Here's an article espcially written for Mola.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_3752629


LET'S, FOR THE sake of argument, set aside what Vince Young did to USC in the Rose Bowl.

And while we're at it, let's forget about Young's Wonderlic test results, whatever they may have been, along with that funky half-Bernie-Kosar, half-Pedro-Martinez sidearm delivery.

Throw it all out.

This Saturday's NFL draft essentially comes down to one question: Can you win the Super Bowl with a running quarterback? And the answer is no.

While draftniks have spent much of their time arguing about Matt Leinart's limited upside and whether Jay Cutler is the next Brett Favre (he's not, by the way), what happens to Young will be the most important development of the weekend.

Is he the dual-threat prototype for the next generation of NFL quarterbacks or an amped-up version of Tommie Frazier?

History tells us that QBs who enter the NFL with a reputation for running are often at their best the less they stray from the pocket.

Donovan McNabb's finest season was in 2004 when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. He also had the fewest carries (41) of his career, excluding his rookie season and last year when he was injured.
Of the three full seasons Steve Young played, he had the fewest carries (58) in 1994. That just happened to be the season Young led the 49ers to their fifth Super Bowl title as well.

Coincidence?

Randall Cunningham ran for 942 yards and threw for 3,466 yards with 30 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 1990, but the Eagles lost to Washington 20-6 in the opening round of the playoffs.
Michael Vick had more than 100 carries in all three seasons he's been healthy, but after a promising 2002 season, Vick has plateaued, especially as a passer. Last season, he had "only" 597 yards rushing and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

We've seen a number of successful college quarterbacks that flopped in the NFL. For every Peyton Manning, there's an Akili Smith. For every Steve McNair, there's a Heath Shuler. Frazier is one of the finest college QBs in history, and he never got a sniff of the NFL.

Vince Young poses a different set of problems for teams drafting in the top 10 on Saturday, however. Unlike Frazier, Young can deliver the ball, although it is unlikely he will ever become a consistent thrower. And it's unclear how Young's freakish running skills will translate at the NFL level when he has 250-pound linebackers who are equally fast trying to tackle him.

Young torched USC for 200 yards, but he carried 19 times and operated out of a shotgun offense that catered to his strengths as a runner.

Is an NFL team willing to install the same kind of offense or will Young be forced to adapt to a pro-style system?

Tennessee could take Young at No.3 (doubtful) and rumor has it that the Raiders are interested in Young at the No.7 spot should he fall that far.
If it was up to me and Young was on the board, I'd run.
(dschoen@angnewspapers.com)
Edit: I have decided to make this into a new thread because I feel that this is one of the more intriguing topics heading into the draft.

Here are some of the more interesting prespectives that I have read on Young.


People who are not Texas fans and have only followed Young from a distance will not really understand this, but Vince came into Texas and willed his personality and confidence onto the entire program. I've never seen a better and more charismatic (or more effective) player leader at Texas in the 25 years that I have closely followed the team.

Vince has the kind of confidence, poise and leadership that makes people gravitate to him and elevates the entire team's play, not just his own. Vince flat out refused to lose, and the team and the coaching staff took that attitude to heart themselves. Mack Brown coached scared in big games...until he got Vince. Texas was soft and wilted under pressure...until Vince took over. Leaders like Vince are rare, and you can't teach it, a person has it or they don't, and not many have it.

Combine that leadership, confidence, and iron will to win with Vince's freakish athletic abilities and you have a rare and special package. It's like combining Tom Brady's heart and poise in Dante Culpepper's body.

And BTW, Vince is faster than Culpepper. It may take Vince a little time to get his body up and going for a 40 yard dash, but when he is running in the open field, I guarantee you he has 4.4-4.5 speed. And besides speed, what really makes him elusive is that he has geat lateral movement and good vision, he sets up blocks like a RB, and he has a very effective pump fake while scrambling that throws people off balance because they're not sure if he's going to run or throw.


Poise. Rises to the occasion with the game on the line. Remember how Elway and Montana had icewater in their veins when they should be jittery as hell? Like that.

He improved almost every time he stepped on the field.

His size and speed combo. He can be a pocket qb and look over the field, but he has the speed and running ability to take advantage of the d if left unaccounted for.

those are some of the reasons I think he's special.


And he makes plays. Seems like he has that extra gear that kicks in in the game that you can't measure anywhere else. It doesn't show up at the combine or in a "Wonderlick" test. You see it when he plays.


a simple answer... He has an innate ability to make those around him better.


Something else he brings to the table - moxy. The guy played in one National Championship Game against a great, great, great USC team. He did not fold, he elevated his game. This attribute is not measured at the combine nor at individual workouts; but it is certainly a plus that Young has proved it is there.


As much of a physical freak of nature as Young is, I guess what we're trying to get across is that Young brings even more to the table in the way of positve intangibles. Most people just see the physical side of it when evaluating these players, but without his personality and his leadership abilities, Young wouldn't be 1/2 the qb he is now.


Similar question:

What made Michael Jordan different?
or Joe Montana?
or Barry Sanders?
or heck, even Reggie Bush?

When a player has that freakish ability to take over a game, you can recognize it if you are watching the game. On the measuring table, they look completely human.


His potential.

He has the ability to become a household name, the ability to force defenses to build a game plan around him, and the ability to lead, not just every game, but the ones that count.


Young will need time to develop. His freakish athletic ability will get him on the field sooner rather than later.

The Rose Bowl was a slight glimpse at what Vince Young COULD do. USC threw everything at him. They disguised coverages, switched disguises pre-snap, etc. They blitzed him and it didn't stop him. They didn't blitz him and it didn't stop him.

Now I am not completely sold on Young. I have Leinart rated as the top prospect, but I do feel that Young is the ultimate boom or bust pick.



Vick never came close to passing for over 3,000 yards in a season like Vince did, and he certainly never approached the 65% completion percentage that Vince had last year. Vince is a considerably more prolific and accurate passer with better touch coming out of college than Vick was, and Vince is also more prototypical in size for an NFL QB since he is 6'5 230.

I don't think Vince's bust risk is that high. In high school he was a Parade All-American, took an otherwise mediocre team to the Texas 5A State Semifinals, and was the #1 rated recruit in the country who was already a star in Houston as a high-schooler. In college all he did was go 24-1 his last two seasons while winning every national player award he could (except getting 2nd for the Heisman) and carried Texas to a national championship on his back, winning it with a stunning individual performance in the title game.

Now he's going to go to the NFL and bomb? I don't buy it. The NFL is a step up, but football is football, and if he has dominated at every level, it is highly doubtful he's going to start sucking all of a sudden. I'd say the odds of success are strongly in his favor. Every time people doubt him, he proves them wrong, and this time will be no different.

Didn't Steve Young win the SuperBowl? He definately ran often playing QB for the Niners. While everyone bases their opinion on tests, workouts, and combine results, I'll base my opinion on what the player does on the football field. And at this point in my life, I've never ever seen a player do anything remotely close to what Vince Young did in the last two Rose Bowls. He is unbelievable and until he proves otherwise on the field, I'll continue to bank on him.

Didn't Steve Young win the SuperBowl? He definately ran often playing QB for the Niners. While everyone bases their opinion on tests, workouts, and combine results, I'll base my opinion on what the player does on the football field. And at this point in my life, I've never ever seen a player do anything remotely close to what Vince Young did in the last two Rose Bowls. He is unbelievable and until he proves otherwise on the field, I'll continue to bank on him.

This has been discussed before and the first article talks about it. Why people insist on calling Steve Young a running QB is beyond me. VY and SY (apples and oranges).


Of the three full seasons Steve Young played, he had the fewest carries (58) in 1994. That just happened to be the season Young led the 49ers to their fifth Super Bowl title as well.

Didn't Steve Young win the SuperBowl? He definately ran often playing QB for the Niners. While everyone bases their opinion on tests, workouts, and combine results, I'll base my opinion on what the player does on the football field. And at this point in my life, I've never ever seen a player do anything remotely close to what Vince Young did in the last two Rose Bowls. He is unbelievable and until he proves otherwise on the field, I'll continue to bank on him.

This has been discussed before and the first article talks about it. Why people insist on calling Steve Young a running QB is beyond me. VY and SY (apples and oranges).


Of the three full seasons Steve Young played, he had the fewest carries (58) in 1994. That just happened to be the season Young led the 49ers to their fifth Super Bowl title as well.

Did SY run in college is the question. You have the apples/oranges thing.

The point is he's NOT ONLY A RUNNING QB ALA AARON BRROKS, MICHAEL VICK(they are cousins by the way). Vince Young can throw 55-60 yards, ON THE RUN.


He's gonna be good. He will be the best player in this draft.

I really don't get why people compare Young to Vick.


Compare their college stats here:

Vick in 1999: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/stats/1999/vvdteamstats.html

Vick in 2000: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/stats/2000/vvdteamstats.html

Vince Young : http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/stats?playerId=135107

Young's passing skills surpass Vick's by a mile.

He is more prolific and more accurate than Vick ever was in college. And his passing production significantly increased during his 3 years at Texas while his rushing stats stayed the same.

I just can't understand what makes people think that Young is just a runner.