Michael Vick felt the tears welling up as he headed to the Georgia Dome.

He was all smiles on his way out the door.

One touchdown with his legs. Another with his left arm. Just like the good ol' days, when this city belonged to No. 7.

"I'll never forget this day," Vick said, savoring his contribution to Philadelphia's 34-7 rout of his old team, the Atlanta Falcons. "I've been waiting for this a long time."

A long time, indeed. He was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Falcons and one of the most dynamic players in the NFL before his stunning downfall for dogfighting. After serving prison time and losing two seasons in his prime, he's trying to rebuild his career as a backup in Philadelphia.

On Sunday, Vick showed his timing is still right on the mark.

Having made little contribution through nine games with the Eagles, he finally got a chance to shine in his return to Atlanta. Boy, did he ever take advantage of it.

Vick scored on a 5-yard run early in the third quarter, sprinting to his right, darting left, breaking a tackle and diving across the line for his first touchdown in more than three years. Once the game got out of hand _ and what was left of the crowd kept chanting "We want Vick! We want Vick!" _ he took over for Donovan McNabb and quickly drove the Eagles to another TD.

A 43-yard pass to Reggie Brown set up a perfectly executed pass for another score. On third-and-goal at the Atlanta 5, Vick rolled to his left, pulled up and threw back across the field to Brent Celek, who rumbled into the end zone to make it 34-0.

"I think things happen at the right time and things happen for a reason," Vick said. "You look back at some of the games we've played, it just hasn't been the right time for me to be out there and be as effective as we want me to be. Patience is everything. Timing is everything.

"It couldn't have happened at a better time."

Before the game, Vick chatted with Falcons owner Arthur Blank and several former teammates, including receiver Roddy White. When it was time to get down to business, No. 7 led the Eagles out of the tunnel, served as one of the captains for the coin toss and came in on Philadelphia's fifth and seventh plays from scrimmage.

"Everybody rallied around him," coach Andy Reid said. "I'm sure he had a little extra juice going."

Vick did get emotional about returning to the Georgia Dome, where he produced so many brilliant plays during his six years with the Falcons. He even hoped to get a second chance in Atlanta after serving an 18-month sentence for his crimes, but realized his former team had moved on when Matt Ryan was drafted third overall in 2008.

There are no hard feelings, only a lot of good memories.