Whitlock: Vince Young may be too clueless for the NFL
 

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.

Vince Young
Vince Young's got some things to learn if he's going to succeed in the NFL. (AP Photo/Tim Larsen)
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.

Vince Young
Young was on top of the world a couple months ago -- things have changed. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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, Whitlock actually wrote a good article. Man this kid has some growing up to do.

I wonder if Young can sue the NFL over what happened at the combine? There is a rumor out there that his wonderlic was mis-scored and he did not get a 6. That is why he was allowed to retake it and get his 16. I wonder if he could sue the NFL for damage to his reputation and draft stock for the leak of the misscored test result?

This is America. You can sue for anything.

I think he really did get a 6. No one ever well protested hard enough and said no it was a 10 or something. Maybe it was a 7. You know being that there are 50 questions and its multiple choice if you just answered A to everything you should get a 12 or 13 if you never even read the questions.

Dave

I doubt it affected his draft stock one bit. The kid is an athletic freak. Despite what Fatlock belched forth in this article, Young WILL be able to rely on his athleticism. He is fast, elusive, and has a strong arm.

I get what Fatlock is trying to say; but as usual he put himself in the spotlight, rather than the subject at hand (he's used to it... bloated gut leading his entrance into rooms by a good second or two). Is Vince Young MENTALLY prepared for the NFL? Probably not... but like all other players, he'll learn - or he'll fade away.

I've wondered about Young after hearing him in an interview or two. The boy doesn't have too many brain cells to rub together. Or at least he comes off that way.

The only real difference between Manning and Leaf is what Manning does to prepare. One's out of the league and the other is on his way to the Hall. Young better screw his head on straight pretty quick.

It hasn't hurt M. Vick yet, he has gotten a pass in the time he has been in the league so far. I wouldn't be too surprised if this same type of thing doesn't happen to V Young........ :banghead:

Ugg, Vick is THE SINGLE most over-hyped player in NFL history. The dude is mediocre AT BEST. Sure he has a great arm and can run, but his work ethic is shit, he blames everyone but himself for failures, and he lives off of the ESPN ass-licker's hype machine.

Vince Young can be the next John Elway (except for the horse-face and the "waaaaah, I don't wanna play here, I'll go play baseball, waaaaah"), or the next Kordell Stewart. It all comes down to dedication and preparation. Personally I think he's off to a bad start - he hired his uncle, a middle-school teacher, to be his agent. That's as bad as hiring P-Diddy.

I don't know, I think Young has been completely overrated ever since the national championship. I mean he can run, but I'm not even close to convinced he has enough accuracy downfield. That entire USC game he just took everything underneath. I think he has the potential to be totally overwhelmed by NFL defenses....

I think Vick and Young share the same parents. If we got Young at #20 I'd be thinking OMG I hope he's here to play WR.

Dave

Dude, he completed near 70 percent of his passes as a senior, or close to it. I've seen highlights of him throwing downfield. He threw a 25-yard fade pattern into the endzone once that was perfectly thrown...OFF HIS BACK FOOT.

I think he has all the tools, but Whitlock may be right about what's upstairs.

That's fine, I just don't think he's gonna be that accurate downfield facing NFL pressure. He threw his fair share of wobbly ducks too. Don't go off highlights. Going off highlights is what got Derrick Johnson to drop to 15th last year.

How do go through college and get that low of a wonderlic score?

Ryan Leaf was even more impressive with his throws. Whats upstairs is #1 for QB

Dave