Commentary
Faceoff
Which quarterback should be taken first in the draft:
By Times staff writers
Published January 15, 2006
Vince Young: WANT A TURNAROUND? YOUNG'S YOUR MAN
Have you seen the Texans? They are an abomination, an embarrassment, a team so awful it was accused of tanking to get the top draft pick. The Saints and Titans aren't much better. They don't need a system quarterback to join an established cast. They need a differencemaker.
As the NFL evolves into a bigger and faster game, Young is the perfect prototype. The 6-foot-5, 233-pounder can make all the throws. He's more efficient than USC's Matt Leinart, having led the nation with a 168.6 rating. He has the mobility to match Michael Vick.
And he can change a team's fortunes, as he showed by leading Texas from behind to win the past two Rose Bowls. You remember the 467-yard, three-touchdown performance that ended USC's 34-game winning streak. But don't forget his four touchdowns against Michigan in 2005.
Texans QB David Carr has been sacked more than 200 times in four seasons, his stock plummeting as quickly as his confidence. Draft Leinart, and you're looking at the next Carr, the future Tim Couch. Take Young, and the possibilities are endless.
- FRANK PASTOR
Chis Leinhart: LEINART WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE FROM DAY ONE
Vince Young is the man! Vince Young will revolutionize football! He will solve world peace! He will find weapons of mass destruction! He is a weapon of mass destruction! Vince Young renders the 21 other guys on the football field meaningless! You can't stop him, you can only hope he takes pity on you!
Okay. Now let's snap back to reality.
Sure, Young single-handedly won the Rose Bowl. But he did it against a defense that finished the season ranked 73rd against the pass. Leinart, meanwhile, finished with one fewer completion and a lot more yards against the nation's No. 7 pass D.
But this isn't about statistics. This is about a guy who is the most NFL-ready quarterback to enter the draft since Peyton Manning. He has the footwork, the arm, the moxie.
No, he doesn't have the mobility of Young. But neither does Tom Brady, nor Peyton Manning, nor Carson Palmer, nor Eli Manning. Like all four, he has four years of college under his belt.
The extra season Leinart spent in school served him well. Too bad it would have done the same for Young.
- DAVID MURPHY
[Last modified January 15, 2006, 01:48:18]
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