True. But I would venture to say that Young was a more polished passer than Vick was coming out of HS. I have no doubt that Vick has always been a bad ass athlete. I'm as big of a Vick fan as anyone, but from what I saw of Young in the 2 or 3 games I've seen him in, he is the real deal.
vick vs. young? and i thought a thread titled "UT Sucks" couldn't get any worst. how about we wait a few years before comparing the two guys? let young lead a collegiate team... otherwise this is all speculation based on a guy's high school stats. what are we talkin' about? high school? we talkin' bout high school man. not college, but high school. we talkin' bout high school man!
Have you seen Young play? I admit I haven't seen Vick play when he was in HS, but I would assume that Vick wasn't too highly touted because of a lack of passing skills, though I'm sure he still had a cannon back then. Young might not have the speed or quickness of Vick, but he definitely makes the same kind of plays Vick makes. Let's say Vick runs a 4.3, and Young runs a 4.4, point is that they both can elude pressure very well, and outrun DL and LBs. From what I saw of Young, he does a great job of putting touch on his passes (something Vick needs to improve on), as well as just being able to flat out bomb it. My only question about Young, is if he will be comfortable passing in the pocket, something Vick doesn't seem to be thus far.
Vick was second to Ronald Curry back in the day. THey were both from the Hampton Roads-S.E. Va area, and Curry was a god. HE led hampton high to the state championship as a sophomore ( I actually went to the game, he played QB, FS, and KR/PR, he was amazing) and was pretty amazing on the basketball court too. So while Vick was an outstanding HS player in his own right, Curry's legend and pub led him to be more highly touted, and deservedly so as he had a better HS career. It's really too bad he didn't give up b-ball, it really reetarded his football progress, IMO, now he's fumbling kickoffs for the raiders.
Or if he had gone to FSU... Or UVA... He had committed to UVA. prob just to get people off his back, and then switched to UNC.
Don't let a certain Aggie QB find out about this... Hands down? There are websites and writers that ranked a California QB(Ben Young, maybe?) and Reggie McNeal higher than Vincent Young. There are people across the state that say Reggie McNeal/Vincent Young is the greatest high school QB we have seen in decades(or ever). There is just no way to state that Young was "hands down" better than Reggie McNeal. Just ask any of the teams that Lufkin beat on its way to the title. If you're asking me, I would take the champ...
Vince can't play defense. Lufkin has a better defense. Check their stats against Westlake. Vincent played much better throughout the playoffs and especially against Westlake. That's like saying I'd take Dilfer over Marino because Dilfer has won a super bowl.
No, it isn't. That description is completely unwarranted. Its more of a "Would you take Steve Young over Dan Marino just because he won a SB?". Dilfer to Marino is a little bit too big of a gap.
I showed you these numbers a year ago, and you still weren't convinced. I assume you're an ATM/McNeal fan. Check out Vince's td/int ratio. You had said McNeal had the edge on intangibles, I call BS, he played on the better team. I know this won't convince you, but what the heck. The stats say Young threw 81 fewer times for 160 more yards and 11 more touchdowns and 7 fewer interceptions. He also had more total yards in one fewer game. He also has more total touchdowns and took his team to the state semis. His team was not ranked in the top ten in the original AP polls. Check where McNeal's Lufkin team was rated at the beginning of the year. Yeah, intangibles. Vincent Young: 131-224 (59%) for 2,545 yards 35 TDs and 4 picks Rush: 1,274 yards on 116 carries (11 ypc) for 24 TDs. Total stats: 3,819 yards and 59 TDs Preseason: Madison received ZERO VOTES in the AP rankings poll Reggie McNeal: 133-305 (43% passing) 2385, 24 TDs, 11 picks rush: 166-856 yds (5.15 ypc), 10 TDs Total state: 3,241 yards and 34 TDS (in one more game) Preaseason: DCTF ranked #1; #3 in preseason AP Poll Young v. Westlake: 16-28 (57%)-1, 382 Yards , 5 TD rush: 8-82 , 1 TD Total 460 Yards and 6 TDs (lost when Westlake had 650 yards of offense) McNeal v. Westlake (1 week later): 6-19 (31%)-1, 223 Yards , 3 TD rush: 17-157 , 1 TD Total: 380 Yds and 4 TDs (benefit of Div-I-A defender, Super Aggie Ju Park ) (Lufkin 'D held Westlake to 386 total yards
Well, VJ needs to be more specific then "I'll take the champ." He needs to say "I'll take the champ with a better defense and a better overall team." Stats aren't everything, but Vincent's numbers were embarassingly better than Reggie's.
Just for the heck of it, Drew Tate's numbers as a junior (2001). 317-496 (64%) 3,912 yds, 44 TDs, 5 ints
Impressive. I notice he threw the ball twice as many times as Vincent did. I guess he plays in a spread offense. Isn't his current team under .500 at the moment?
Tate should ride the bench for three years behind McNeal. You don't ever, ever, ever replace a popular incumbent with a highly-touted recruit. The Aggies told us so when Chris Simms beat Major Applewhite out for the starting job in 2000.
Lufkin did have a better defense, and that could very well be what won the championship, but Vincent Young had a just as talented(Or more talented) offensive squad. And I remember the discussion last year, I don't think that either of us cares to look at the stats/excuses(Difference in Defenses faced, McNeal's playing on a bum ankle in the championship game) again. Tate looks to be solid from the stats, and I think he already has/will break the state passing record, but you must take into account that he is a four-year starter. P.S. gr8-1, I am a Lufkin Panther fan, and just want to see Reggie McNeal do well. I am definitely a UT fan before a Reggie fan, though. I have never meant to imply that Vincent Young is not good, or even that he will not be better than Reggie(Though I probably have). It's just that Vince is pretty much always regarded as the better player, and I don't think that either is head-and-shoulders better than the other(So, think of me and Thecat, but as a Reggie McNeal fan). Two weeks from now, I want Reggie to throw for hundreds and hundreds of yards, but I want UT to remain a one-loss team. The above response was written only because kidrock said that Young was hands-down the best.
This opinion may upset some Aggie fans, but, I know a lot about Drew Tate. My high school, West Brook, is in 22-5A with Baytown Lee, so I've seen him for years now. Baytown Lee is basically the Texas Tech of high school football. When they played against us this year, they never ran one play (except a QB draw) the entire game. And yet, they very rarely threw past 20 yards. The entire offense is based on a five wideout, spread set where Tate makes some simple five yard reads, throws it to a short receiver, and gives the receiver some room to run with it. Against high school defenses, it's not that hard to execute, and it makes him look great on the stat sheet. But, like Kingsbury on the college level, he gets a TON of little 5 yard throws against a lesser defense that turn into 25 yarder. On one of the only times he threw deep against us, he saw his running back (about 20 yards downfield) breaking open from the linebacker, and ended up throwing it straight to the chest of the free safety, who he never even saw. On some other instances, he had receivers pretty open 25 yards down the field that he would overthrow. Tate's a good player, and to add something else, he definitely seems a lot faster than his 40 speed. He has a good pocket sense out there, and knows when to run and when to buy himself some more time and throw downfield. However, I'm just not sold on the guy stretching the field. IMO, he's a great quarterback within 15 yards of the line... he does a good job of scanning the field and locating second and third receivers, he has good pocket sense, and he seems to have a knack to put the ball in a place where his receives can make a play. That being said, in my three years of watching him, I've never been impressed with his ability to make big plays downfield and stretch the field. Our team is less talented than Lee, but we beat them this year, because we put a lot of people short and dared him to go over the top. Most of the time, he didn't do it. Maybe he'll learn with time... but it's worth pointing out that his ridiculous passing numbers are a result of two things: a) he's started since he was a freshman b) Lee runs the high school version of the TT offense
The comparisons to Vick in college are b/c: 1) Vick is a black QB who is visible 2) He has great athletic ability That is about it. Vince is about six inches taller and who posses great running ability BUT has been a passer first. Vick had a great arm, but looked to beat you with his legs first. Comparing the two or saying one was better than the other at this point is pointless.
Comparing any college QB to Vick is unfair to the college QB. Vick is probably the most elusive football player in the world right now, plus he has a great arm and at least understands his pro offense a little (some great college QBs can't quite cut it here). When he gets a better understanding of the offense (remember he only played like 1.5 years in a run happy college offense and another 1.5 years with the Falcons) he could dominate the pros. Comparing a guy who has only played HS football to Vick is ludicres. I am as high on Young as anyone, but Vick or McNabb comparisons just don't make sense at this point. I would be thrilled if Young has James Brown's feet, Major Applewhite's head and Chris Simm's arm. Still, all those together would mean a great college QB who still has a lot to prove as a pro prospect. Finally UT is lucky to have Young, and especially lucky they can redshirt him this year. Hopefully he will be very good right away next year but no so immediatly dominant that he doesn't feel like there is anything left for him to learning or prove in the college game so he stays a while. A & M is lucky to have McNeal too. The guy showed a lot of talent, skill and poise. However I am really happy A&M already has had to pull him out of their hat. UT, unlike OU, will have plenty of time to prep for him. If he is able to play a good game against the Horns in a couple of weeks when they have been preping for him, I will all but guarantee you McNeal is going to be a force for the Aggies for years. Even if he doesn't play a good game in Austin, the guy is only a fresh and I wouldn't hold it against him all that much.
