NFL heading toward early quarterback crisis
They talk about pro football being a game of attrition – but is it Vinny time already?
Of course, the knee injury felt ‘round the football world belongs to New England’s Tom Brady but they’re just one quarterback sack short of all-out panic in Kansas City and Tennessee as well. So can the umpteenth return of Vincent Frank Testaverde be far behind.
In the same game in which Brady was hurt, Kansas City quarterback Brodie Croyle suffered a separated shoulder which has head coach Herm Edwards considering a two-quarterback system featuring Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen. Meanwhile, Tennessee is looking at a two- to four-week recovery for Vince Young (and is that another story) and has veteran Kerry Collins but obviously needs back-up help. Enter Chris Simms, who has been piling up frequent flyer miles making airplane trips to teams with a quarterback crisis.
Young's story goes beyond a banged-up knee, though. The real issue appears to be a bruised psyche. His mother told a newspaper that Young is smarting over criticism of his play. Earlier this week, Titans coach Jeff Fisher had police scouring the countryside for Young because his family was concerned over his state-of-mind. He was booed after throwing two interceptions against Jacksonville on Sunday (a game the Titans went on to win) and he had to be coaxed back onto the field by Fisher. Soon after that, he was hurt.
Now a mother’s concern for her son is genuinely moving but somehow I have to believe that fans and opponents may pick up on Young being characterized by his mother as her “baby boy” who “just needs a lot of love and support.” Again, that’s sincerely touching but is that really how a quarterback wants to be viewed when he has to face down, say, Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher. Who knows, guys like that may be entirely sympathetic? Then again ...
Comments
Imagine what they would be saying if Young played for the Ravens.
And to think so many Ravens "fans" say Boller is the worst QB in the league. I hope Kyle has a good agent because he will have a lot of opportunities out there.
Posted by: Venkman | September 10, 2008 7:30 PM
Speaking of how a QB wants to be viewed...
In addition to not being mentally tough, Young is dumb as a log, too. He scored a 6 on the 50-point Wonderlic test at the combine -- lowest score, ever. I guess he's finding it a little tougher in the NFL than at Texas, where he had people to go to class and take his tests, and was generally treated like a god. All he had to do was play football and make sure the money he got from boosters was not detected. His image took a different kind of hit this summer when he was pictured shirtless ... That's not likely to win any friends in the locker room, either. Ultimately, though, the reason he won't make it in the NFL is because of his fragile psyche and scatter arm. In future years, he'll be right up there with Ryan Leaf when draft busts are discussed.
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Easy,
Sorry for the edit. That portion has never really been established by what we would call a reliable account so in the interest of fairness ...
--Bill O.
Posted by: easywriter01 | September 10, 2008 7:42 PM
Vince Young may likely be suffering from the numerous bell ringers he has endured. The cliche, toughen up, get back in there mentality has now been linked to depression, alchoholism and suicide. The boxers Glass Jaw is now the focus of independent research of a procedure used by the N.E. Patriots. A simple evaluation of his TMJ may display a cause of his problems. Once fitted with a corrective mouth guard, his symptoms may lessen and like many others, his outlook will improve. www.mahercor.com
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Steve,
Interesting take. Thanks for the contribution.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Steve | September 11, 2008 12:06 AM
It befuddles me why NFL teams don't keep more quarterbacks on the active roster. Given the complexity of the offenses, it seems to me that you would want to be more than 2 deep in terms of QBs on the active roster. Look at the Ravens. If Flacco goes down (assuming Troy is still sick) we have a guy that has about 2 weeks of experience in the system. Remember how long it took McNair to get comfortable in the Raven's offense?
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Mike,
It really is a crisis situation with quarterbacks in the league these days.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Mike | September 11, 2008 10:41 PM