Vince Young

[DallasDiehard]

So we all saw his unreal performance in the Rose Bowl. Question is: what is he in the NFL? I've heard some say he could improve as a passer enough to be a QB, some have said should play RB. Personally, I think he's got to be a WR.

Thoughts?

[MustangStealth]

I think his best shot would be something like Antwon Randle-El. He would play receiver mostly, but lots of options running end-arounds, wide receiver passes, other trick stuff. He's not big enough to last at RB. Someone might also look at him as a kick return specialist.

[mrydel]

Does anyone know if he can catch. That is a requirement for receiver. He might have Roberto Duran "hands of stone".

[Corso]

Most QBs have very good hands. Surely it would take some adjustment in terms of catching the ball, but he's a guy who I assume would make a lot of creative offensive coaches -- Holmgren, Gibbs, Mariucci, Billick, etc. -- give him a long look. With his size and his ability to run (and throw), there might be a coach out there who sees a future combination of Antwaan Randel El and Plaxico Burress. Frightening.

[EastStang]

Michael Vick is sure doing fine as a pass/run quarterback. McNabb also has shown that ability. Young has size, speed, poise and can make people miss him. He might very well get a look by the NFL as a quarterback.

[MustangStealth]

If he wants anyone to look at him as a QB, he really needs to work on his passing. I haven't seen great strength, precision, or ball placement from him. It looks like he passes just well enough to keep the defense honest.

[ponyte]

For those lucky few of us that reside within the borders of Arkansas, we have seen 4 years of the greatest running QB in the history of football...Matt Jones. He can run but can't throw. He also has little to no discipline. If his primary receiver isn't open, he looks to run. He does fine in some games but has probably cost Arkansas as many games as he has been the hero. And smart teams quit rushing him hard. They covere very well, hold their rushers in discipline lanes and cut off the running lanes. Then teams watch Jones run around like a Razorback with his head cut off.

I haven't seen Young play very often but one wonders how well he will do just being a running threat and not a throwing threat. Vick has a super arm. Vick can read a defense and make accurate throws. Young is a side arm slinger that as the accuracy of UN food for oil audit.

Unless Young becomes a little more discipline and develops more accuracy, look for Young to follow the Jones model in the NFL.

[Bergermeister]

...and then there's Drew Tate. He gets my vote. (I don't know what for, but he still gets my vote whatever it is)

[mrydel]

I would still like to know if he can catch. There was a time that Brown had settled on Chance Mock for the starting QB at the beginning of last year. While I am certain he had long range plans for Young, you would think that someone of Young's ability would need to be on the field somewhere if his talents allowed. Just sticking someone at receiver is not an automatic option. It is a skill position. He may turn out to be the 2nd coming of Randy Moss, but for now I say he is a QB and nothing else until he can prove otherwise. Matt Jones spent a lot of time working at wide receiver even though his actual game time was limited. Arkansas did not have a good enough QB to replace Jones at any given time.

[Mike Damone]

For those lucky few of us that reside within the borders of Arkansas, we have seen 4 years of the greatest running QB in the history of football...Matt Jones. He can run but can't throw. He also has little to no discipline. If his primary receiver isn't open, he looks to run. He does fine in some games but has probably cost Arkansas as many games as he has been the hero. And smart teams quit rushing him hard. They covere very well, hold their rushers in discipline lanes and cut off the running lanes. Then teams watch Jones run around like a Razorback with his head cut off.

I think the one difference between the two is that Vince has a cannon of an arm. The unfortunate part for Young is that, unlike Matt Jones, he has not developed at all. Jones improved quite a bit over his four years and actually was near the top of the SEC in almost all statistical categories. he broke many passing records at Arkansas as well.

Young is blessed with a great arm, but has now completed his third season at Texas (RS, FR, SO) and has not improved one bit. But, if you compare his stats to Mike Vick's two years at VT they are very comparable. He's not quite as fast as Vick, but is much taller. His one problem is going to be his throwing motion. Its almost a crime that after 4 to 5 years at Texas he probably won't fix that major flaw and insure a career in the NFL.

That said, the kid will play somewhere. You just don't keep someone with that ability off the field.

[mrydel]

I am intimately UNfamiliar with UT coaching staff but have a son in law who is very much into the longhorns. He says that with all the grief given Mack Brown for his lack of beating OU that the real problem exists with the QB coach who I believe is also the OC. This person has, according to my SIL, shown the ability to take a quality QB and turn him into an average performer. He said that Chris Simms was taken backwards in his training during his time at UT and that only blind loyalty of Brown keeps the guy around. Perhaps this is the reason that Young has not shown great improvement over the past years, however, what I saw in the Rose Bowl sure made me jealous, and hopeful that perhaps Chris Phillips can develop into a similar type of performer.

[EastStang]

I suspect looking at Coach Burns' background that he likes a quarterback who has good fundamentals in throwing and is probably working with Chris on that area of his game. Hopefully, Chris will be an even better thrower to go along with his quick feet after being under Burns tuteldge for a year. That may account for why the offense sputtered early in the year.

[Stallion]

perhaps some have unfair expectations for a redshirt sophmore who is now something like 21-4 as a freshman/sophmore starter. He's just fine thank you-I wished we had UTs problem. He has personally pulled UT to the finish line in 3 games in the last few months with miracle after miracle. The big problem I see is when you try to play 3 QBs at the same time and then none of them improve.

[that's great raplh]

It will be a miracle if we get to next fall with 3 QB choices.

Give me a break.

How many years has it been since we had returning QBs with game experience?

[gostangs]

Gotta agree with grinchion on this one - Young was a one man show - made Benson look like an offensive lineman, and just willed the game for the horns. I would guess Texas is one of the only teams that actually wore down michigan instead of the reverse. I just have o laugh at these sippers who think they would be better off with someon other then Brown. They do not occupy the same planet I do apparently. When you recruit a top five class year in and year out, eventually great things happen to your team.

Assuming our QB is Phillips - we need to leave him in and let him win us some games.