The Professionals
Matt Leinart or Vince Young?
I don’t buy the Vince Young over Matt Leinart argument. Outside of being more athletic, Young has too many red flags that make him more of a risk to succeed in the NFL where as Leinart is already a proven commodity as demonstrated through his performance on and off the field.
Let Him Play Theory
Mack Brown’s approach to just “letting Young play” in the tail end of his junior year and throughout his senior season helped Texas win back to back Rose Bowl games and a national title, but did little for Young’s long term career. In the NFL, where playbooks are the size of Almanacs, letting a quarterback do what he wants with little or no structure is a formula for failure. NFL defenses will take all of about two preseason games before they uncover all of Young’s tendencies such as when he does run he always runs to his right. Furthermore, the Titans will have a difficult time obtaining and/or retaining decent wide receivers playing the game’s ultimate “ego” position if their quarterback is always reacting to pressure by prematurely scampering out of the pocket. If you think I’m wrong, take a look at the last three years of free agency pick ups by the Saints, Vikings, Falcons and Titans.
The Rose Bowl Hype
Is it possible that we were all a bit too wowed by Young’s Rose Bowl performance? Granted, he played an unbelievable game on college football’s biggest stage but so did many other players on the field, including Matt Leinart. If Lendale White converts that fourth and two run we’re congratulating Young on a fantastic game in a losing effort while christening Leinart as the next Joe Montana for his 29/41 passing for 365 yards and
a touchdown. In a game where Young ran wild to the amazement of fans world-wide, Leinart was quietly demonstrating the efficiency and skill NFL teams dream of by completing 14 of 15 passing attempts during one stretch of the second half where USC turned a 6 point halftime deficit into a 12 point lead with 6:27 to go in the fourth. Everyone knows that Texas had the better defense of the two teams and that USC’s secondary was severely depleted by game’s end, so in retrospect how much better was Young’s performance over Leinart? I argue very little and certainly not to the level that would warrant an NFL team passing over Leinart to select Young as the third pick in this year’s draft.
Norm Chow Might Eat Vince Young
Talk about going mad. Norm Chow must be on the chopping block in Tennessee because I can’t imagine Young ever being able to run a Norm Chow offense with any efficiency. For a guy who was basically allowed to roam freely in a Texas offense that drew up plays in the huddle like kids in the park, Young is in for a rude awakening. Leinart spent last summer studying game film with the same vigor and commitment that a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady has displayed. In fact, in addition to breaking down USC game film, Leinart studied Patriots, Packers and Colts games from 2004 and was questioned on where he thought Brady, Favre and Manning would distribute the ball based on the defensive sets they faced. It sounded like a cool thing at the time, but now it’s a friendly reminder that Leinart is leaps and bounds ahead of Young in terms of game preparation in an NFL setting where studying film is as, if not more than, important as actual practice.
The Wonderlic Score
The conspiracy theorist in me is curious as to why such an emphasis has been placed on the Wonderlic Score in years past until Young failed it so miserably during this years Combine. I’ve heard every excuse in the book and I’m amazed as to how people are coming to his defense in this matter. I would hope that the four smartest players on my football team would be the quarterback, the center, the middle linebacker and the free safety. To think that my quarterback could quite possibly be the stupidest player not only on my team but perhaps in the entire league is the red flag of all red flags. For those who would argue that the Wonderlic Test is not a measure of one’s intellect, I respectfully disagree. Go to wonderlic.com and see for yourself. The Wonderlic is nothing more than a strictly timed IQ test with questions like provide the next number in the sequence 1, 2, 4, 8, 16…If you guessed 32 then you’re way to smart to be drafted by the Titans but their may be a roster spot for you in Arizona.
One Night in Paris
We all know being a quarterback means being in the limelight. While everything might be “Big” in Texas, there is nothing bigger than going “Hollywood.” What Young experienced in Texas is nothi
ng to the lifestyle Leinart had while playing in Los Angeles. For three years, Leinart was LA sports. He lived the Hollywood A-list life, got a feel for what it must’ve been like to be Broadway Joe, and so on. Until after the 2006 Rose Bowl, when did you ever see Young on a national talk show? Leinart was doing Leno during Spring Football when Young was getting fitted for pads. The point is this: Leinart is mentally ready for the NFL media, the limelight of being a pro quarterback, and the celebrity of having trysts with celebrities like Paris Hilton. He’s used to the glitz and glamour and believe it or not, the pressure of being a star who’s play on the field and life off of it is constantly scrutinized by national highlight shows, radio shows, Internet sites and the local fish wrap only your grandpa still reads for news.
Pro Style versus Free Style
While free style football looks great on highlight reels, there’s simply no place for it in the NFL where defenses are constantly
getting bigger, stronger, faster and smarter. Michael Vick has been injured at least once in each season he’s played. Steve McNair has the heart of lion but today is as durable as a dandelion. The same can be said for Daunte Culpepper. While each of these men have proven to be effective and at times to be great quarterbacks, their ability to play an entire season is a vital component in measuring their usefulness to a team in an NFL today that is lacking in quality back-ups. Let’s face it, if your starting QB goes down then it’s time to start making plans for next season. Even barring serious injury the constant abuse these guys endure from strong safeties and speedy outside linebackers takes its toll. Both Vick’s and Culpepper’s throwing accuracy have been affected negatively in the past two years, so much so that even Randy Moss couldn’t catch an up for grabs pass from Culpepper in their final year together. To think that Young will be any different is laughable. I’m sure he’ll scramble from time to time and gain some big yards. But I’m also sure he’ll get hit hard and often for the first time in his career, his accuracy won’t be anywhere near the lofty percentages he put up at Texas while playing in a watered down Big 12 Conference, and his swagger won’t be so smooth when he realizes that he just forgot the play…AGAIN!
Conversely, Lienart has been running a pro style offense for three years. Power-I formation, two wide outs and a strong side tight end was the offensive set of choice this past season. He wasn’t in a gimmicky offense with five wide receivers, dropping back and gun slinging the ball around the field. Yes, USC was more athletic than every team they played, but they also out executed everyone on the offensive side of the ball thanks to a calm, cool and collected Leinart who studied game film, ran the repetitions in practice, threw the ball with precision, and exuded a confidence that made his teammates play better.
While I agree that Young is a physical specimen who warrants a chance to play in the NFL, I don’t buy into his hype. He lacks significant arm strength, has a low release point, ran his college offense out of the shotgun, and only rolls out or runs to the right. Leinart, on the other hand, takes the snap from under center, can throw out of a three, five or seven step drop, ran a complex, pro set offense in college, worked under two different offensive coordinators, already knows how to study game film like a pro quarterback, learned this past season how to stretch defenses by throwing to deeper routes with accuracy, and for good measure has a 38-inch vertical jump; pretty athletic for a 6’5, two hundred plus guy who deserves much more credit than he’s been getting.
I don’t buy the Vince Young over Matt Leinart argument. Outside of being more athletic, Young has too many red flags that make him more of a risk to succeed in the NFL where as Leinart is already a proven commodity as demonstrated through his performance on and off the field.
Let Him Play Theory
Mack Brown’s approach to just “letting Young play” in the tail end of his junior year and throughout his senior season helped Texas win back to back Rose Bowl games and a national title, but did little for Young’s long term career. In the NFL, where playbooks are the size of Almanacs, letting a quarterback do what he wants with little or no structure is a formula for failure. NFL defenses will take all of about two preseason games before they uncover all of Young’s tendencies such as when he does run he always runs to his right. Furthermore, the Titans will have a difficult time obtaining and/or retaining decent wide receivers playing the game’s ultimate “ego” position if their quarterback is always reacting to pressure by prematurely scampering out of the pocket. If you think I’m wrong, take a look at the last three years of free agency pick ups by the Saints, Vikings, Falcons and Titans.
The Rose Bowl Hype
Is it possible that we were all a bit too wowed by Young’s Rose Bowl performance? Granted, he played an unbelievable game on college football’s biggest stage but so did many other players on the field, including Matt Leinart. If Lendale White converts that fourth and two run we’re congratulating Young on a fantastic game in a losing effort while christening Leinart as the next Joe Montana for his 29/41 passing for 365 yards and
a touchdown. In a game where Young ran wild to the amazement of fans world-wide, Leinart was quietly demonstrating the efficiency and skill NFL teams dream of by completing 14 of 15 passing attempts during one stretch of the second half where USC turned a 6 point halftime deficit into a 12 point lead with 6:27 to go in the fourth. Everyone knows that Texas had the better defense of the two teams and that USC’s secondary was severely depleted by game’s end, so in retrospect how much better was Young’s performance over Leinart? I argue very little and certainly not to the level that would warrant an NFL team passing over Leinart to select Young as the third pick in this year’s draft.Norm Chow Might Eat Vince Young
Talk about going mad. Norm Chow must be on the chopping block in Tennessee because I can’t imagine Young ever being able to run a Norm Chow offense with any efficiency. For a guy who was basically allowed to roam freely in a Texas offense that drew up plays in the huddle like kids in the park, Young is in for a rude awakening. Leinart spent last summer studying game film with the same vigor and commitment that a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady has displayed. In fact, in addition to breaking down USC game film, Leinart studied Patriots, Packers and Colts games from 2004 and was questioned on where he thought Brady, Favre and Manning would distribute the ball based on the defensive sets they faced. It sounded like a cool thing at the time, but now it’s a friendly reminder that Leinart is leaps and bounds ahead of Young in terms of game preparation in an NFL setting where studying film is as, if not more than, important as actual practice.
The Wonderlic Score
The conspiracy theorist in me is curious as to why such an emphasis has been placed on the Wonderlic Score in years past until Young failed it so miserably during this years Combine. I’ve heard every excuse in the book and I’m amazed as to how people are coming to his defense in this matter. I would hope that the four smartest players on my football team would be the quarterback, the center, the middle linebacker and the free safety. To think that my quarterback could quite possibly be the stupidest player not only on my team but perhaps in the entire league is the red flag of all red flags. For those who would argue that the Wonderlic Test is not a measure of one’s intellect, I respectfully disagree. Go to wonderlic.com and see for yourself. The Wonderlic is nothing more than a strictly timed IQ test with questions like provide the next number in the sequence 1, 2, 4, 8, 16…If you guessed 32 then you’re way to smart to be drafted by the Titans but their may be a roster spot for you in Arizona.One Night in Paris
We all know being a quarterback means being in the limelight. While everything might be “Big” in Texas, there is nothing bigger than going “Hollywood.” What Young experienced in Texas is nothi
ng to the lifestyle Leinart had while playing in Los Angeles. For three years, Leinart was LA sports. He lived the Hollywood A-list life, got a feel for what it must’ve been like to be Broadway Joe, and so on. Until after the 2006 Rose Bowl, when did you ever see Young on a national talk show? Leinart was doing Leno during Spring Football when Young was getting fitted for pads. The point is this: Leinart is mentally ready for the NFL media, the limelight of being a pro quarterback, and the celebrity of having trysts with celebrities like Paris Hilton. He’s used to the glitz and glamour and believe it or not, the pressure of being a star who’s play on the field and life off of it is constantly scrutinized by national highlight shows, radio shows, Internet sites and the local fish wrap only your grandpa still reads for news.Pro Style versus Free Style
While free style football looks great on highlight reels, there’s simply no place for it in the NFL where defenses are constantly
getting bigger, stronger, faster and smarter. Michael Vick has been injured at least once in each season he’s played. Steve McNair has the heart of lion but today is as durable as a dandelion. The same can be said for Daunte Culpepper. While each of these men have proven to be effective and at times to be great quarterbacks, their ability to play an entire season is a vital component in measuring their usefulness to a team in an NFL today that is lacking in quality back-ups. Let’s face it, if your starting QB goes down then it’s time to start making plans for next season. Even barring serious injury the constant abuse these guys endure from strong safeties and speedy outside linebackers takes its toll. Both Vick’s and Culpepper’s throwing accuracy have been affected negatively in the past two years, so much so that even Randy Moss couldn’t catch an up for grabs pass from Culpepper in their final year together. To think that Young will be any different is laughable. I’m sure he’ll scramble from time to time and gain some big yards. But I’m also sure he’ll get hit hard and often for the first time in his career, his accuracy won’t be anywhere near the lofty percentages he put up at Texas while playing in a watered down Big 12 Conference, and his swagger won’t be so smooth when he realizes that he just forgot the play…AGAIN!Conversely, Lienart has been running a pro style offense for three years. Power-I formation, two wide outs and a strong side tight end was the offensive set of choice this past season. He wasn’t in a gimmicky offense with five wide receivers, dropping back and gun slinging the ball around the field. Yes, USC was more athletic than every team they played, but they also out executed everyone on the offensive side of the ball thanks to a calm, cool and collected Leinart who studied game film, ran the repetitions in practice, threw the ball with precision, and exuded a confidence that made his teammates play better.
While I agree that Young is a physical specimen who warrants a chance to play in the NFL, I don’t buy into his hype. He lacks significant arm strength, has a low release point, ran his college offense out of the shotgun, and only rolls out or runs to the right. Leinart, on the other hand, takes the snap from under center, can throw out of a three, five or seven step drop, ran a complex, pro set offense in college, worked under two different offensive coordinators, already knows how to study game film like a pro quarterback, learned this past season how to stretch defenses by throwing to deeper routes with accuracy, and for good measure has a 38-inch vertical jump; pretty athletic for a 6’5, two hundred plus guy who deserves much more credit than he’s been getting.
posted by Gary Randazzo at 12:40 PM
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