Is this what TT saw in Vince Young?

[woodbuck27]

June 25, 2006, 1:51AM

Young's new life treating him well
QB comfortable despite absence of mentor McNair


By SAM KHAN JR.
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Not everything about the shift from star college quarterback to NFL rookie has been easy for Vince Young. As is expected for a first-year player, the 6-5, 235-pound passer has encountered some struggles — and not in areas fans might expect.

"The worst part (about Nashville) has been adjusting to the freeways," said Young, a Houston native and the No. 3 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in this year's NFL draft. "One time I got lost, and I almost ended up in Memphis."

Young was back in the familiar surroundings of his hometown on Saturday for a party hosted by TicketReserve at Fox Sports Grill.

Though many may believe Young is eager to step on the field as the starter right away for the Titans, the former UT star and Madison product said he wants to make sure he's ready.

"I just want to go out and compete and play the game," said Young, 23. "I don't want to be out there playing and just be running around, not knowing what I'm doing. I want to make sure I'm ready."


Nothing slows him down

One factor that may affect how quickly Young steps on the field is the departure of longtime Titan and mentor Steve McNair, who was sent to Baltimore in a trade earlier this month. Young says he was looking forward to being able to work with McNair but won't let the circumstances affect how he moves forward.

"It would have been nice just to get out there and learn some things from him and work with him," Young said. "Even though he's going to be in Baltimore, it's good knowing (that) we're still going to be the best of friends."

Titans quarterback Billy Volek was named the starter after the McNair trade.

But there's at least one guy who believes Young has what it takes to step on the field immediately — and succeed.

"Absolutely," former NFL quarterback and party guest Jack Kemp said when asked if Young was ready to play. "This guy's going to be the starting quarterback from Day 1 in my opinion."

Kemp said Young is going to be a trend-setter at his position.

"Vince I think has established what a quarterback has to do in the 21st century," said Kemp, the 1965 AFL Most Valuable Player. "You have to be able to throw and you also have to be able to run like he did for that late touchdown against USC (in the Rose Bowl)."


Poised to take charge

Though Young said he wants to be fully prepared before he starts, he admits he has envisioned himself as the starter during the team's mini-camps and offseason workouts.


"You always have to think like that as a quarterback," he said. "You've got to have a lot of confidence in yourself for one and get out there and practice hard and earn the respect of the veteran guys."

Young said he feels like the early stages of his development have gone well and that he had little trouble adjusting.

"It's going real good," Young said. "I'm trying not to go too fast, but I'm picking up the plays. I'm just going to be behind the scenes working and studying the playbook and be ready if I'm needed.

"(The plays) are pretty much the same as in college. It's just a lot faster and there's a lot of adjusting you have to do with the different terminology."

Though his life has changed, Young says he has not.

"I'm still the same; nothing has changed," he said. "It's beautiful being at home and seeing that people have the type of respect for me that I have for them. The fans in Nashville have been great, too. They've welcomed me with open arms."

sam.khan@chron.com


Check out this video and you will see an impressive athlete.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=e0eGidZfkd4&mode=related&search=The%20Texas%20Longhorns

and

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KJaMvceOS4A&mode=related&search=The%20Texas%20Longhorns

and

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zkCHFALUMiY&mode=related&search=The%20Texas%20Longhorns

[BallHawk]

That article is gonna be subjective, because it's from a Texas Newspaper. Regardless, I think that Young will be better than Vick but not a great QB. I think Aaron Rodgers will have a more successfull NFL career than Young.

[Harlan Huckleby]

"The worst part (about Nashville) has been adjusting to the freeways," said Young, a Houston native and the No. 3 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in this year's NFL draft. "One time I got lost, and I almost ended up in Memphis."

See? Too dumb to be a QB. J/K J/K

[woodbuck27]

Ahhhhh BallHawk . . .YOU . . . fell into the trap. A comparison of Vince Young to OUR young prospect Aaron Rodgers.

To get this going and referring to the Vince Young Article being from a Texas media source, I'll offer this:

Beyond the Glory - Aaron Rodgers
[Longhorn Sports] - ak0209 - ak0209@texashorns.net

I last did a post about how shitty the show “Beyond the Glory” is. So I figured the only way to follow it up would be to actually write a “Beyond the Glory” story. As I was searching for the right athlete, I thought who better than Aaron Rodgers. He has risen up from a small town beginning and has become the backup QB, with the right to fail in Brett Favre’s massive shadow. So anyway, here goes. If this completely blows, feel free to comment and tell me how much I suck.

Opening Scene with Irritating Narrator’s Voice

Narrator - This is the story of how one child growing up in Chico, CA accomplished the unbelievable task, of becoming the starting quarterback at the University of California. It was unthinkable, not due to the rigors of being a college quarterback, but because no one actually knew Cal even had a football team. Aaron Rodgers has made a career out of scrappy and smart playing. But it’s off the field where he really shines, giving the media some of the stupidest interviews known to mankind.

This is the story of Aaron Rodgers: Beyond the Glory.


2nd Scene - Aaron’s Learn’s a Life Long Lesson

Narrator- Aaron grew up in a stable household with parents who adored him. However, his life took an ugly turn in the 4th grade, when his classmate, John Grant was picked as Class President over Aaron in a very close race that many thought Aaron had won.

Aaron - “I thought it was a little classless, how John went out and asked for people to vote for him. I think my speech in front of his homeroom class was admirable and I could have shown off by bringing in my pet snake to show and tell, but I didn’t do that. I mean, I had to go to his homeroom and give a speech to a hostile crowd. He got to give his final speech in his own homeroom. I just thought it was classless.”

Narrator - After that heartache, Aaron decided to set out on his own and walk home from school by himself, to gather his thoughts. After that day, Aaron vowed to himself that he would never choke under pressure again, and if he did, he would just blame others. As Aaron thought that day, he wanted to find out what the best way was to win the next Class President race for 5th grade. His thoughts immediately turned to Flag Football.

Aaron - “I really wanted to win Class President the next year and I always grew up hearing that Football players get all the chicks. So I joined our 4th Grade Football Team as quarterback.”

Aaron’s Mom - “Aaron was so adorable that day. He was really upset that another child had beaten him in the race and he came home crying. I held him close to my bossom and sang him a song. Come to think of it, I did the same thing last December. ”

3rd Scene - It’s Time for Aaron to Choose a College

Narrator - Applying to school can be tough on any HS student, but it is even tougher on a quarterback who plays in a town nobody knows about. While other HS players played in front of large sellout crowds, Rodgers played his games in his neighbor’s front yard and often times had to dodge not only would be tacklers, but also his neighbor’s dog Benjamin, a rather large mixed breed of Chow and Yellow Lab.

Aaron - “Playing in our home stadium was tough. It really wasn’t a stadium, but it felt like one, because my friend’s mom would cheer really loudly for us. No one used to come to the games and no D1 coach wanted to watch me play. I thought it was a little classless.”

Aaron and two of his teammates convinced the Butte Junior College to let them in and play Football. The college relented at first but after Rodgers started crying, they thought that they would let them play. After one great year of taking it in the Butte, Rodgers caught the eye of Jeff Tedford, a man known for churning out great college QBs and horrible NFL QBs.

4th Scene - Turning Cal’s Football team into a National Title Contender

Narrator - When Rodgers joined Cal, they were horrible. But Rodgers infused a certain amount of confidence into this team, to make them the best they could be. It was here that Rodgers also became very active in the community. He regularly hosted rallies to protest the war in Vietnam that happened 40 years ago.

Aaron - “I really felt that the Vietnam war was classless. Coach Tedford would have never gotten us into the Vietnam war because he has class. He doesn’t need to beat up on a bunch of little Asian people. Am I allowed to say ‘Asian?â� �‚¬â„¢ Oh yeah, it’s Fox, my bad.”

Jeff Tedford - “I was really proud of the way Aaron would protest the war in Vietnam. The fact that it happened 40 years ago shouldn’t change anything.”

5th Scene - The Mighty Bears Almost Beat USC

Narrator- After taking Cal to an undefeated record and top 10 ranking, the Bears had to go into the Coliseum and play the defending National Champs, USC. USC came in only having lost to Cal in the last year and a half and wanted revenge. Rodgers was spectacular that day, hardly ever missing a pass. and almost leading his team to a victory. However when the final whistle blew, Cal was on the short end of the stick, 23-17 even though statistically, they dominated. Rodgers was crushed.

Aaron - “It was tough to lose a game by so little after you statistically dominate a team like we did. However, it was a great moral victory for our team and program and the entire University. With that moral victory, we over took A&M for the National Championship race of moral victories. So that felt good.”

Next up. Rodgers finds out he is Mack Brown’s bitch.

6th Scene - The Rose Bowl Fiasco

Narrator - Cal was ready to make the biggest jump in the history of their program as they were only 1 day away from going to the Rose Bowl in 392 years. Cal had to go play at Southern Mississipi, one of the hardest places to play in the Conference USA, and the only home loss of the year was to the Cincinnati juggernaut, 52-24. Cal came in needing to show a National audience, why they deserved a spot in the BCS. And they delivered. They beat So. Miss 26-16. However, the game was no where near the score. Cal could have scored 72 points if Tedford had tried to run up the score and if Cal were a better team.

After the game, Cal tried to make there case for being in the Rose Bowl. They talked about their really close loss to USC and then talked about how they almost beat the Trojans.

Aaron - We almost beat the #1 team in the country at their house. That means we should be able to beat every other team in the country by 30 points. We had a top 5 offense and a top 5 defense. We deserved a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Narrator - But the voters did not agree. The next morning Cal and Rodgers found out they had dropped one rank below the mighty Texas Longhorns. Rodgers was crushed. He instantly thought back to 4th grade and began to cry. He was heartbroken.

Aaron - “I hate Texas. They stole my Rose Bowl. We beat a bunch of really crappy teams, but we lost to the #1 team in the country. That has to count for something.”

Narrator - But it didn’t and Cal was relegated to the Holiday Bowl.

7th Scene - Rodgers Shows His Stuff in the Holiday Bowl and at the Draft

Narrator - Rodgers proceeded to bash everything Texas in hopes of getting voters to change their mind. He called the TTU game, a statement game and was ready to show the world what he and his team were capable of. Texas Tech beat Cal 45-31. Rodgers was horrible and so was his team.

Aaron - “You win some you lose some. But at least at the end of the day we can say we only lost to #1 team in the nation by 6 points, so I am still really proud of our year.”

Narrator - Next up was the draft. Many thought Rodgers would go as the #1 pick. He was invited to sit in the green room. The 49ers were the perfect choice. A Bay Area team that needed a QB. This was where Rodgers wanted to be.

Aaron - “I really wanted to go to the 49ers. They were really perfect for me. I talked to Mike Nolan and told him I would be the water boy for the opportunity to play for them, and I was willing to work for the minimum wage. But he told me they were looking for a QB, not a waterboy. I thought it was kinda classless how he did that.”

Narrator - Aaron wasn't the first guy at the draft picked. ESPN furthered the embarassment by continually showing him in the green room sweating. Finally, the Green Bay Packers took a pity pick and took him with the 24th pick in the draft.

Conclusion

Narrator - Aaron Rodgers has truly proven himself to be an American Hero. Whether it be barely losing to the #1 team in the country or holding Vietnam Protests, he makes a difference in everything he touches. Till the next time.

[woodbuck27]

"The worst part (about Nashville) has been adjusting to the freeways," said Young, a Houston native and the No. 3 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in this year's NFL draft. "One time I got lost, and I almost ended up in Memphis."

See? Too dumb to be a QB. J/K J/K

No HH . The young man YOUNG just loves to drive, and drive an offence he can and will . This is a very talented atlete.

He runs like the wind with quickness and acceleration and can cut and power through tackles. He has touch and strength in his pass's. He certainly can scramble and avoid tackles. He has by all reports - excellent game management and leadership skills.

If he had of been sitting there when TT was selecting (which is rather ridiculous to imagine with his talent) I believe he would be a Packer.

He has to learn to play behind center but this will be a solid QB in the NFL.

[Dabaddestbear]

That article is gonna be subjective, because it's from a Texas Newspaper. Regardless, I think that Young will be better than Vick but not a great QB. I think Aaron Rodgers will have a more successfull NFL career than Young.

:shock:

[BallHawk]

http://www.packerpalace.com/blog/minibbhead.jpg

[woodbuck27]

OF RODGERS, MARTIN, GANNON AND FAVRE
Jacked From realfootball365.com


Despite any number of unknowns up to and including how much playing time he'll get, some Green Bay Packers pundits are already speculating on Rodgers' performance in 2006. And believe it or not (believe it), some in Wisconsin are already panicking based on performances in drills. Terms used to define Rodgers' preseason performance thus far in Packer backer circles are things like "spotty" and "disappointing" and flat out "poor." On Friday's drills, Rodgers could not successfully work the two-minute drill in lieu of the absent Brett Favre and in four attempts completed a single short pass to backup RB Noah Herron. Pessimists further note that Rodgers threw an interception in the drill and managed a mere two-for-six in the seven-man drills. By all accounts, meanwhile, Ingle Martin IV seems to be increasing his stock. On-site reports recorded that, with the second team and Samkon Gado, Martin managed a two-for-four in the two-minute drill and a two-for-four in the seven-man.

I've said it before and will no doubt continue to do so through at least 2007 or '08: Aaron Rodgers will never get a break while in Green Bay. No matter what happens this season, any situation involving lots of playing time for Rodgers and anything less than a Montana-esque performance is certain to gain him only more flack. Whether called upon to fill in for an injured Favre, a benched Favre, or a spontaneously-retired Favre, Rodgers loses. If Rodgers gathers splinters on the bench in 2006, Rodgers detractors are certain to proclaim that, after two seasons of a dozen or so snaps apiece, the guy just isn't developing. And, to be honest, he wouldn't be developing. Anything less than Rodgers' utter mastery of Coach Mike McCarthy's West Coast offense may be considered failure, at least in majority public opinion. Rodgers will be forever compared to a quarterback of legendary proportions, the second coming of Bart Starr in the hearts of cheeseheads.

Enter another quarterback of legendary proportions: Rich Gannon. A former charge of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach McCarthy, Gannon put in about forty-five minutes talking and tutoring Rodgers, Martin, Brian Wrobel, and Tom Arth. Ironically, Gannon was quoted as saying that Favre "has an education of a lifetime for [the Packers'] younger guys." Favre has reportedly refused to tutor Rodgers or the others prospects. Other QB-related news is that all kick-holding has been done by punters Jon Ryan and B.J. Sander, implying that Green Bay backup QB's won't be taking many snaps on special teams, either. While spring training goes on and you follow the NFL however you choose, please spare a bit of pity for Rodgers, the man with the most thankless job in football. And maybe take Martin in your 2007 fantasy-league draft.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Woody, J/K means "just kidding." I don't think Vince Young is too dumb to play QB. I would have been happy if the Packers had drafted him.

[woodbuck27]

Woody, J/K means "just kidding." I don't think Vince Young is too dumb to play QB. I would have been happy if the Packers had drafted him.

J/K means "just kidding." HH

Of course it does.

HH. I believe if he was still available at #5 he would have been OUR choice. An outstanding talent.

[mmmdk]

In time, Vince Young, should do fine on the field...if he can find it :lol: No really, I see VY as a great competitor and hence will do fine - maybe even great.

[KYPack]

"The worst part (about Nashville) has been adjusting to the freeways," said Young, a Houston native and the No. 3 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in this year's NFL draft. "One time I got lost, and I almost ended up in Memphis."

See? Too dumb to be a QB. J/K J/K

OK, ya faked me out with this one.

I thought you were goin' for a QB whose initials were "J/K".

Jack Kemp? Jim Kelly?

Just Kiddin', eh?

[CaliforniaCheez]

If a guy is too dumb to read a map,

If a guy is too dumb to understand GPS,

How is he going to figure out an NFL playbook?



He'll just run with the ball.

Michael Vick is not worth a #1 pick and Mr. Wonderlic isn't either.

[Harlan Huckleby]

He'll just run with the ball.

Will he know what direction to run with it? Well, I guess even Forest Gump was able to figure that one out.


Great football players have football smarts. They know what to do.

[PackerPro42]

I think if he falls into the right system he can be a star. He is an amazing but raw athlete with the potential to be great.

[woodbuck27]

I think if he falls into the right system he can be a star. He is an amazing but raw athlete with the potential to be great.

He's certainly an impressive young man. I do believe those rumor's that we heard before the draft, that TT loved what he saw in Vince Young.

Who wouldn't ? :roll:

[BallHawk]

Vince Young will be the best QB coming out of this draft. Leinart will be a Kyle Boller and Jay Cutler will be a Jay Fiedler. Young will be Michael Vick with a little less speed, but better passing. If I had to rank him out of 100 I would say he is an 84.

[woodbuck27]

Monday, 06/26/06

Young passes inspection
As team's top draft pick learns system, playbook, Titans like what they see

By JIM WYATT
Staff Writer


One of the initial conversations between Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow and rookie quarterback Vince Young after the NFL Draft had nothing to do with a playbook.

Chow wanted to clear the air about the decision that brought Young to the Titans. He didn't hide the fact that he was among those who preferred Matt Leinart, his former pupil at Southern Cal, to Young. Titans owner Bud Adams, of course, was among those who wanted Young.


"We both understood the situation. We talked about it,'' Chow said. "I wasn't sitting around here pining away for Matt, but if we had to choose he was the one because I knew him better. Vince understood that. It wasn't a big deal for either of us and we got started.''

Nearly two months later, Chow and the Titans know Young a whole lot better. And they like what they've seen of the former Texas star through May and June minicamps.

"The strides have been monumental,'' Chow said. "He is every bit the athlete you thought he was, but he has some good quarterback skills as well. The thing about Vince is he's not an athlete playing quarterback. He is a quarterback who is a good athlete. There is a big difference.''

Young, the third overall pick of the draft, has already pushed his way ahead of Matt Mauck, last season's No. 3 quarterback, but he's still well behind veteran Billy Volek and probably won't catch him before the start of the regular season.

Barring an injury or a free-agent acquisition, Volek is expected to start the season opener against the New York Jets at LP Field on Sept. 10. If Volek plays well and stays healthy, he could hold the job the entire season while Young gets a chance to mature.

Right now when the Titans speak of Young, they can speak only to what they've seen to this point.

"The first thing I told Vince when he got here is, 'The media is going to pump it up for you to be out there from the very beginning, but just stay patient. It took you 23 years to get here — you don't have to get on the field immediately,' '' tight end Ben Troupe said. "It is going to come when he's ready, and when he is ready I think it is going to be fireworks out there.

"So far we've seen just some of the things he's capable of doing, but we'll see more. I know he can make some throws that I don't think guys that have been in the league a while can make.''

Young attended rookie orientation in May and then began working with the veterans in minicamps later that month. This week veterans recalled a player who was unsure of himself in the huddle, a guy who sometimes used the wrong verbiage when calling the plays because of his nervousness. He even had trouble with the most basic things, like taking a snap.

But during the two weeks of June workouts, Young cut down on his mistakes. He looked more comfortable behind center and his footwork was improved. He said he knows his plays.

"He is throwing much better in the pocket,'' Coach Jeff Fisher said. "He is making instinctive throws down the field, back shoulder, away from the coverage and so on. We have seen steady improvement and we expect to continue to see that.''

Young, however, hasn't been perfect. On the final day of minicamp, he mishandled at least one snap and some footballs hit the ground in the shotgun, though coaches put most of the blame on the snapper. Young was intercepted near the goal line during a 2-minute drill.

Over the last month, Young didn't get a whole lot of reps with the starters. Those snaps went to Volek. When Young did work with the first unit, he made some good throws and some bad ones, along with some risky ones that coaches probably didn't want him to make. He also showed he was willing to run when the opportunity presented itself.

As for his willingness to learn, coaches said they couldn't be happier. They said Young has put in extra time on the field and in the classroom.

"If I wasn't coming in and doing the things behind the scenes, I wouldn't be as far along as I am," Young said. "But I am getting more comfortable every day, getting better and better. I know the plays so I can be more loose out there."

Indications are Young has been embraced by his new teammates.

"I wanted to come in here and earn the guys' respect and show those guys, just because I got picked third I don't think I'm over anyone," Young said. "I am the same guy and I am going to get in here and work and win ball games. I'm getting more used to things. I just want to keep it going.''

The Titans wrapped up their offseason workouts on Thursday and aren't scheduled to be back on the field until training camp begins in Clarksville on July 28.

Young is scheduled to attend the NFL Rookie Symposium in California, and he'll get away on his own for a while. Young said he'll also be studying his playbook, and he has plans to work out with veteran receiver David Givens while the two are in Houston next month.

When Young returns, the learning process will continue. Fisher said Young could play a half a game in the preseason, and even hinted that he might start a preseason game.

"But were are getting Billy ready to win games for us,'' Fisher said.

Eventually, Young's time will come.

"He has an opportunity to be something special, but really, you never know what will happen,'' veteran center Kevin Mawae said. "You've had guys come into this league that nobody gave a shot to and now they are Pro Bowlers and then you have guys who are supposed to be the next Joe Montana and they don't end up doing squat.

"It is just one of those things where you just have to play it out and see what happens. (Young) seems to have a pretty good work ethic and desire to want to be a better player. He is the kind of guy that could be a great player in this league if he can figure it out, which I think he will. But we'll have to see.''

[Partial]

Vince Young will be the best QB coming out of this draft. Leinart will be a Kyle Boller and Jay Cutler will be a Jay Fiedler. Young will be Michael Vick with a little less speed, but better passing. If I had to rank him out of 100 I would say he is an 84.

Leinart is polished. The one knock on him period is his arm strength. Boller put himself in the first round by bombing a ball 40 yards on his knees through the uprights. The man has a cannon.

Leinart will be a damn good player, he's got the arrogance and the skills to succeed.

Cutler will be a leftwich. Just a straight up baller who plays the game the right way. Maybe not the best quarterback in the game, but he is the type of character you want leading your team.

[woodbuck27]

The cost of a HIGH draft pick:

Want Young? Titans need about $50M

By Terry McCormick, tmccormick@nashvillecitypaper.com
July 11, 2006

Wondering what it might take to get quarterback Vince Young into the fold with the Tennessee Titans?

The structuring of the deal and the amount of the signing bonus are yet to be determined, but a package somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million, with approximately 40 to 50 percent of that amount guaranteed, is probably what it will take to bring the No. 3 overall pick under contract.

When NFL rookies are signed, several factors are weighed. The league has generally used a slotting system for contracts, meaning the higher a player was selected, the more money he can generally expect to receive at contract time.

Also, contracts from the previous season are looked at as well, with a slight increase usually in the amount of the rookie pool increase factored in.

As well, in Young’s case, as a quarterback, he can also generally expect a little bigger payday than players at other positions.

When the Houston Texans pulled a draft day surprise by agreeing to terms with defensive end Mario Williams over running back Reggie Bush, that deal helped set the bar for this year’s draft.

Williams agreed to a six-year, $54 million deal. The contract did not include a signing bonus for Williams, but according to reports, contains $26.5 million in guaranteed money over the first two years of the deal.

What happens in regards to Bush and his demands from the New Orleans Saints could also play a factor as well, as could the deal with D’Brickashaw Ferguson at No. 4 with the New York Jets.

But as a quarterback, Young’s agent, Major Adams, says the $49.5 million contract Alex Smith landed as the No. 1 overall pick in San Francisco in 2005 will be part of the equation as well.

“Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢m sure all those are the parameters we’ll be looking at,” Adams said. “Weââ� �€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll take into consideration what the first quarterback got last year, and what the first two picks get this year. It’ll be a little bit different since they’re not quarterbacks.”

Young has said he wants to be in training camp by the time it opens July 28, and his Adams echoed that sentiment Monday.

“I don’t anticipate any problems in getting a deal done. They’ve treated us great the whole time, because Vince was the guy they wanted all along,” Adams said.