[Official] Reggie Bush or Someone else -- Vince Young out of running

I spent 5 years in Nashvegas. 4 years in undergrad and one year bartending at Mulligan's Pub while trying to get into Vandy's Clinical Psyche program (and dating a delicious sophomore Pi Phi whom I worshipped.) In those 5 years in Nashville, I met ONE local Vanderbilt fan: the alcoholic dishwasher at Mulligans. Every other redneck in Nashville sang Rocky Top and hated Vanderbilt. I think that if Cutler had a bad year for the Titans (and the Titans are several years from competitive status at this point), the locals would start saying "This is why you dont draft a Vanderbilt player." - which reinforces their crappy pro football knowledge, discounting the fact that Tampa Bay's superbowl team had LB Shelton Quarles and TE Todd Yoder who both played at Vandy. (LB Jamie Duncan who was also part of Gruden's dominant defensive scheme left the team in 2001)

Its sort of a bummer we dont have any bbs member Texans fans that went to Virginia or NC State...It'd be great to hear some Mario or D'Brickashaw love.

 

mateo.. that's the same experience I have had.. I can see it now as soon as Cutler throws an INT the redneck fans saying.. "same ole vandy" and for that reason I hope he doesn't end up a Titan... the Tennessean better have him front page when he is drafted, but even that might be too much to hope for....

Funny you mention Shelton Quarles, I met him a few years back at a basketball game.. that is one nice guy


I too would like to hear more about Mario and D'Brickashaw.. anyone watched either of these two much?

 

Well ESPN continues to show its love for Mr. Young. Jason Whitlock is apparently not a fan of Vince. I think this article is rather unfair:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=whitlock/060309&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2

YOUNG NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME

By Jason Whitlock
Special to Page 2


You have to wonder whether Vince Young knows what job he's applying for, or if he even realizes that he is "applying" for a job.

The NFL doesn't recruit starting quarterbacks. It's not the Marines out looking for a few good men. When it comes to picking its quarterbacks, The League is Halle Berry on Oscar night. She can pick any designer she pleases, and the world's most renowned designers are just grateful for the opportunity to be considered.

Vince Young doesn't get this. He thinks joining the NFL will be similar to joining the NCAA. He mistakenly believes he's holding all (or most of) the cards, and that come April's draft some lucky GM is going to feel like a lottery winner when Vince Young stands next to Paul Tagliabue and pulls on a Saints or Texans or Titans cap.

Vince Young is clueless. And I'm not talking about his score on the Wonderlic test. I'm talking about his understanding of what it takes to make it in the NFL as a quarterback.

Humility is the No. 1 ingredient.

The most prestigious and most difficult job in all of sports -- NFL quarterback -- is played at a high level by the men willing to humble themselves and prepare like each Sunday is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This isn't the NBA, and Young isn't Shaquille O'Neal. You don't get the first half of the season to play your way into shape. It's not Major League Baseball, and Young isn't Roger Clemens. You don't get to stay at home with your family on certain road trips.

This isn't the University of Texas, and Young is no longer able to rely on his superior athleticism and instincts to outduel his competitors.

Young's success in the NFL will hinge almost exclusively on his willingness to prepare. And that's exactly what Young's Wonderlic score and other curious decisions call into question -- his will to prepare and his level of humility.

The fact that Young had to take the Wonderlic twice in order to score a 16 is an indication to me that Young did not prepare for the test, particularly the first time. That speaks to Young's arrogance. So does his choice in representation and his decision to visit the president and the White House sans sports coat and tie.

Are you following me?

When you have a chance at being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, securing a $25 million signing bonus and landing one of the 32 most important jobs in professional sports, you don't pick a family friend and local criminal defense attorney (Major Adams) to head up your campaign.

That's not keeping it real. It's foolish and arrogant. It raises questions about your decision-making and maturity.

Now, had Young wanted to give Major Adams a break, Young could've easily stipulated to any experienced potential agent that Adams work as co-counsel. A deal such as this would've provided Adams with a tremendous learning experience and protected Young's interest.

It would've given Team Vince, the loosely formed management posse representing Young, some much-needed professionalism. A seasoned agent might be able to explain to Young the difference between being an NFL quarterback and an NBA small forward.

Small forwards travel with posses decked out in white T's, bling bling and agents in sweat suits. NFL quarterbacks don't.

When Young hit radio row at Super Bowl XL with posse and Major Adams in tow, that was the first time I sensed that Young might not grasp that the rules are different for QBs and DBs. When I learned that the leader of Young's posse (and the man calling the real shots for Team Vince) is a longtime friend and Houston nightclub owner who goes by the nickname "Black," that's when I told a friend to keep an eye on Young's draft stock.

"It's gonna dip."

A starting NFL quarterback is the face of a billion-dollar corporation. He is one of the three or four highest-profile individuals in his city and perhaps in his state. His every move is cussed, discussed and analyzed by millions of people who don't have a clue about playing the position.

It's impossible to exaggerate just how much more important the NFL is than every other sport in this country. Vince Young foolishly thinks that the Texas Longhorns and Mack Brown are more important than the Houston Texans and Gary Kubiak. Young thinks playing USC for the national championship was real pressure.

Playing quarterback in the NFL is the equivalent of getting in the sack with Jenna Jameson. Oh, everybody wants to do it, but it can be an incredibly humbling and "short" experience.

Just ask Ryan Leaf or countless other can't-miss prospects. Michael Vick is in the process of getting humbled. He was supposed to reinvent the position. I don't believe the position will ever be reinvented. The guys who have consistent success will always be the guys who prepare the hardest.

Before any NFL owner gives Young a bunch of guaranteed dollars, the general manager better make sure Young is going to hit the film room and practice field just as hard as Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady. The GM also should make sure that the head coach and offensive coordinator -- not some let's-hit-the-strip-clubs posse member -- have the ear of the quarterback.

Playing QB in The League is a different animal.

It's an honor. So far, Vince Young isn't treating it like an honor. He's treating it like it's his right, granted to him by an MVP performance in the Rose Bowl. You can be a fool and argue that Young proved all he needed to prove in Texas' upset of USC. Hmm. Didn't Redskins running back Tim Smith and Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown have big games on football's biggest stage and later prove to be frauds? And what don't people understand about the concept that NFL quarterbacks have to prove themselves week to week?

Right now Young is proving that he doesn't have the necessary intangibles to thrive as a starting QB. He carries himself like a wide receiver.

 

Wow. Just wow.

It's amazing how people put so much stock in non-football stuff. I'll stick with the 467 total yards in the national champsionship game, thank you very much.

 

I have some questionable friends but that's never kept me from doing a good job at the office.

(However, posting on a basketball bbs...thats another story)

 

Whitlock is right - I mean if one thing came through in January, it's the questions surrounding Vince Young the PERSON. His teammates and coaches practically couldn't stand the guy............and his leadership ability? Where was that?

I'm trying to get whitlock's angle here - for a guy who's sensitive about race-related issues and thumping people for them, he sure enjoys shoving a big-ass pile of "bling-bling" stereotype in VY's face.

 

Whitlock has criticized black athletes before. He's just an idiot though. He obviously knows nothing about young. Arrogant? He's based his whole opinion on a wonderlic score and not wearing a sports coat to the white house. screw his fours at texas of continued improvement and no off the field issues. I mean he didn't wear a sports coat. yound does have some refining to do, no doubt, but whitlock has gone overboard as usual. that's typical for him

 

Allow me to help. Whitlock is pissed over what he believes to be Texas and A&M essentially running the Big XII. Ever since the Big 8 and the four Texas schools merged, Whitlock has been writing hatchet jobs about Texas - since Texas was the most high profile school of the bunch. Surprise of all surprises, Whitlock has now written a hatchet job about a high profile Texas athlete.

Tim Layden and Ron Jaworski have both sat down and talked to Vince and found him mature, engaging and hard working. Jason Whitlock, who's never talked to Vince and has a history of anti-Texas bias, says he's lazy and arrogant. Who, oh who, to believe?

 

The Longhorn fans will obviously bash Whitlock, but I think the man has a few points. VY6 should know that he's under the microscope during this period before the draft. He needs to dot all his "i's" and cross all his "t's" because NFL teams are thinking about pouring millions into him. He will become the face of his new team, and frankly showing up to the White House without a suit (yeah, yeah, his aunt forgot to mail it to him, riiiiight) and dropping a turd on the Wonderlic isn't acceptable. This is all part of his trial run for the NFL teams. The Longhorn supporters will counter with his numbers from the championship game, but let's be honest - all NFL prospects put up ridiculous numbers in college, and VY6 isn't the first QB to win the Rose Bowl and then declare for the draft.

 

The NFL is always right when it stereotypes rose bowl winning QB's, Mortimer.

 

I think he's the only back to back mvp though.

I don't know about atm, but I think we basically own at least half of the conference championships right now.

The big 12 would be nothing w/o the Texas teams, esp. UT.

 

you'd bash Whitlock's articles 99 times out of 100. this happens to be the 1.

 

why does anyone care what jason whitlock writes?????

the guy hasn't said anything remotely smart or informed....possibly EVER. i'm not going to get heated about this. i always consider the source.

 

When Vince is the best player to come out of this draft 3 or 4 years from now, I'll say I told you so.

It sickens me how we don't hear ESPN dissecting Reggie's every weakness, but yet Vince has all these flaws, none of which have anything to do with on the field performance. Then we have an uniformed POS writer trashing on Vince and other media personalities laughing at his Wonderlic score, which was proven false, but never mind the facts.

To those who don't believe in Vince: I have this to say. 467 yards in the title game vs a team led by a former NFL DC. Back to Back Rose Bowl MVP. Led the NCAA most of the season in passer efficiency. Engineered Comebacks vs OK State(twice), OSU, Kansas, USC, Michigan. 30-2 or something similar as a starter at Texas.

And to those who don't think Vince is as any bit as "flashy" or "exciting" on the field as Bush I direct you to this article: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls04/news/story?id=1957177

 

All credibility went out the window with this statement. Sorry chubbs, but in the state of Texas the Longhorns are more important than the Texans.

 

dvauthrin..

was it ever really proven false or not.. I know he got a 16 the 2nd time.. then rumors came out saying he actually got a 7 the first time.. so I'm not sure if the fact that he did horrible on the first test was ever proven false or not?

 

not that it really matters now.. i just wish this could ever be proven one way or the other. if he didn't score less than 10 I wish there was a way to show his original test so that media would stop mentioning it. or the reverse

 

It was proven false by a number of people, including Casserly. The league basically admitted the guy who scored Vince's test(and his group) scored them wrong. Thus they got a retake, and that is when he scored a 16.

 

yes, I'm responding to a rumor afterwards though that said his actual score was a 7 when graded correctly (instead of a 6) and that he retook the same test.. I have no idea if that is anywhere true or not

If there were some way to prove what he actually made on the first test, this would go away.. I don't see why he would retake it intead of regrading the first test....

It seems like it would be in his best interest to get out in the media what he actually made on the first test.. (when scored correctly)...

Instead of having rumors.. a real score in the media might help his cause.

 

In other words, I doubted from the beginning the 6 thing because it seemed way too low...

People are still suspicious because they know what he made the 2nd time, but the first score isn't well known. if he could get his first score out in the media (when graded correctly) seems like it would be in his best interest