As many of you may have already heard, Jason Taylor was traded to the Redskins.  Jason Taylor was dealt to the Redskins for their 2nd draft pick in 2009 and 6th draft pick in 2010.  Even with the addition of Kearse, I would have loved for our front office to have made this move. 

Imagine gameplanning against Haynesworth and a blend of Taylor, Vandenbosh, and Kearse on the ends.  We'd immediately have the best D-line in the NFL...hands down.  The play of Haynesworth last year as well as the New York Giants d-line convinced me that a strong defensive line is the most important thing in professional football. 

Now, things in the NFL never happen in a vacuum.  Jason Taylor wanted out of Miami for a championship ring.  We don't know if he thought the Titans were a contender.  But, if he did, and Reinfelt didn't make a run at him, I'd be very disappointed.

I want to get ya'lls opinion here.  Individual tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10 am CST.

The options below are really the only ones that work because of scheduling conflicts.  If I had it my way, I'd be going to the Colts MNF game.  While we can only make an educated guess, I'd think that the Cleveland game will have the biggest impact.  I could very easily see that game deciding a Wild Card spot, so that's where I'm leaning.  I appreciate the input...

Note:  I've removed the Houston game as I will already be watching the Titans in Houston this year...

From The Worldwide Leader comes one of Kuharsky's first articles on the ESPN staff.  

A couple of tidbits:

 

Heimerdinger actually was surprised at how swiftly Young caught on to the themes of the footwork changes.

"I thought it would be kind of dramatic because you're asking a guy to change the way he's been throwing for a long time, at least with his feet," he said. "I didn't think he'd catch on as quickly. When we started doing the drills for it, there was such a big difference between Day 1 and Day 3 that I knew he was going back home, working on it and it was important to him."

His footwork wasn't the only thing he worked on. While completing course work toward his degree in Austin this spring, Young flew back to Nashville on Wednesday evenings and got a classroom session in that night before doing field work on Thursdays and Fridays.

Heimerdinger actually liked that Young was off on his own some of the time because it gave him a chance to gauge his quarterback's dedication and ability to follow through with plans.

Young showed Heimerdinger that he'd ponder things after those Wednesday evenings, because the coordinator would see improvement on Thursdays.

 

 

How will the footwork alterations change Young's game?

His accuracy should improve even more than it did in 2007 when he jumped from 51.5 percent in 2006 to 62.3 percent. Now, as Heimerdinger seeks more yards after the catch, he said he can't have pass targets diving or jumping to pull the ball in.

Just as importantly, the alterations should help set up Young to run more effectively when he decides the options produced by routes on a play don't warrant a throw.

Even in OTA practices in which it's hard to simulate a pass rush, Fisher has seen Young step up into the pocket rather than hanging back, as had become his habit.

"We do have team-oriented drills and the pocket does collapse, and what Vince is doing much more now is moving up in the pocket," Fisher said. "He's stepping up in the pocket with his eyes downfield and picking up receivers rather than keeping his depth in the pocket and scrambling with depth. He'll be able to make more plays not only as a passer but also as a runner as he moves forward."

 

All we've heard about this offseason is about that irrelevant picture of him partying one night with old teammates.  It's encouraging to hear the other side of the story and understand all the hard work he's putting in.

There will always be Vince haters.  And face it, unless you watch Vince every Sunday, the stats don't say much.  But, the kid has that certain quality that you only see in a handful of athletes in a decade.  It's a fire and competitiveness that doesn't show up on a stat sheet, and you can't coach.  Combine that attitude with a set of tangibles unlike any athlete ever to play the Quarterback position and you have someone who could become a legend in this league.  

I'm getting side tracked here; it's the offseason and news like above gets me excited.  Now, I know this isn't college football, but, then again, VInce isn't any other quarterback either.  When the Texas Longhorns got back from the first Rose Bowl win, VInce told all the people who wanted to win the National Title the next year to be at the stadium the very next morning.  I'm feeling that same kind of drive from him again this offseason.  He's beginning to understand that to be the best he's going to have to evolve.  If that evolution continues...watch out.  I'd expect a dramatic improvement this next year.

From Espn.com, Matt Mosley's interview with Vince Young.

It's not much...but it's something during this slow period.

Hash: What was Pacman Jones like as a teammate and how do you think he'll fare in Dallas?

VY: Pacman's a great guy. The fans will really, really love him. I think he's gotten away from that type of crowd that was bringing him down. It wasn't Pacman. Just talk to Deion [Sanders]. He'll tell you what he's like. He's a big-hearted person. He doesn't want to mess up again, and I think he'll be great for the Cowboys. When he'd go out with guys like me and Keith Bullock and Kyle Vanden Bosch, he was great. He loves to bowl, and he never caused any trouble.

Hash: What was he like on the practice field?

VY: He was very competitive. He wouldn't let no one throw to his side during practice. He'd get upset if you completed a pass to his side and take it personally. He talked a lot of trash and was very physical. I talked to him last week and he said, 'Texas football is really Texas football.' I told him that's all you got to do is focus on football.

Hash: Do you ever regret skipping your final season of college?

VY: Somewhat, yeah, I do. Getting another year under my belt might've helped me mature. But I've been fortunate to know people like Steve McNair. I've been living fast for my age. Since I was a 6-year-old, I've been hanging around people that are older than me. I look at situations like Ced's and know that if you don't pay attention, it could happen to you. I've been living the fast life, but I think I already have myself prepared for whatever I'll face.

It looks like this was posted a while back here.  But, if you're like me, you may have missed the link in the long post.  And, in this endless offseason, it probably wouldn't hurt for us all to read it again.

ESPN's Best BCS Performances 

  1. Texas QB Vince Young vs. USC in 2006 Rose Bowl

 

You remember this one right? It was only one of the greatest individual performances in U.S. sports history. Start with the biggest number, which is mind-blowing: a BCS bowl record 467 total yards in Texas' 41-38 victory. Young rushed 19 times for 200 yards, scoring touchdowns of 14, 17 and eight yards, the final tally providing the game winner on fourth down. That's still the best rushing total in a BCS title game. Oh, and Young didn't lose a single yard against a fast Trojans defense. Nor did he throw an interception while completing 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards. That's the second-highest completion percentage in any BCS bowl game. But it wasn't just the "no-way-he-just-did-that" athleticism. It was his rising to the moment and almost single-handedly ending USC's 34-game winning streak by leading a comeback from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to give Texas its first national title since 1970. It was Young, weeks after failing to hide his disappointment over losing the Heisman Trophy to USC's Reggie Bush, proving to the world that he was college football's biggest star.

 

3. Texas QB Vince Young vs. Michigan in 2005 Rose Bowl

Perhaps we should have seen Young's 2006 Rose Bowl performance coming, considering he'd made a similarly stunning star turn in the same storied venue almost exactly a year before. In Texas' 38-37 victory over the Wolverines, he rushed for 192 yards with touchdown jaunts of 20, 60, 10 and 23 yards. He also passed for 180 yards and a touchdown, and drove the Longhorns for the game-winning kick. And, while not a championship game, there was some unique pressure on Young and his Longhorns teammates. After a controversial lobbying effort by coach Mack Brown, Texas had leapfrogged California in the national polls and received a guaranteed BCS berth, thereby preventing the traditional Pac-10-Big Ten matchup, which didn't make the Longhorns terribly popular in Pasadena. A side note: Young's performance unfortunately marginalized Michigan receiver/return man Steve Breaston's Rose Bowl record of 315 all-purpose yards.

I remember singing the Eyes of Texas at the end of the first Rose Bowl thinking, this can never be topped.  Then, 2006 happened.  Thanks for the memories Vince.

See below.  A couple of issues I have:

Chris Johnson - This rating seems low.  Especially with Ray Rice rated at an 80, Mendenhall an 81, and McFadden an 85.  I'd like to see something closer to 80.

Alge Crumpler - This seems really low considering he was a 94 last year.

Jevon Kearse - An 88 last year...81 this year.

Albert Haynesworth - Ticky tacky, but I think he should be a 99.  In my mind he had an MVP type year, just because of his ability to change a game and our defense altogether.

Michael Griffin - I think he deserves to be 90+.  This kid is going to be a star.

via www.pastapadre.com

via www.pastapadre.com

A prediction for next year.