight-game unbeaten streak.
That Vick, at 22, is a difference-maker and catalyst in the Falcons' return to prominence goes unquestioned. His impact was readily apparent in Minneapolis on Sunday, when he ran for 173 yards and passed for 173, accounting for 346 of the Falcons' 400 total yards.
When asked if Vick has revolutionized the game with his impromptu heroics, Bucs coach Jon Gruden fairly gushed.
"This guy is a revolutionary man," Gruden said at his news conference yesterday. "What they are doing on third down, reverse pivot, built-in runs, quarterback sweeps, quarterback keeps that are designed runs ... what this guy has is a gift.
"He has incredible acceleration, stop-and-start quickness. You do forget sometimes that he can stop and throw that ball. There is not a guy like him that I have seen. I used to think Steve Young revolutionized the system of football ... with his unique scrambling ability. I hate to tell Steve Young this, but this guy is a hell of a lot faster."
Gruden, though, didn't see a lot of all that on Oct. 6, when the Bucs beat the Falcons, 20-6, in Atlanta. Vick left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right shoulder after getting sacked by Simeon Rice. He was 4-for-11 passing for 37 yards and had one rush for 1 yard. His only worse rushing game came against the Ravens in Week 9, when he was held to minus-5 yards on seven carries.
Vick's meager running success against Tampa Bay was not an accident. The Bucs also held Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb to 4 yards rushing on six carries, and Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper to 8 yards on four attempts.
They have contained running quarterbacks because of terrific team speed, including defensive tackles Warren Sapp and Anthony McFarland.
"We're a disciplined group," Gruden said. "We've done a good job staying in our rush lanes. When a quarterback does break containment or chooses to run, we do have catch-up speed ourselves. That will be a big challenge this week and something we'll really work hard at."
In 19 career games, Vick has rushed for 937 yards on an 8.4 average carry. Only two quarterbacks have rushed for more yards in their first two seasons - Billy Kilmer (987) with the San Francisco 49ers and McNabb (942).
Only two players were dominant enough to be named the Associated Press' MVP in their second season - Miami's Dan Marino in 1984 and Houston's Earl Campbell in 1979. Only Cleveland's Jim Brown (1957) won the award as a rookie.
Vick, the first pick in the 2001 draft, isn't in that category yet. But he's getting there. Sunday's game in Tampa could be a big step in the right direction.