Ever since Vince Young almost single-handedly won the Rose Bowl (from an offensive standpoint, the Texas defense was awesome as well), its almost as if various sportswriters have lined up to take shots at him, pointing out any possible weakness, real or imagined, in order to convince us that he will be a bust. Arm strength is a legitimate point of concern, but other than that, the best I've heard is that Vince Young is used to playing in the shotgun, therefore, logically, him playing in an under-center formation will be an absolute disaster. Like I said, its not even a real weakness, but something that is imagined if he plays in a different formation.
Now, granted, collegiate success does not automatically mean NFL success, but so many characteristics of Vince Young indicate a high likelihood for NFL success. Despite his raw athleticism and his high efficiency numbers from last season, Vince Young wins huge games under pressure. He rallied to beat Big-10 powerhouses Michigan and Ohio State. He led his team from a 28 point deficit against Oklahoma State in 2004, and accomplished an equally impressive feat in another come from behind victory against Ok. State in 2005. And that was all before the national championship game. With the exception of the OU game in 2004, I have not seen Young choke under pressure.
The thing is, the critics never learn. As recent as 2004, sportswriters were calling for Young to move to another position (which, granted, his athleticism at the time outshined his quarterback ability). He has been criticized throughout his collegiate career and proven his critics wrong, so you think the critics would finally learn before opening their mouths again as he enters the NFL draft.
Now, Young is not immune to criticism, but one has to do better than say "he hasn't played under center."
Mark my words though, Young will be one of the better athletes to play the game, even on the NFL level. Sportscentury or some similar show will highlight the career of Vince Young, and they will mention how Young was constantly criticized even after proving himself over and over again. They will talk about how people doubted him because he didn't fit the typical quarterback mold, how he didn't fit into the typical NFL offense, and how this was looked at in 2006 as a bad thing.
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2 comments:
It will be interesting to see how Vince Young's game adapts in the NFL. There are so many variable between now and 5 years from now, so it's hard to really say one way or another.
Yeah...NFL success isn't guaranteed. And as I watched ESPN these past couple of days, people are giving him props, but on Yahoo Sports, its almost as if they are certain he will fail, with the exception of Terry Bowden, someone I usually don't like but I agree with here.
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