Dear Vince ...

by TR on Jan 8, 2006 3:46 PM CST in Football Comment 26 comments

To Vince Young, from the Burnt Orange Nation, thank you so very much for all of the memories.

We understand and support your decision to enter the NFL draft, and we wish you the best in the NFL.

You have become the all-time favorite player for many of us, and those memories will never fade.

--TR--

Please add your own Vince testimonals below.

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So Long

Young was fun to watch and it will be a while before college football finds another player of his caliber.

However, as a Sooner fan I'm glad to see him go!

by MattH on Jan 8, 2006 4:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

... He worked for it. He'll be missed and will be hard to replace. I'm glad I got to meet him. He was nice in person. I should've gotten to sign some stuff!!! Either way, best of luck. If he comes to Texas to play, I'll make the trip and pay the ticket price.

HOOK 'EM!

Destroyer!

by DestroyerUT on Jan 8, 2006 4:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Damn it, Vince

I wish I could quit you...

by Eric on Jan 8, 2006 5:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I saw that movie

last night.

LOL, LOL, LOL

"To crush your enemies -- See them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!"

by EYESofBEVO on Jan 8, 2006 7:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Waited A Lifetime For Another Championship

The last two years of Longhorn football have been a salve on the wound of suffering through mediocre to outright BAD (talking about YOU, mackovic) seasons. Watching VY hit the switch and take a game over, making the opposition look like a pee wee team, dancing with that big crystal... thing. Just freaking awesome.

Now bring on Colt. :)

ps. we still gots chizik!

by littlerearl on Jan 8, 2006 5:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Spread the wealth

One measure of success on and off the field is not just how good you make yourself, but how good you make all the others around you become as well. Vince wins this category hands down in my book.

Since I started following the Horns in '84, the only other player I feel that had almost as much positive influence on those around him was Applewhite, and I'm glad to see success quickly following him after his playing days.

by grillerman on Jan 8, 2006 5:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sad and Happy

I can remember how psyched I was when I heard Vince Young was coming to UT. I remember the recruiting stories and thinking Vince Young would lead us to the National Championship.

I told my father before the game wednesday that if we won Vince was gone.... and I have to say I was torn at that possibility.

Of course after the fact I wouldnt give up this Championship for anything.

All I can say is Vince, thank you. I will root for you for the rest of my life. I hope you go to NO, so I can actually go and see some games.

Good luck in the future.

Greatest Longhorn Ever- Vincent Paul Young

by JJStuart on Jan 8, 2006 11:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sumthin Special

Dear Vince,
If it's wrong to be in love with a 6'5"/225lb black man, then I don't want to be right. Vince, you have given Texas fans the greatest gift a player can give his university.
Pride.
You have made the correct decision and I hope you join a team in the NFL that can appreciate and utilize your unconditional talent. Keep you poise and please don't Ricky yourself or Chris Simms Texas when reflecting on your college career to reporters.
I will never forget watching the Kansas State game, after we already got 3rd and 30 Mocked by Arkansas the previous home affair. After your ankle got clipped, you were like "Fuck that," and came back in to win; at that point, I knew you would be the Longhorn messiah.
No college football fan will forget the Rose Bowls and the legacy you have created here. I am just grateful that I was alive during your reign, so that I can pass the epic tales along to my children's' children. Thank you Vince. You know who else thanks you, David Thomas, for elevating his draft status by an entire round. I am sure that you have thanked him too, for not dropping a single pass, for what seemed like two seasons.

Best of Luck and don't forget to throw your horns up, when you score your first touchdown in the Pros.
tearfully yours,
TBone Stallone

by Tbone Stallone on Jan 9, 2006 7:04 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Ode to the Man

I've had my share of Longhorn heros since I really started to pay attention back around '93. Hell, I briefly flirted with thinking that Shea Morenz was the man.

Then James Brown came on the scene. Boy, that guy was something else. He was quick, he could throw some nice passes, he won some big games. It couldn't get any better than that, right?

I also really enjoyed Priest Holmes back in the day, but mostly just because of the way he flew over the line on 3rd and goal. Little did I (or we for that matter) know that he was an NFL stud in the making.

Of course, Ricky was and always will be the running back of my dreams. Watching him run like he was a human bowling ball, if he didn't knock over the defenders, he just carried them with him. You just knew that if you needed the yardage, Ricky was going to get it.

Major Applewhite was the surprise, of course. I figured he'd be a filler QB until the next James Brown showed up. And then it turned out he was the smartest guy on the field, and not a bad passer to boot. It was so exciting just to see a sorta average looking guy excel so much (when he was allowed to, that is).

There were a bunch of other great players in there as well: Brackens, Dawson, Westbrook, Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Vasher, Derrick Johnson, all the exciting guys.

But not a damn one of them ever compared to Vince Young in terms of heart-stopping crazy plays and saving the day, time and again. I try to get to one game a season, and last year I happened to luck into 50 yard-line tickets to the Oklahoma State game. I took my new girlfriend, figuring it would be a pushover game and I could impress her with my awesome team. About 5 minutes until half-time, I was this close to walking out of the stadium in despair. I decided to stay and at least watch the band, but Vince made the whole thing worth my while. Watching him pull the entire team up on his back and carry them was one of the most inspirational things I've ever seen. I knew what kind of leader he was that day. And then last years Rose Bowl. Sweet Jeebus! In addition to being a leader, he's also the best running QB of all time? Too much. That's the only way to describe him: Too Much. In this years good games, he was really on. He proved that he was a great passer against Colorado the first time. His bad games? I figure he was just bored. He knew that any time he needed, he could just turn it on. The Rose Bowl was just proving the point on a national scale, solidifying what we already knew: he's the greatest of all time. The only question was whether the defense could hold enough to give him the chance to win it, and they did. The true testament to Vince Young is that he didn't do anything differently in the National Championship game than he did in last years Rose Bowl or any of the games this year. USC, the "greatest team" of the last three years, saw him coming, knew exactly what he was going to do, and just couldn't handle it.

Vince "Too Much" Young. We will never see the likes of him again. At least I got to see it with my own eyes...

by Kahuna on Jan 9, 2006 9:17 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Vince

You ripped my heart out after the 2006 Rose Bowl.

I think you're making the wrong decision, but thats you're prerogative. Shame on you for lying about it.

Good luck in the NFL.

Fight On, Beat the (insert Trojan oppoent here)!

by USCLink on Jan 9, 2006 10:17 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Do you think he though he was leaving

before last Wednesday?

by Wells on Jan 9, 2006 10:31 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

USC Link

and shame on you for calling him a liar...

Circumstances change. That's life. The way things played out with draft order, and with the possibility of a change in the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, this was the smart decision for him. And I wish him nothing but the best.

I think I feel like almost every other single UT fan.

Part of me wishes he'd come back just to see what he'd do next year. If he improved any at all, with the talent we've got coming back, there'd be another absolutely sickening display of ESPN hype, although this time it might be warranted...

On the other hand, what's he got left to prove? Not having a Heisman in his resume does not diminish him, it just diminishes the Heisman.

His legacy at Texas is set. He played three seasons here, and left us with a lifetime of memories. And like Earl before him, he's paired the athletic sublimity with off-the-field greatness. All these years later, I still can't think about Earl wearing that #20 without feeling joy. I bet it will be the same with #10 30 years down the road too. Both those guys changed the very face of Longhorn football. And they changed it for the better.

by agent orange on Jan 9, 2006 10:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

re: sumthin special

I'm curious, what does "Keep you poise and please don't ... Chris Simms Texas when reflecting on your college career to reporters" mean?

And I can't tell if Link is being sincere with his second sentence, but it seems odd to me that people don't think college kids should ever change their minds.

There is nothing more he can accomplish or learn at the college level and his draft stock will never be higher. It's easily the right decision.

by Jason Mayer on Jan 9, 2006 10:34 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Chris Simms

XSimms bad mouthed UT coaching and the university after his abilities led to him be drafted last on the first day. Apparently despite easily blowing two B12 Championships out the window, like the paper wrapping on a McDonald's straw (one in Dallas, the other at Tech late in the fourth quarter), Simms believed that he could have been coached better at Texas. Far beit from me to rush to the aid of Greg Davis, but legacy fuckers from New Jersey can kiss my stink-ass, when they talk shit about their Alma Mater's program, especially when a more deserving winner-candidate was red-headedly bench.
P. S. - lets not forget Brad "no talent" Johnson led Gruden's complex offense through a Super Bowl, its not like Chris Simms is teetering on the fringe of Pascal's numerically offensive gameplan in Pampa.

by Tbone Stallone on Jan 9, 2006 11:12 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sincere...

I'm also spoiled though, since Leinart actually came back, although it was arguably a bad decision.

Fight On, Beat the (insert Trojan oppoent here)!

by USCLink on Jan 9, 2006 11:38 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

re: chris simms

I tried to go back and find this bad-mouthing example and the only thing I came across was a story on ESPN.com before that year's draft where Chris said he was disappointed that he didn't get to start the rest of his sophomore year after the OU blowout when the coaches knew and had told him he would be starting next year.

Other coaches and scouts told him (not the other way around) that they saw "what's happening here" regarding the offense Simms had to work in.

He's repeatedly expressed how he enjoyed his time at Texas and was answering questions about Vince and the upcoming Rose Bowl last week. He's never "talk[ed] shit" about Texas.

And I don't understand your P.S. comment other than it being your attempt to not give Simms credit for doing anything as an NFL quarterback, despite him leading his team to a division title and having a better passer rating, more wins, and nearly the same amount of passing yards in five fewer games than Pro Bowler Michael Vick.

I've said it before, I will never understand the vitriol of some Texas fans when it comes to Simms based on one lousy performance against Colorado. And, yeah, his interception against Tech in the fourth quarter cost us a chance at the win, but you're going to blame that entire loss on him? That's ridiculous. We're not even in that position without his 345 yards passing and 4 TDs. Why couldn't our defense make a stop when it needed to?

by Jason Mayer on Jan 9, 2006 11:57 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

regarding Chris Simms

Jason, I don't remember where I read it, but I do distinctly remember reading about Simms bad-mouthing UT football after his senior year.

I wrote about Chris Simms in my blog a few months ago - and I stand by what I said and it still holds true.

http://tripleot.blogspot.com/2005/10/chris-simms-my-worst-enemy.html

As for Vince Young, he is what every team wants in a quarterback and I was blessed to see him. He had the Michael Jordan switch - he was able to control a game when it really mattered. He also was as charismatic as they come. Skill and personality is what made T.J. Ford a UT legend, and is what will hopefully get VY's jersey retired in similar regard.

by trot on Jan 9, 2006 12:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Chris Simms Killed My Dog

Or maybe it was Youth Culture, but no matter.

The fact is that Chris Simms never lived up to the hype, never performed to the standard for which he was recruited. As I mentioned below, his predecessors James Brown and Major Applewhite basically came out of nowhere (hype-wise) and led the Longhorns like heroes. Chris Simms was recruited as a hero and while he helped the Horns win the ones they were supposed to, never stepped up for the big games. Add to it the fact that it became clear to the average Texas fan (who, by nature of being a Texas fan, should be considered the pre-eminent expert on all Texas play-calling and recruiting issues) that benching Major for this over-priveleged ninny was a serious mistake, and Junior Simms deserves a lot of vitriol, in my book.

Blame it on Greg Davis? Only if I can blame Vince Young's success on Greg Davis.

P.S. He showed his true colors on the NFL stage Saturday by blowing a playoff game against a Redskins team that gained a historic low in yardage (122?) for the game, throwing two crucial picks.

by Kahuna on Jan 9, 2006 12:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Chris Simms = Crucial picks

Nah... That's just my imagination.

by GoHorns on Jan 9, 2006 12:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ummm

Mack Brown: I'll answer that for Chris

by FreedomDip on Jan 9, 2006 4:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't blame Mack for that.

Though it was kind of weird. He knew that his starting QB was about to be absolutely hammered by the media (and he should have been). He just didn't want to see Chris cry on camera.

by GoHorns on Jan 9, 2006 4:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

sad

After I've been trying to defend Chris Simms on here all day, I've realized how sad it truly is that right after Texas wins the national championship and we witness the greatest Longhorn ever in his last game, the only thing Texas fans can do is shit all over Chris Simms.

Amazing.

by Jason Mayer on Jan 9, 2006 2:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Simms had his chance to be Vince

Texas could have possibly been in the Rose Bowl 4 years ago, playing for the National Title...but a certain Colorado team forced 4 Simms turnovers in the first half. Do all these scenarios sound familiar? Of course not, because VY didn't let history repeat itself...and that's why Simms is history. I do root for Chris and all other Texas exes in the NFL to do well (and he has had a good year). But as a Longhorn, very few will forgive Simms for having the starting job gift wrapped and handed to him over the reigning Big XII player of the year (Major) and then failing to seize the opportunity...especially with receivers named Roy, BJ, and Sloan, the likes of whom Major never had.

by Lincoln on Jan 9, 2006 3:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bucs

Yeah, Cadillac Williams' fumble that was returned for a touchdown sure helped the Bucs' cause. So did Edell Shepherd's drop of a perfect throw from Simms that would have tied it.

Not to mention, Simms had been clutch all year, bringing the Bucs back in games.

Whatever.

by Jason Mayer on Jan 9, 2006 2:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Simms is good

Actually, he's really good. I think he's just one of those guys that matures a little slower than everyone else. Gruden got a hell of a lot out of him this year, and he'll only get better. He'll be one of the 10 best QBs in the NFL next year.

We all know that Chris messed up some big games for Texas, and he deserves to be criticized for his poor play in them. But to be ungrateful for what he did do, for the team as well as the program, is silly and misplaced.

There might not have been a Vince Young era without the Chris Simms era. Who knows...

by Peter Bean on Jan 9, 2006 3:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Best of luck Vince

The distinction of "best college football player I have ever seen" goes to you after the performance against USC. Do you have an "overdrive" switch that you flip when you face impossible odds? Kansas, Oklahoma State x2, Michigan, and now USC are all examples of where you make the impossible look easy. 4th and 14 on the road? Down by 28 in the first half? Down by 10 in the 4th quarter? Down by 12 with 6 minutes left? You didnt even have to second guess yourself. Best of luck in the pros though, the Titans (or the Texans? Saints?) are lucky to have you, and may your success in the college ranks carry over tenfold in the pros.

by bendj on Jan 9, 2006 9:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs