[Chron] The first question Gary Kubiak will hear today: Who will be the No. 1 Pick?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3613557.html

Hall of fame ... or bust?
NFL experts give their advice on Vince Young vs. Reggie Bush

By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Now that Gary Kubiak has been hired as the second head coach in Texans history, he will have to make a decision that can help or haunt the franchise for the next 10 years.

When the scouting process is finished, Kubiak's eyes will bug out from watching so much videotape, and his ears will be on fire from listening to opinions from personnel experts, coaches, fans and media.

At that point, Kubiak will tell owner Bob McNair the player he wants with the first pick in the draft: quarterback Vince Young or running back Reggie Bush.

Vince or Reggie? Reggie or Vince?

Will they be among the elite at their positions? Will they be good enough to have their busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Or will they simply be busts?

Because Kubiak has been so wrapped up in the playoffs with the Broncos, negotiations with the Texans and hiring his first staff that he hasn't spent a lot of time participating in what has become a great debate.

When he's introduced today at noon at Hobby Center and is asked what he thinks about Young and Bush, Kubiak will comment for the first time. Expect him to straddle the fence like he's running for office.

Other NFL coaches and scouts who have been evaluating Young and Bush don't have a problem weighing in on the No. 1 topic of conversation in Houston.

"The more I watch him now, the more I realize that I haven't seen anyone quite like him," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said about Young, who led the Texas Longhorns to the national championship. "Usually, when you're scouting a player, you think to yourself, 'He reminds me of so-and-so.' But in this case, Young doesn't remind me of anyone. He seems to be one of a kind.

"The more I watch him, the more I just scratch my head and wonder how he did that."

The same can be said about Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California.

"Reggie's a rare talent, maybe one of a kind," said Alonzo Highsmith, who scouts for Green Bay. "Not only is he a fantastic breakaway runner, but he's such a dangerous receiver. Every time he touches the ball, he's capable of scoring.

"Reggie runs so instinctively. That's God-given. He can stop on a dime and change direction in a split second. He's got great acceleration, that kind of rare acceleration you see with Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson. As soon as they hit the hole — boom — they're gone. When he accelerates, it looks like the camera is speeding up.

"Bush or Young? How can you lose?"

If Kubiak wants a quicker impact, he'll take Bush. Putting Bush on the field with quarterback David Carr and receiver Andre Johnson would elevate an offense that ranked 30th during a 2-14 season.

If Kubiak wants to develop a QB with unique talent, he'll take Young. But the coach will have to be patient while Young watches, learns and matures.

Let Vince be Vince

"If Vince plays for an offensive coordinator who'll look at his strengths and try to take advantage of them, there's no telling how good he can be," said Jerry Gray, who was the Bills' defensive coordinator the last five years. "That's what (offensive coordinator) Greg Davis did at Texas.

"But if he plays for an offensive coordinator who tries to fit Vince into what he thinks Vince should be, that team's going to be making a huge mistake. What happens in the NFL is that a lot of guys (coaches) want credit. There are egos involved, and they want to take credit for making a player what he is.

"The best coaches don't try to make a player be something he's not."

Gray is partial because he was an All-America cornerback at Texas who became an All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams.

"All he's done is win at every level," Gray said. "He's done it with his arm, like against Ohio State, and he's done it with his legs, like against USC.

"He's going to be a great quarterback — not just a great running quarterback."

One of the first things coaches and scouts mention about Young is his leadership ability.

"There's no question about Young's heart," Gray said. "You go back to the 2004 season when they were way behind Oklahoma State. He just made the decision that he was going to pick that team up and carry it on his shoulders, and that's exactly what he did. The way his teammates have rallied around him is rare.

"Vince can control the defense. If he's put in the right situation and is given time to develop, he can be an incredible weapon. If he gets decent pass protection, he'll find his receivers down the field. If you get a good pass rush on him, he can move to buy time until a receiver gets open, or he can take off and run. He's strong enough and fast enough to make a lot of guys miss."

On the other hand ...

Gray is a Bush fan, too.

"What I like about Bush is that he isn't just a running back," Gray said. "He can be used at tailback, wide receiver or in the slot. He can go in motion and get into his route faster. There are so many routes he can run, and he's got hands like a wide receiver. A good offensive coach with a lot of imagination can use him to create mismatches.

"What makes Bush so special is that he can take it the distance every time he touches it. How many guys in our league can do that right now?"

As a defensive coach, Gray is going to have to deal with Bush and Young for a long time.

"As a defensive coordinator, I'd treat Bush like a third wide receiver," Gray said. "I'd try to devise strategy to stop him as a runner and force them to use him as a receiver on third down.

"Because of his size (6-0, 200), he's not going to be as big of a threat running inside, so your outside guys have to contain and be disciplined enough to keep him from getting outside them."

Kind of like the Longhorns did in the Rose Bowl.

"As far as Vince, I'd try to keep him in the pocket," Gray said. "The outside rushers would take a wider path to him. And they'd have to be very disciplined.

"Rather than firing off the ball and getting up the field and risking him stepping up or running right by you, I'd try to keep him in the pocket and hope for good coverage that would eventually allow you to sack him or force him to get rid of the ball."

'A natural leader'

The Cardinals have finished 12th and eighth in defense the last two seasons under defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

"I went to Austin to visit friends after Texas won the Rose Bowl," Pendergast said. "I went to their celebration at their stadium, and it was a sight to see. I watched Young to see how he would handle himself in that situation. I couldn't believe how charismatic he was. I watched him with the fans and with his teammates. I was so impressed."

Wait until Pendergast has to devise a strategy to stop Young.

"The most important thing is to put him in position to utilize his strengths, and that would be his athleticism," Pendergast said. "He's got good pocket presence. I don't care about his delivery. All I know is that he's got a big arm and delivers the ball well.

"He sees the field well. He doesn't just take the snap and run when his first option isn't there."

Young's rare leadership skills set him apart.

"I like the fact that he's got that moxie about him," Pendergast said. "He thrives in pressure situations. Either a player has it, or he doesn't. He's just a natural leader, and you can see people gravitate to him.

"People like Vince Young are leaders off the field, too. As coaches, no matter how hard we try, we can't make a guy be a leader. When the game's on the line, Young reminds me of Michael Jordan. He isn't going to be intimidated. He doesn't seem to be fazed by anything or anyone."