Whitlock: Sad to say, but Vince Young's problems were predictable

[Deberg_1990]

Imagine that, another lecture on race....


Good read as always JWhit.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8...re-predictable



I'm going to do my best to avoid turning this into an I-told-you-so column.

But the truth is, I told you before the 2006 draft that Vince Young was primed for NFL failure. He entered the league with an attitude, mindset and supporting cast totally unprepared to survive the pressure, challenge and responsibility that goes along with the most prestigious and difficult job in all of sports.

When I explained all of this in 2006, my naive and misguided critics called me an Uncle Tom. Yeah, they ripped me for attempting to issue a young black kid a warning about what awaited him in The League and the attitude he would need to cope and excel.

Some people foolishly think it's every black media member's job to assist in the mental and emotional crippling of black youth. We're supposed to blow rainbows up the asses of every black athlete who "makes it" and assure him/her that anyone who utters a word of criticism is a jealous bigot or irrational sellout.

So, no, I'm not surprised Vince Young tried to quit in the middle of Sunday's game after throwing a second interception and hearing boos from Titans fans frustrated by his inability to read a defense or throw accurately. I'm not all that shocked that two days later Jeff Fisher called the police and asked them to hunt down his inconsistent quarterback. I'm not surprised the Titans team psychologist is apparently worried that Vince Young is suffering depression.

And I'm really not surprised that Vince Young's mother told The Tennessean that her baby boy needs a little space and a lot of love and support.

The question is, when Young rebounds from his emotional abyss and recovers from his knee injury, what kind of love and support are we going to give him? Are the people who already love Young going to replant their heads in Young's rear end and their hands in his wallet? Or will a few people within Team Vince do the right thing and level with him about what he needs to do to make it in the NFL as a quarterback?

Vince Young, like a lot of young African-American men, desperately needs to hear the truth from the people who love him. Too often we pave the road to failure for black boys by believing the cure for bigotry — and there is still plenty of bigotry in America — is the ability to recognize it in (and blame it for) everything. That cure has more negative side effects than most of the drugs trumpeted by the pharmaceutical companies in television commercials. That cure serves as a convenient crutch, and turns a talent such as Vince Young into a quitter the moment adversity strikes. That cure helped land Michael Vick in jail.


Everyone told Vince Young and Michael Vick the NFL would be easy. They'd revolutionize the QB position with their legs, and they could pop bottles, roll with a posse and pretend to be Jay-Z in their spare time.

It just doesn't work. Not for Young or Vick. Not for Matt Leinart. Not for anyone who wants to star at the position and avoid the boo-birds.

No one revolutionizes the starting quarterback position. The position revolutionizes the person playing it. Just ask Donovan McNabb. He figured it out and changed his game. Over the objection of idiots, McNabb developed his skills as a pocket passer. He concentrated on becoming a student of the game. If he can stay healthy over the next three or four years, McNabb will surpass Warren Moon as the best black quarterback ever to play the game.

Unfortunately, there are still people, especially black people, who don't appreciate McNabb. They think he let "us" down by de-emphasizing his athleticism, and they criticize him for being cozy with his organization the way Peyton Manning is with the Colts and Brady is with the Patriots.

McNabb doesn't get to enjoy the luxury of being a company man the way other franchise QBs in their prime do.

But McNabb has never threatened to quit or asked out of a game because the Philly fans were too rough. McNabb understands that in some instances the scrutiny of a black quarterback might be a tad more intense than that of a white one. He also understands that the best way to combat it isn't whining. It's performance. It's work ethic. It's professionalism.

It's not a coincidence that McNabb comes from a supportive, two-parent household.

I bring that up not to castigate Vince Young and his mother. I don't even know the story of Young's upbringing.

I raise the issue to point out that in modern professional sports — with the astronomical players' salaries — ownership and management examine the upbringing of the athletes and factor that into their decision-making.

Vick's failure, Young's potential failure and the guaranteed money they were given will make ownership more reluctant to anoint another kid from the 'hood a franchise quarterback straight out of college.

It's not about color. It's about fitting the profile of someone who can handle all that goes along with being an NFL quarterback. If I'm an owner, I spend my quarterback dollars on young men who were raised by strong fathers. It wouldn't be an infallible system, but on average I bet I'd hit more winners than if I turned over the leadership of my team to a kid who isn't used to having a strong male authority figure.

As black people, we need to ask ourselves whether we are doing a good job preparing our boys for positions of immense leadership, responsibility and scrutiny.




You are going to get criticized playing quarterback. If your instinct is to dismiss the criticism as racist, maybe you shouldn't play the position. If you are surrounded by people who spend every waking minute telling you that you can do no wrong and that everyone who criticizes you is a bigot, then maybe you shouldn't play quarterback.

The position requires thick skin and genuine self-confidence. If you need four or five male groupies with you at all times, a half million dollars of jewelry around your neck and wrists and a dozen tattoos to feel confident, then maybe you should play wide receiver or start rapping.

The average NFL fan has no idea how much time a franchise spends working on self-esteem issues with a typical player. You think these guys are self-assured. Many of them are not. They self-medicate with booze, drugs, steroids, bling, women and attention-getting stunts such as name changes.

Remember when Terrell Owens' assistant claimed he had 25 million reasons to live? It was an accidental moment of clarity and honesty. Too many players have their whole sense of self-worth tied up in their contracts.

It doesn't take much to crack a man with no real identity, especially if he's grown accustomed to having all of his shortcomings rationalized.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by blaise

No, that's not what I said. I said if you don't tout the party line you're labelled an Uncle Tom.

Cute. Good thing I'm perfectly willing to go back and re-read the thread for the sake of clarity. You characterized the party line as race-baiting politics.

The inference here is that anyone who doesn't agree with Whitlock's one-sided view of the issue is a race-baiting politician.

And if giving the same view of an issue over and over again, offer no solutions to the problems you're decrying and exhibit behavior in direct opposition to what you think then there's plenty of tap dancers. Jesse Jackson exhibits those same traits.

Jackson is anything but a tapdancer.
He has never pandered to White America.
He tells the entire story.

He's certainly not without his flaws, but to compare him to Whitlock is flat disrespectful.

I guess when you tapdance for votes, praise and money on one side of the fence you're down for the cause, but if you're on the other side of the fence you're an Uncle Tom.

Jackson has done more in the last 5 years than Whitlock will ever accomplish to solving the problems he seems to care so much about in print.

[PunkinDrublic]

I can kind of see where Micjones is coming from. It seems like the last couple of times a famous black athlete has gotten into trouble Whitlock has come up with a column claiming that it's symptomatic example of many troubled black men. He's coined moronic terms like black kkk and likes to put a lot of blame on hip hop.

Why can't it just be the case of a famous athlete with some mental problems. All the problems of black athletes that Whitlock writes about you could say about any athlete of any color. For God sakes let people be individuals.

[Howlin Wolf]

whitlock is a clown. did you read him saying the pats should sign jeff george? why do people read his shit?

[WilliamTheIrish]

I'm glad MicJones puts the hammer down on Whitlock. I do find it interesting that he insinuates (IMO) that Young is a quitter or a Mama's boy.

I don't have time to list all the things Quitlock has bailed out of.

Mic hit it squarely on the head: Since getting whacked by ESPN, he's been a one trick pony.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Howlin Wolf

whitlock is a clown. did you read him saying the pats should sign jeff george? why do people read his shit?

Whos the bigger clown? Whitlock for writing that or you for taking what he wrote literally??

[Howlin Wolf]

well here's what Whitlock wrote. It sure don't sound like he's just kiddin' and shit -

"You need Jeff George.

Don’t laugh. Pick the newspaper back up. Keep reading. You didn’t listen to me last week, and what happened?

You need Jeff George. Yes, that Jeff George, the No. 1 pick in the 1990 draft, the guy who tongue-lashed June Jones in Atlanta, had one great season in Oakland and Minnesota before falling victim to Marty Schottenheimer’s wrath in Washington.

Yes, I know Jeff George hasn’t thrown a pass in an actual NFL game since 2001 and hasn’t been on a roster since Lovie Smith and the Bears let him go at the end of the 2005 season.

You do realize that Todd Collins went six years without starting an NFL game before leading Washington to three victories last season? You realize Todd Collins was never as good as Jeff George?

You realize even at age 40 and having lived in football exile for three years, Jeff George still has one of the five best arms in the game? Oh, he can still wing it with the best of them. He’s in great shape. He’s ready to go right now.

Bill, I’m not crazy. Yes, I’m in the tank for Jeff George. We grew up together on the east side of Indianapolis, and we take loyalty very, very seriously.

He’s not perfect. He mishandled his career and talent. But the dude is 40 now and still wants to play. He can get the ball to Randy Moss and stretch a defense.

Matt Cassel can’t carry you for a full season. You need a veteran backup who can fill in when Cassel struggles or carry the load for a game or two.

Bill, do you remember the 1981 and 1982 Miami Dolphins, the teams quarterbacked by WoodStrock — David Woodley and Don Strock? Woodley was the young kid who started most of the games, and Strock was the cagey veteran who would come off the bench and spark the offense.

Don Shula platooned his quarterbacks to the playoffs one season and the Super Bowl the next. You can do the same thing with Cassel and George. They can hold it down at quarterback until Tom “Dan Marino” Brady returns to save the franchise.

Bill, don’t be as foolish as Carl Peterson. He ignored me 10 years ago when I told him Jeff George would lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. Have the Chiefs been to the Super Bowl? Coincidence? Only if you believe Brady getting injured was a coincidence last weekend."

now, if this is actually some kind of comedic genius, I can't see it.

[blaise]

I never said Jesse Jackson pandered to or tap danced for White America. You're missing the point.
You're claiming that Whitlock writes stories and says things because he knows there's a certain audience that will eat that stuff up, in this case White America.
My comparison to Jesse Jackson is that he does the same thing but for a different audience. Are you denying that he's made a living pandering to a certain audience in much the same way you say Whitlock does? You're not naive enough to believe that he says the things he says and does the things he does for totally altruistic reasons are you? Sure, some of it comes from his beliefs but not all.
Jesse Jackson, and many others, tap dance plenty- it's just for a different audience.
So really what's the difference between Jackson and Whitlock really then? If they both like grabbing the spotlight by making claims and statements for a particular audience they do it for one of two reasons: 1. Because they believe in what they're saying, or 2. Because they want attention and money.
Lets say #1 is true. If that's so then your defense of one and criticism of the other is based on the message, in which case that makes you closed minded and somewhat hypocrtical.
If #2 is true then they're both scumbags and should be likewise criticised.
I'm not talking about what Whitlock is saying about the black community. I never once said I agree with what he said. That was never my issue. In fact, I think his opinions on hip-hop are off base. I grew up listening to hip-hop and still do and I've never been arrested.
My issue is people like you that label anyone that says things they don't agree with as an Uncle Tom.
It's like when someone that says something political about the war another doesn't like and so they're labelled as Unpatriotic. Or the classic example you see on message boards all the time- One person doesn't like the other's statements and so they just yell, "Asshat" or "You're an idiot".
You seem like a bright guy. You're probably a good guy. It's just my opinion that saying he's an Uncle Tom (implicitly) is a poor way of dismissing his arguments.
How do you know what Whitlock's motives are?

[Nice]

Vince Young's arm is one of the main reasons as to why he stinks in the NFL.

McNabb. Why mention him in this article? Because he's black? Newsflash, he could throw in college. McNabb gets the short end of the stick by being mentioned in stupid articles like this. The guy could throw the damn football in college. 77 TD's in college, 8,300+ yards passing.

"Unfortunately, there are still people, especially black people, who don't appreciate McNabb. They think he let "us" down by de-emphasizing his athleticism, and they criticize him for being cozy with his organization the way Peyton Manning is with the Colts and Brady is with the Patriots."

This article is horsesh1t.

Yes he could run the ball with it in his hands, but holy toledo he could pass the ball awesome, beautiful, and with success. Clearly Whitlock and the media didn't watch his games, his practices, and his warm-ups at Syracuse.

[Smed1065]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Mcnabb is above average pocket QB, but in the biggest games he needs to run for a couple first downs with his feet if no one is open instead of shoving it in places. That one superbowl he failed to pick up first downs when there was running room

He needs to try to win....

[Smed1065]

Splat enough and some sticks.

Why were you not a scout then? Oh yeah, I tell you when I am right and make less.

The same reason you are not now...

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Ask, and you shall receive:

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showp...7&postcount=13



From draft day:

Nice call...but Leinart isn't looking to good, either

Besides, VY was an easy bust call...who wasn't shocked when he won rookie of the year?

And for being a bust...I think they've made the playoffs both years he has been starting...so, yeah his stats don't look so good but the Titans seem to win with him at QB...

[Hootie]

it's not to late to turn him into a receiver...

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by H5N1

it's been said that writers write about what they know about. what, is he supposed to write about what it's like to be a mexican working as a migrant worker?

He should talk about these issues in a balanced and judicious fashion.
That would be the prudent thing to do if he's really interested in inspiring change.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by blaise

My comparison to Jesse Jackson is that he does the same thing but for a different audience. Are you denying that he's made a living pandering to a certain audience in much the same way you say Whitlock does? You're not naive enough to believe that he says the things he says and does the things he does for totally altruistic reasons are you? Sure, some of it comes from his beliefs but not all.

Jesse Jackson has a legacy of work in the communities that he has spoken for. Much of this work is obscured by mainstream America. If having the eyes and ears of mainstream America is his goal... Toiling in Black communities is the worst way to achieve that goal. He'd be better off pandering to America or subscribing to a melting pot or color-blind theory of American society.

Jackson is certainly not without fault. He's made mistakes along the way.
Very well publicized mistakes.

But make no mistake about him...
He has given his life to doing everything within his power to empowering Black people in this country.

My issue is people like you that label anyone that says things they don't agree with as an Uncle Tom.

The fact that Whitlock and I disagree is immaterial.
The real problem here is that Whitlock never provides a balanced and judicious critique of Black America. It never references social responsibility. It's incendiary and inflammatory to say the least. And in many cases, it's been flat untrue. When you utilize your platform to give scathing critiques of Black America without also giving scathing critiques of institutionalized racism and systemic inequality... AND don't live by the codes you continue to impose on Black America...You're a tapdancer, a hypocrite, and a panderer to the fears, anxieties, and myopic views of a large part of White America...