Brief evaluation of Vince Young's night

by TheElusiveShadow on Nov 20, 2011 10:53 PM CST

We got to see Vince Young start again tonight against the Giants, and I was honestly a bit worried for him. He had virtually no practice time with the first teamers all year and the Giants have some pass rushers. However, after a rough start, Vince settled and played pretty well, including a very clutch, 18 play drive he capped off with the gamewinning TD pass.

At the beginning, I felt he was a bit hesitant with the ball and wasn't really playing naturally. The result was several late throws and inaccurate throws, and he wasn't always on the same page with his receivers. He progressed as the game went on and started to look a lot more comfortable, and his accuracy started to climb as well. Despite his three interceptions, the big encouragement is that he wasn't really making bad decisions. His first pick was the right throw but he just threw it late and so it was underthrown, allowing Amukamara, who was beat, get back in the play. His second pick was another good decision but a late throw, and our own Aaron Ross got away with pass interference that play, resulting in a deflected ball that got picked. His third pick wasn't the best throw in the endzone but Riley Cooper ran a lazy route and let Ross get an easy interception. Thus, only his first pick was completely his fault, and it wasn't because it was a bad idea either.

Vince stood tall in the pocket and didn't prematurely bail in the pocket, using his feet to buy time and keep his eyes downfield. He made several big throws that way and it was great to watch. It's maddening to hear morons out in the media think that he's a run-first quarterback when he clearly isn't. He certainly can run, but he didn't do too much damage today simply tucking and running. He used his mobility to set up the pass, and he was able to get his team a win despite missing some key players and despite the Giants bottling up Lesean McCoy until his late big run.

At any rate, the final stats don't look great because of those three picks, but he was 7 of 9 on that last drive with a touchdown. He will never be a passer like Tom Brady, but he's long proven he's a guy who can make the necessary plays to win ball games. It's not just a bare correlation that Vince Young keeps winning; he's very much a big reason for that statistic.

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Honestly, his throws looked very good

I mean, they were crisp, like RPG rockets with great zip to them. As you said, I think most of his INTs were the result of not being on the same page with his receivers. That usually happens when you haven’t practiced with them enough, or started enough. Consider Rodgers and his receivers. I swear sometimes those guys can read each other’s minds. I hope Vick stays hurt so Vince can keep playing. I bet he’ll get better and better. Maybe this will lead, finally, to a job as a starter elsewhere…

Because we're Texas and we're evil. DUH.

by iamjackburton on Nov 20, 2011 11:01 PM CST reply actions

Romo has been redeeming himself lately.

I was hoping that, if Romo was gonna keep up his inconsistent play, that Jerry would be forced to make a big splash by signing Vince to the Cowboys. Oh well. It’ll probably never happen.

by robthecob on Nov 21, 2011 11:54 AM CST up reply actions

that would be the best day of my life

Vince in a Boys uni? the heart palpitates, lol.

Because being a Texas fan means never having to say you're sorry.

by dukeoforange on Nov 21, 2011 4:07 PM CST up reply actions

He also

would have benefitted had Maclin not been out as well.

by tdwalsh on Nov 20, 2011 11:41 PM CST reply actions

Tweet from Skip Bayless

RealSkipBayless

Remember, Vince Young pulled this off @Giants in his first Eagles start throwing to a guy who hadn’t caught a ball all year – Riley Cooper.

by bluejeans on Nov 21, 2011 1:23 AM CST reply actions

Skip Bayless being encouraging, speaking the truth, and defending a player?!

Wow, maybe he’s turning from his shock-journalism moronic ways.

by robthecob on Nov 21, 2011 11:56 AM CST up reply actions

I could be wrong, but Bayliss has always been pro-Vince

Maybe he criticized him here and there, but overall, I think that he’s always been MOSTLY pro-Vince. At least, whenever I watch him and VY’s name comes up.

Because we're Texas and we're evil. DUH.

by iamjackburton on Nov 21, 2011 12:49 PM CST up reply actions

Only after VY's performance in the Rose Bowl

Before that, Bayless barked all season on how the Trojans would embarrass us and Vince Young got lucky chucking jump balls to guys like Sweed who would beat out bad Big 12 defenses.

Since then he’s jumped on the VY bandwagon, and while he’s right on that count, he’s wrong on most everything else. You know, the broken clock thing.

by TheElusiveShadow on Nov 21, 2011 12:52 PM CST up reply actions

yeh and he's a big time OUsux homer

He defends VY and Tebow to the ends of the world so I respect him for that.

Because being a Texas fan means never having to say you're sorry.

by dukeoforange on Nov 21, 2011 4:08 PM CST up reply actions

He Doesn't Run

This is something I’ve never really understood about Vince’s pro-attitude. I remember early in his pro-career speaking to the media and saying, “I’m a quar-ter-back. Not a running quarterback.” He seemed as if he thought that running the ball as a quarterback is a bad thing.

At Texas, his passes were great, but his legs are what allowed him to go from great, to Greatest of All Time. But in the NFL, he seems to want to stay away from his God given talent in his legs. There were several times last night when it looked like he should have run, but stayed back and passed instead.

I’m not saying he should act like Tebow out there and be run-first every down, but he should be encouraged to use his talent as a runner. That is what would take him in the NFL from good, to great.

by Texas Our Texas on Nov 21, 2011 6:59 AM CST reply actions

I think they're weary of that

They know that Vick takes some hard licks since he runs so much (granted, his current injury was just him taking a hit in the pocket), so I think they’re hesitant to have Vince stretch his legs too much.

Vince still sidearms it a lot, but it seems like he was doing it when he needed to last night. His release has gotten very casual, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He had a great red zone pass to Jackson last night where it wasn’t a bullet of a throw, but it had perfect touch on it.

He really got into a groove, and I hope he’s afforded the chance to start one more game.

by TXinDC on Nov 21, 2011 9:21 AM CST up reply actions

I wouldnt be surprised if he wasnt running much due to him just recovering from a strained hammy...

Because being a Texas fan means never having to say you're sorry.

by dukeoforange on Nov 21, 2011 4:09 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah,

If I’m a coach or GM and Vince won’t run when the pocket breaks down, ala Vick, Randall Cunningham, or even Steve Young, I don’t really know if I want him to be my QB. You might as wel have Kerry Collins. VY’s running is what set him apart in college and it’s what he should gladly accept as his calling in the NFL. I’m not saying to run the option or a QB dive or anything like that. Just drive D Coordinators crazy with the once-a-quarter 20-yard scramble. His offensive coordinators should encourage it rather than keep him from it. As far as hard hits, do you ever remember him taking a direct shot in college? No. They usually got him by grabbing at his feet or encouraging him to run out of bounds. He’s the best broken-field running I’ve ever seen.

by robthecob on Nov 21, 2011 12:01 PM CST up reply actions

Like watching a caged bird that won't sing...

Good insights…I’ve been really frustrated that VY’s college greatness hasn’t translated better on the next level, but I think you’ve basically nailed the problem – you gotta let Vince be Vince for him to truly be effective and even though he had success last night, you could tell he was hesitant to run, like it was an option of absolute last resort.

In college, when he dropped back to pass, running was probably his first option half the time. And defenses knew that, so they had to bring more guys up to stop the run.

Maybe NFL defenses are too big, too strong and too fast for a running QB to survive a 16 game season, much less thrive, but I’d still rather VY be himself for a few years than try to be something he’s not for ten.

Hopefully he figures out how to make it work. He’s still VY and still the greatest in my book.

@longhorn54b

by 54b on Nov 21, 2011 12:43 PM CST up reply actions

I agree that he needs to run more

But the Giants last night played a lot of zone and had guys staring at him most of the night. I think save for a few plays, he made the right decision to use his feet to pass rather than just taking off.

by TheElusiveShadow on Nov 21, 2011 1:02 PM CST up reply actions

He's also

had a few hamstring injuries (including earlier this year) so that may explain his reluctance to take off right now. Plus, remember in Nashville if he got a hangnail Fisher would call it a broken hand for a chance to sit him for the rest of the year so he may be a little overcautious.

by tdwalsh on Nov 21, 2011 2:40 PM CST up reply actions