So I finally watched a replay of the Rose Bowl last night. I’m not really a fan of college ball so I had a hard time enjoying the game but I wanted to see this Vince Young kid everyone was talking about and form my own conclusions. Included below are several of my key talking points should the discussion come up.
- He is clearly fast.
- He seems to break tackles but I question how much of it is actually poor tackling. Anyone who has ever watched a college game knows there are players and there are stars. Those who are simply “players” in college aren’t really prone to any special skills, including tackling.
- He’s got an arm but I have to say I was largely unimpressed with his accuracy. He hit a lot of open guys but never really seemed to get it to anyone who was covered all that well. They moved the ball well with those completions but again, I think the college level CBs may be making his job a little easier.
My conclusion? He will be drafted high with Vick like hopes resulting in the same disappointment. Vick isn’t the end-all of rushing QBs and I dislike comparing Young to him but I think their fates will be similar. Vick was amazing in college but people have grown tired of his mediocre performance. They share the same traits I outlined above and it’s because of that I’m predicting the same career path.
I too dislike Vick and realize he is a shitty ball tosser, but the season before he joined the Falcons they were 5-11. Since he joined them, they have gone 31-23 in games he played (I browsed over some junk, this is approximate). You can’t argue with wins… If I recall, he wasn’t a good passer in college either, but he won a ton of games.
Vince Young, on the other hand, is not only a more solid version of Vick (won’t be hurt as much), but he has shown he knows when, where, and how to throw the ball. I think Young is gonna be the shit.