Vince Young

[Jo]

From Len Pasquarelli:

 

There has been plenty of information and a great deal of misinformation, too, surrounding the pro day workout of Texas quarterback Vince Young early this week. It is an individual's prerogative to believe who he chooses on such matters. Our inclination is to put considerable stock in the analysis of five scouts who attended the campus workout, all of whom we deal with on a regular basis. Their consensus: A solid but hardly spectacular audition for the hundreds of pairs of eyes perusing the Longhorns star.

 

Most of the scouts we spoke with had some concerns about Young's much-discussed low release point, a three-quarters or sidearm delivery that takes inches off his pocket stature. But most felt some minor corrections could rectify that. No one was alarmed by Young's time in the 40-yard dash, reportedly in the 4.58-second range, because few of the scouts felt he would run much faster than that anyway. "We're not talking about [Michael] Vick here, you know?" said the personnel chief from one AFC team. Of much concern, still, is that Young, after nearly a full career working out of the shotgun formation, will have to adjust to playing behind center at the next level.

 

By far, though, the most noted shortcoming from Young's throwing session was what one scout termed a "lazy" arm. "I'm not talking about an [elongated] delivery, a bad release, any of that stuff," the scout said. "There are just some throws, mostly short ones, where he just kind of nonchalants the ball. It's like he's bored by some of what he considers to be easy throws. He doesn't snap the ball off on those passes. His arm gets limp and he short-arms them. And that carries down to his footwork, where he doesn't get set and tends to throw flat-footed, [to] not step into the throw." None of the scouts, however, was very critical of Young and all think he is still a solid top-10 pick.

 

 

• So, looking for a top-10 landing spot for Young, are you? Well, don't let the Oakland Raiders' addition of free agent quarterback Aaron Brooks this week eliminate them from the list. Brooks signed only a two-year contract, and the Raiders' modest investment of a $1.5 million signing bonus hardly qualifies the talented but enigmatic former Saints starter as a long-term solution. In fact, a two-year apprenticeship is just about what most scouts feel Young will require before he emerges as an NFL starter. Yeah, some Raiders people like the potential of Andrew Walter, the team's 2005 third-round pick, but a guy who didn't play a single snap as a rookie. But there is no comparing the long-term viability of Walter versus Young.

 

With the No. 7 choice in the first round, it would take Oakland officials about a nanosecond to turn in the card with Young's name on it, were he still available at their slot. And for those who still insist Young will slide out of the top 10, well, forget about it. His ultimate stopping point is the No. 10 pick, where Arizona coach Dennis Green would be thrilled to provide a safety net for any plummet down the board.

[Swiss Cheezhead]

Pretty goof stuff from Pasquarelli.

[Azazello1313]

With the No. 7 choice in the first round, it would take Oakland officials about a nanosecond to turn in the card with Young's name on it, were he still available at their slot. And for those who still insist Young will slide out of the top 10, well, forget about it. His ultimate stopping point is the No. 10 pick, where Arizona coach Dennis Green would be thrilled to provide a safety net for any plummet down the board.

 

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i think that's about right. but i still think there's a very good chance either tennessee likes him (or has their hand forced by someone jumping up to 2 to get leinart), or someone maneuvers into the 4,5,6 area to grab him. so if you ask me, there's maybe a 50% chance he's a top 3 pick, a 20% chance he goes in the 4,5,6 range, a 20% chance he lands with the raiders at 7, and a 10% chance he falls all the way to the cards.

[Azazello1313]

Pretty goof stuff from Pasquarelli.

 

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yeah, and it certainly cuts against your notion of VY as a mid first rounder.

[spain]

From gbn:

 

(5:00 PM): Getting to know you… The Tennessee Titans got to know Texas QB Vince Young a little better yesterday in a private workout day. Young met with Tennessee coaches and officials during meetings and film sessions. He met with Titans head coach Jeff Fisher before he impressed throwing passes in a private workout with plays put together by offensive co-ordinator Norm Chow. After he reportedly scored a 6 on his first try at the Wonderlic test at the Combine, some questioned Young's preparation and decision-making, but Titans GM Floyd Reese said after visiting with Young that he doesn't have any major questions. And it's Reese who will have the ultimate say if the Titans decide to draft Young, Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler with the No. 3 pick in the draft, assuming Tennessee does in fact look for its successor to Steve McNair. Chow already knew Leinart from their time together with USC and he got to know Vanderbilt's Cutler from coaching him at the Senior Bowl and spending a recent day with him at team headquarters. Now he has a feel for Young. "I think he did a nice job. I think he did a lot to help himself in the draft," said Chow in the Nashville Tennessean. Fisher also liked what he saw. "I was very impressed with every phase, with his personality, his character, his competitiveness, his athletic ability," Fisher said. "He did well with the different throws, the sprint outs, the pressure flushes, the scrambles and the different drops, the three-step, the five-step and the full drop. I thought he did a nice job in each one of those situations." The Titans have plans to spend time with Leinart on April 3, the day after the Trojans hold their Pro Day on campus. And while they've already visited extensively with Cutler, odds are they will invite him back for a passing session. It should be interesting to see which route the Titans go in this draft. With the chances being good that Leinart will be snapped up by someone in the No. 2 slot now held by New Orleans, will the Titans make a grab for the fast riser Cutler, who reminds many of Brett Favre, or will they take a shot on a gamble-on-greatness pick like Young, who could be an all-time great weapon or could struggle with the pro game? Of course, they could go another direction and improve their d-line with a stud like Mario Williams of N.C. State or get a pro ready LT in Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson. There could be a lot of intrigue at No. 3.

[spain]

And from yesterday on gbn:

 

(10:00 PM): Young guns for Titans… A day after working out for NFL coaches and GMs, Texas QB Vince Young spent today working out in private for Tennessee. Word out of Nashville says that Young was very impressive. He spent the first part of the session at the blackboard explaining to the coaches what he did on certain plays and in certain situations. He then spent 45 minutes throwing to some of the Titans' young receivers for offensive co-ordinator Norm Chow. If the Jets should move ahead of the Titans into New Orleans' No. 2 slot and select USC QB Matt Leinart, Young may still be on the radar to replace his friend and mentor Steve McNair in Tennessee. Stay tuned

[spain]

TITANS TO TAKE VINCE?

 

A league insider with a proven knack for reading the tea leaves when it comes to discerning what teams will do in round one of the draft firmly believes that the Tennessee Titans are poised to select quarterback Vince Young with the No. 3 selection.

 

Echoing comments we've heard from others regarding Young's presence on the field and football intangibles, the source says that Young is a freak and that, when ignoring the measurables and looking merely at the tape, Young is clearly the best of the three quarterbacks projected to go early in this year's draft.

 

Although the Texans are heaping plenty of praise on the local product, the team that holds the No. 1 pick in the draft likely is erring on the side of not pissing off its fan base, many of whom already will be dismayed when the Texans choose USC tailback Reggie Bush. And although the Saints hope to trade down a bit and target a defensive player, only a swap with the Raiders at No. 7 would leave the Saints in position to get the guy they want. But then the question would be whether the Raiders would be willing to muster enough to make up for the 1,100-point gap on the trade chart between the value of the No. 2 pick (2,600 points) and No. 7 (1,500 points).

 

Still, it's possible that someone else might try to jump in front of the Titans, if the buzz surrounding Young continues to grow as draft day approaches.

 

The next major step in the process comes on April 2, when Bush and USC quarterback Matt Leinart work out at the Trojans' pro day. If Leinart, who isn't a stud in a T-shirt-and-shorts workout, doesn't wow scouts, it's possible that the race for the No. 1 could come down to Bush and Young.

 

Just like everyone thought it would be the morning after the Rose Bowl.

 

VINCE "HAS AN AURA"

 

In our effort to continue to muddy the waters as much as we possibly can regarding the potential draft order at the top of round one, we've obtained information from a league source regarding the March 22 workout of Texas quarterback Vince Young.

 

The information we've heard corroborates the rave reviews from folks such as Gil Brandt, Sean Salisbury, and Mel Kiper, Jr., and it somewhat contradicts an opinion from a scout that was expressed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

 

Said our source: "I thought [the workout] was excellent. He's got a big arm, he was accurate, he's got size, and athletic ability. He ran fast for his size and really didn't do any warm-ups. He wasn’t going to run and at the last minute, stripped down and ran. People had times between 4.54 [and] 4.62.

 

"He has an aura about him."

 

That last statement means far more to us than anything else we've heard or seen, including the six or seven or 16 or 15 on the Wonderlic, the lack of experience taking snaps under center, and the Uncle Rico throwing motion.

 

Intangibles, we believe, are far more important than tangibles, especially when it comes to figuring out who will or won't be a successful NFL quarterback. We've always liked Young's demeanor and his presence, notwithstanding any flaws in his game, or in his brain.

 

Still, we continue to be troubled by the advice Young is getting. He showed up for the pro day workout not intending to run. Which means that he hadn't trained to run. Which means that his agent told him he didn't need to run.

 

But after he was pressured into running by folks who were in attendance at the workout, Young stripped off his sweats and posted a good but not great time on a fast track.

 

Look, we realize that Young and his family are loyal to Major Adams, who successfully has gotten himself in position to have and to hold Vince as a client. But consider much buzz Young would have created if he'd been working to maximize his 40 time, especially when little things like emerging properly out of the starting position can make a huge difference in the final number.

 

If Young had put up a legitimate time below 4.45, even on a fast track, he might have gone a long way to recapturing the momentum that arose right after the Rose Bowl -- but that gradually has dissipated over the past couple of months.

 

Instead, Young is struggling to get his aura to transform into buzz as the draft approaches.

 

VINCE DIDN'T RE-TAKE THE WONDERLIC

 

Despite prior reports that Texas quarterback Vince Young would take another crack at the Wonderlic test in conjunction with his pro day workout, we're told that Young did not sit again for the 50-question general intelligence test.

 

It would have been a perfect opportunity for Young to do so, since the test is administered during pro day workouts to the draft-eligible players and any interested incoming seniors.

 

So he'll instead stand on his official score of 15.

 

Yet another error, in our view, by his agent. On one hand, taking the test again might have been an admission that the test is actually important to the overall process. On the other hand, he scored a freaking 15. On his second try.

 

How bad is a 15? When we gave 15 sample questions last month to Florio Jr. (a third-grader) with no advance notice and five minutes to work with, he got five questions right.

 

That projects to a 16.7.

[Outshined]

Updated: March 26, 2006, 3:13 PM ET

Young to visit Dolphins April 9-10Associated Press

 

 

DAVIE, Fla. -- Even though the Miami Dolphins now have Daunte Culpepper, they're still interested in Vince Young.

 

The University of Texas quarterback is scheduled to pay the Dolphins a visit April 9-10, less than three weeks before the NFL draft.

 

Young is among some 20 to 25 draft prospects expected to visit Miami. The Dolphins are in the market for a young quarterback to groom while serving as an understudy to Culpepper, acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade March 14.

 

With the 16th pick in the first round, Miami would likely need to trade up to obtain Young, touted as the potential No. 1 choice by the Houston Texans.

 

Should Young slide in the draft April 29-30, there will still likely be plenty of competition for him. Every NFL team except Washington was on hand when he worked out Wednesday in Austin, Texas.

 

Young totaled 467 yards against Southern California in the Rose Bowl to help Texas win the national championship last season.

 

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/news/story?id=2385107

 

I thought Daunte was a franchise QB

Edited March 28, 2006 by Outshined

[spain]

I thought Daunte was a franchise QB

 

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I think that ship has already sailed...

[Outshined]

I think that ship has already sailed...

 

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