Vince Young reminds me most of:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

Poll question: Vince Young reminds me most of:

[SteppingRazor]

1. Other:

Me.

I only know of one other man who could so dismantle the greatest college football team in the nation, almost single-handedly, and that's me. The fact that I haven't been drafted, despite being eligible for almost a decade now, is just farcical. :evilgrin:


Kidding aside, I would say Young reminds me of Vick more than those other guys, because he combines the standard duties of the quarterback with a very real rushing threat.

[democracyindanger]

2. Other: Akili Smith

I say that as an Oregon alum.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. Well, I hope he has more of a pro career than Akili did...

[democracyindanger]

4. That's my point.

Big arm and athletic. The two things that make him such a hot prospect are going to be minimized by the speed of the NFL. He's not going run over or slip tackles in the NFL like he did in college. Even if he has the speed to turn the corner, he's going to get splattered by pro linebackers.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. I hear people say this a lot, but isn't this true of ANY college player?

Reggie Bush will face faster DBs and safeties in the NFL too.

It's always the knock against the fast running black QB, but some who were textbook cases of the "throwing" white QB like Ryan Leaf or Heath Shuler were total busts in the pros. Leaf wasn't a failure because he was a throwing QB, it's because he was a loser and a headcase.

Young on the other hand seems to have strong leadership qualities that may be useful to him.

Wasn't McNabb sort of a running type QB in college? Even though he hasn't won the Super Bowl (neither did Marino), I'd say his career has been a big success.

Vick less than McNabb, but ATL sucked before he got there, and he's helped them win games and be a playoff team, until this year at least, so he's had more "success" than many "traditional" QBs... I would agree that it's starting to look like Vick's honeymoon may be over and some teams may have "figured out" his game now though... If Vince Young can continue to improve his passing game like he did over the past year, he may be okay...

[democracyindanger]

6. Yes and no

RB's (I refuse to use Chimpy's name) key advantage is his agility. He won't have the same flat out speed in the NFL, but it's agility that'll serve him well.

Young was able to slip tackles against college players because of his size, but I just don't see that happening in the NFL. And NFL defenders aren't going to be diving for his legs--they're going to be putting their helmets on his number. So, like Vick, he's going to have to learn to sit in the pocket. If he doesn't, like Vick, he's going to be in street clothes a lot.

If he gets drafted by TENN, which some mocks are projecting, he may be alright. If McNair sticks around for another year, or they commit to starting Volek for the entire season, then Young could be groomed the right way: Learning the game and speed from the sidelines, instead of getting rocked by NFL defenses, and work heavily on his passing game.

But I suspect it'll be more of Smith experience. High draft pick, exciting in college, beat teams with his legs, lots of buzz as a rookie, fans calling for him to start--which ends up as a horrible situation for a young QB.

I'd say the same thing about a white running QB, FWIW. But not a green or purple one, because I'd be too fascinated with his green or purple skin to make any comment. :P

[jandrok]

10. Vince isn't as run oriented as you might think.

He beat a LOT of teams with his arm this year. Part of what knocked him out of the Heisman running was his lack of flashy running stats in some of the later games in the season. Vince can read defenses extremely well, and his strange throwing motion won't hurt him as bad because of his height and size. For all of his supposed faults, he can put a lot of touch on the ball.

Vince is a better leader than anyone mentioned in the poll. He's getting compared to those guys a lot, but I don't think that he'll have the same type of career as any of them. Vince is a smart guy, and he takes instruction and coaching well. He'll make the effort to get to know his linemen and be a leader and mentor to his team.

Vince CAN put it on the ground, but he'll always look pass first. The fourth down play against USC was pass all the way, but his guys were covered, so he took it to the street. You won't see that much in the NFL, although some coaches are experimenting more with option-style running plays and such.

[kick-ass-bob]

11. I think the Texans should take him instead of Bush.

I would also be tempted to take "the other" USC running back ahead of him as well.

[jandrok]

12. Hell, YEAH! So would I, but the Texas front -office....

...keeps saying that they're sticking with Bush. I'm with you, though. I'd take White over Bush every day of the week. He's got the smashmouth power game that makes NFL offensive coordinators drool. Don't get me wrong, I like Reggie Bush, and I'm sure that he'll make a good NFL back, but I'd never pick him over Young or White. Young being a local kid, I don't see how the Texans could pass on him.

[kick-ass-bob]

13. Exactly. Unless someone deviates from the NFL groupthink

about how to use RB's - QB's etc., which I don't see happening any time soon, I think Reggie Bush will be underutilized as a pro. White definitely fits better into the NFL's thoughts of what a RB should do, and Young can fit into the standard QB role, plus add that extra oomph.

Vick (as an example) has skills that the NFL does not like to use at QB - his passing is not strong enough to fit the standard mold.

Bush does a lot of cool things - but they do not fit into the NFL mold too well either. I don't see any NFL head coach putting in the time to break away from something that works well enough in general, only to have it apply to a one of a kind type of player.

[democracyindanger]

14. That's what I'm talking about

White's got a power game. Will he be another Bettis or another Lawrence Phillips? Being able to run over college defenders doesn't necessarily mean he can do it in the NFL. Still, I like White, too.

The Texans need to fix their O-line before using another high pick on a QB, IMO.

[jandrok]

17. Good point about the offensive line.

But then I still don't see the logic in picking Bush over Vince. Bush will have enormous problems running behind that line, and I don't see him making an impact unless they upgrade the line play. If the Texans are serious about rebuilding, you're right, they need line help. Which still brings me back to drafting Vince. Vince will have more marketing appeal than Reggie Bush and he'll have just as much chance of being successful (or not) in the Texans organization as it stands today. BUT, I look for Casserly to be gone by next year, and we'll see what Kubiak brings to the table in terms of coaching, assuming that he's the new guy.

Will White be another Bettis? I doubt it. He's got the power game, but not like that. He's not a Bettis or Phillips to my eyes. He's more like a Bo Jackson or maybe even a Curtis Martin type runner to me. He can hit you hard at the line of scrimmage and bull his way for some yards, but he's also got breakaway speed once he's free, and he can evade tackles.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

15. It's funny.. people who think it would be some kind of travesty for the

Texans to draft Young over Bush seem to think like it's a guarantee that Bush would make them 10 and 6 or go to the Super Bowl or something... Basically the two are both very good players, whether either or both will turn out to be strong pros is impossible to know, too many great college players are busts in the NFL and some people from unheralded programs like Jerry Rice from Mississippi Valley State turn out to be pretty good.

People act like it's twice as likely that Bush will be a successful draft than Young or something, but it's something that would be very difficult to tell, and it's a tricky judgement call.

Given the uncertainty, the marketing and story angle of the Texans drafting Young would be pretty compelling, I think. I guess Houston is so football crazed that they still sell out the stadium despite the dismal quality of football this year... But just think of the merchandising, how many Vince Young jerseys and t-shirts you'd move...

And I think that even if Young didn't pan out, there wouldn't be the hard feelings from the fan base the way it would be if the Bush pick didn't pan out...

[jandrok]

16. Yeah, Vince would be a marketing gold mine for the Texans.

Especially here in the Austin area, where the Dallas Cowboys get the lion's share of the NFL press and the local interest. I could see a Vince signing increasing interest in the Texans here exponentially.

[KitchenWitch]

7. Donovan McNabb

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

8. Yeah I should have put him, forgot...

For me, it's somewhere between McNabb, McNair, and Ben Roethlisberger, maybe Culpepper a little.

I think he's more of a passer than I remember Vick being.

[KitchenWitch]

9. Definitely

Vick can't pass (other than the occasional screen from play action) to save his life.

[BobEPeru]

18. Yeah, McNabb

If Young has a similar upside, I would easily take him with the first pick.