By Ryan Mercer/sports editor
No more than a week after winning the national championship and being king of college football, Vince Young jumps to the pros, skipping his senior year.
Safe move on the part of Young, and no one can blame the man for doing it.
Many people are wondering why Young would skip his senior year at the University of Texas and give up more college glory for the NFL he might not be ready for.
The answers lie with the young quarterback, who made a decision that was in the best interest for him and his entire family.
For Young, the proposition was stay in school to get his degree, win the Heisman, garner a national championship, beat Oklahoma, risk injury and drop in production or get drafted and collect a potential $15 million paycheck.
The choice was obvious, and no one can argue with Young’s decision, especially with recent events like the Rose Bowl game.
Matt Leinart skipped his opportunity to turn pro to stay in school for a chance at a second Heisman and national championship.
Although Leinart did have a better statistical season this year than he did as a junior, his draft stock dropped enough to put him out of the No. 1 spot.
Add the fact that he didn’t win the national championship and got outplayed by another quarterback (Young), and Leinart’s senior year can be considered a bust.
Leinart is not in high demand as he once was.
On the other hand, Young will never be higher in demand than he is now.
Besides all that money, this demand is a big factor in Vince’s jumping ship.
Another key factor in Young’s decision is the opportunity to back up his mentor and good friend, quarterback Steve McNair of the Tennessee Titans, who own the third overall pick in the draft.
If everything plays out, Young could find himself in Tennessee, which benefits him greatly as he can sit back and learn from one of the best in the game before he takes over.
Young, however, needs to work on his game because the offense implemented at Texas was designed to fit his style of play.
That style will not fly in the NFL because of the speed of most defensive squads.
Young is no fool; he knows what he has to do to make it at the next level.
The guy just won a national championship and did so easily against the defending national champions.
Young has the intangibles to be a great NFL quarterback; Young already accomplished more at Texas than Michael Vick could have dreamed about in college.
It may be Young who changes the way the quarterback position is played, not Vick.
Young knows what he has to do to succeed in the NFL. Another year in college may help or may not.
Young’s desire to win, to be the very best and to prove the doubters wrong is what got him to this position. It will certainly carry him and his team to the next level, ultimately the Super Bowl.
