ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman says Vince Young is just about a sure thing to enter the NFL draft after the Rose Bowl:
I know he has made an announcement to the contrary, but Vince Young is gone. Sources say he has already made up his mind that he is done after the Rose Bowl and will be headed to the NFL. It'll be interesting to see how Young handles all of the hype that comes from the bowl run-up time, especially in such a big media market.
Let's break this down for a second.
- There's no mention of who these "sources" are. Only that they are sources. I'd be far more inclined to take this seriously if Bruce offered something more concrete, even if the source remained anonymous.
- Vince seemed pretty upset that he didn't win the Heisman. If he wanted to win it that badly, why tell the voters you'll be back another year? It gives them a chance to think, "Well, Vince will probably win next year."
- It would be terribly unfair for Vince to tell his coaches, who have recruiting needs, "I'll be back," when in fact he won't be back. Now, we don't know for sure that's what he told the coaches, but that's been widely reported, too.
- Vince will only benefit as a passer from another year of seasoning. I know he doesn't want to sit on the bench; why not spend a year of his development playing on the field? It makes a lot more sense.
- Mack Brown has quite a reputation for keeping his players around for four years. This story doesn't fit anything we've seen in Mack's history. Or Vince's.
--PB--