An Evaluation Of Star Rookies And Sophomores In The NFL

I just learned that tailback Darren McFadden, the University of Arkansas star runner who finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in each of the past two seasons, will forego his final season of college eligibility and enter the 2008 NFL draft. This is also confirmed on ESPN.

Multiple sources said McFadden's father, Graylon McFadden, dispatched the appropriate paperwork to the NFL office early this week. The decision by one of the college game's most electrifying performers to leave school a year early and pursue a professional career was hardly unexpected.

League and team officials, by policy, are precluded from commenting on underclass players who have petitioned for early draft entry until after the deadline for doing so has passed. The deadline is Jan. 15, and the NFL will release a full list of underclass prospects after that.

While it is still early in the evaluation process for the April 26-27 draft, many league scouts feel that McFadden could be the most talented prospect in the player pool.

Now to be fair, because I'm not a huge college football fan, I haven't had the chance to watch this guy play often. Therefore, I can't predict how he will perform in the NFL next season. However, based on the trend of rookies and sophomores not performing well the past two years (except for a selected few) my guess is he'll get off to a slow start.

Other than Adrian Peterson, who seemed to just explode out of nowhere, I'm unimpressed by the lack of talent from recent college players who entered the NFL, especially after all the hype that surrounded them. The following list includes young players who have not impressed me thus far or are terribly overrated.

-Reggie Bush - He is the definition of what it is to be overrated. Maybe because of his name people like him so much. The fact is, he can't run straight. He's too fancy and runs like he is still in college. Well, this is the NFL and in the NFL if you run and spin to the sides to dodge you're going to get run over.
-Vince Young - I really loved this guy at first. If anybody was going to succeed out of college, he would have been my pick. However, he sold out to the Madden curse and has been plagued by injuries all year. His career will never be what he hoped it would be as a result.
-Matt Leinart - Where did this guy go? He had a less than mediocre first year and he rarely played this year due to injuries.
-Brady Quinn - He never got a chance to play with the Browns....and he probably won't play for awhile thanks to the recent discovery and success of Derek Anderson.
-Troy Smith - He'll see playing time next year, but the Ravens should have started him later in the season. They had nothing to lose anyway.
-JaMarcus Russell - Yet another example of a rookie quarterback who should have started after all the hype, but never was given a chance to.
-John Beck - Speaking of nothing to lose, the Dolphins started this guy hoping maybe he'd change things for the better, but he didn't. I don't think Bill Parcells is that fond of this guy and I doubt he'll be starting next year.
-Jay Cutler - Just Awful
-Tarvaris Jackson - Even worse than Cutler!
-Kellen Clemens - If the Jets are hoping that there future quarterback lies in the fate of Kellen Clemens, then the Jets have a major screw loose.
-Calvin Johnson - He was hyped up a lot....until he got hurt.
-Brodie Croyle - Unimpressive this year.

Now this isn't to say that these guys can't improve. I'm just saying these guys were hyped up coming into the league and have done nothing noteworthy

Enough with the negativity. Who are the young players who have been doing well?

-Joseph Addai - Perhaps he's just lucky to be playing along side Peyton Manning.
-Maurice Jones Drew - Very fast, very small, and very powerful. This is a good-quality running back.
-Lawrence Maroney - Same with Addai, only he's luckier to have fallen in with the Patriots.
-Greg Jennings - One of the players on the Packers who has given new life to Brett Favre.
-Devin Hester - If nobody kicked to him, then teams would save giving up lots of points. But, that wouldn't be fun to watch.
-Marshawn Lynch - Probably the Bills' best player. Still, that's not saying much.
-Chris Henry - LenDale White - These guys make a decent running back duo for the Titans. Better than the running back duo on the Saints , at least, but no where near as good as the running back duo on the Vikings, Cowboys, or Jags.
-Anthony Gonzalez - With the loss of Stokley this year and the absence of Marvin Harrison, Anothony Gonzalez has proven too be a reliable extra weapon for Peyton Manning.

San Diego Chargers Advance In The Playoffs

Thirteen long years after their last postseason victory, the Chargers finally came to life late in the second half Sunday to beat the Tennessee Titans 17-6 in an AFC wild-card game.

Overall, the Chargers had lost four straight postseason games dating to their ugly 49-26 loss to San Francisco in the Super Bowl following the 1994 season.

At first, this was a terrible game for San Diego. They entered the second half having scored zero points. Interceptions and fumbles plagued this team. LaDainian Tomlinson was shut down and I thought for sure this was the curse of Norv Turner.

But, thanks to Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson finding open spots on the field and the lack of the Tennessee Titans being able to actually score, the Chargers came back to win 17-6. Rivers was 19-of-30 for 292 yards, with one interception. Chris Chambers had six catches for 121 yards, and Vincent Jackson had five for 114. I knew this game was over as soon as the Chargers scored their last touchdown on a bogus call. They were up by 11 at that point (the spread was for the Chargers to win by 10) and Vince Young is defiantly not the quarterback you want to fire the ball downfield during a 2-minute drill.

Why do I think LaDainian Tomlinson's second effort touchdown run was bogus? Because after he jumped into the air, he was stopped behind the goal line. If there was nobody beneath him, he would have hit the ground and the play would have been dead at that point. However, because there were so many bodies underneath him, it was impossible for him to hit the ground. So, when he landed on the first body, the official blew the whistle, making the play dead. BUT, no one acknowledged the whistle and this allowed Tomlinson to reach out for a second effort to cross the goal line. The play should have been ruled dead as soon as he was hit in mid air and dropped straight down onto the pile of bodies. After this touchdown, the Titans had no hope of coming back and all those calls against them which pinned them back to their own 1 yard line didn't help either.

Just like that, the nightmares of the Marty Schottenheimer era finally went away. The Chargers advance to face the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis. That game also will be a rematch. San Diego escaped with a 23-21 win over the Colts on Nov. 11, when Peyton Manning threw a career-high six interceptions and Adam Vinatieri missed a 29-yard field goal attempt with 1:31 left.

Vince Young Or Kerry Collins: Who Is The Better Start?

Many have been questioning the status of Young's health and if he'll be 100% ready to play for his first playoff game. Obviously, you wouldn't want your quarterback to start a playoff game if he wasn't anything less than 100% ready. In Last week's game, Young was injured and Kerry Collins stepped in. The same Kerry Collins who led the Giants to the Super Bowl, but then got smacked.

Young and Collins have two radically different styles of play. Young is mobile and can make plays with his legs. This is always a threat because a defense never knows if Young will pass or throw. However, unlike a mobile quarterback like Michael Vick, young does make plays and always looks to throw before he takes off running. Collins, on the other hand, is more of your traditional in the pocket, fire it down field type quarterback.

Vince Young took part in most of practice Friday but will be a game-time decision for the Titans' playoff game Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.

Vince Young

Quarterback
Tennessee Titans

Profile

2007 Season Stats

Att	Comp	Yds	TD	Int	Rat
382	238	2389	9	17	71.1

Coach Jeff Fisher said Young was better but did not go full speed with his sore right quadriceps.

"I did say early he's a quick healer," Fisher said of his quarterback. "He's been that way. He can overcome some difficult things rather quickly, so we're very optimistic at this point."

But the Titans will still test Young on Sunday to make sure he can run around and be close to full speed.

"Then we'll make the decision," Fisher said.

Young is 17-11 as the Titans' starter since being drafted with the third pick overall in 2006. He originally hurt his quadriceps muscle in October and missed a game the next week but has said this injury isn't as severe.

It is interesting to note that while Young's numbers are pretty bad, he still finds a way for his team and him to win games and that's reflected in the record of his team since he joined.

This would be his second game against the Chargers in a month. Young was intercepted twice and limited to 2 yards on two carries. Fisher said Young has studied the tape of that game.

"Hopefully with some anticipation, he'll be able to take advantage of some things," Fisher said.

Also, running back LenDale White was back with the Titans after being excused the past two days of practice because of the death of his grandmother. He didn't practice Friday because of a sore knee but is expected to start after running for 1,110 yards.

However, the Titans are not without injuries. Center Kevin Mawae missed practice again with his sore left calf, and right guard Benji Olson (back) also sat out. Eugene Amano has started for Mawae the past two games, while Daniel Loper replaced Olson late in last week's win at Indianapolis.

The Titans have a roster spot with receiver Roydell Williams breaking his right ankle, and team officials planned to discuss making a move later Friday. With Mawae and Olson expected to be game-time decisions as well, an offensive lineman was expected to be promoted from the practice squad.

The bottom line is that if Young is able to start, then he will start. He is their young, future quarterback and Collins is only there as a veteran to guide him and come in if necessary. Then again, whenever you have a mobile quarterback on your team, every play seems like a back up will be needed. Mobile quarterbacks don't seem to last long in the NFL anymore.

So Much For Hawaii's Undefeated Season

I finally took the time to watch a college bowl game this year (well technically its a new year now so the year is young). Too bad I picked the game that turned out to be a major disappointment. After going undefeated during the regular season, Hawaii got smacked by Georgia 41-10 in the All State Sugar Bowl. Perhaps this gives credit to those in charge of the BCS Standings who didn't give much love to Hawaii despite going undefeated because they played easy teams. Many thought if they were pit against a very good team, they would get embarrassed. This theory was proven Tuesday night.

Overpowering the country's last unbeaten team, black-clad Georgia took out its frustration at getting passed over for a shot at the BCS championship with a 41-10 rout of Colt Brennan and the Warriors on Tuesday night.

Next Monday, on the very same Superdome field, Ohio State will meet LSU in the national title game. The No. 4 Bulldogs feel they're as deserving as either of those teams, and they'll certainly get no argument from Hawaii, which came to the Big Easy with a perfect record and left all beaten up.

"We're No. 1," Georgia safety Kelin Johnson proclaimed. "We're supposed to be in the national championship game. The nation knows it, everyone knows it."

Added linebacker Marcus Washington as he celebrated on the field: "We're the best in the land. We should be playing next week."

Georgia (11-2) established itself as a leading contender in 2008 with a total whippin' of the 10th-ranked Warriors (12-1), who cracked the BCS with an unbeaten run through the Western Athletic Conference, then fell flat in their biggest game ever.

When a powerful offense meets a powerful defense, traditionally the cliche "defense wins championships" is used. That cliche certainly applies here. Knowshon Moreno ran for a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter and the Bulldogs' defense made life miserable for Brennan, a Heisman Trophy finalist and catalyst for the nation's highest-scoring team. He was sacked eight times, threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, one of them recovered for a Georgia touchdown.

After getting slammed to the Superdome turf one last time by Geno Atkins, Brennan staggered to the sideline, his night mercifully done. The junior had the worst showing of his career in a game played to the finish, going 22-of-38 for just 169 yards, less than half of his 348-yard average this season.

"This is not how I wanted my career to end," the senior said.

Heisman winners don't usually fair well in bowl games. The most notable example I can remember is Vince Young's upset victory over Matt Leinart. However, now look at these two players in the NFL. One is struggling to keep his team in contention and the other became injured and out for the season.

Vince Young Runs Light Years Past Michael Vick

Since I was a lad, I pictured the quarterback position as being traditional. The center would hike the ball to the quarterback, who would enter the pocket and look for an open receiver. If no receivers were open, then the quarterback would either throw the ball away or scramble for his life. Sometimes change is good and there have been scrambling quarterbacks (Steve McNair and Randall Cunningham) who have altered my traditional view of the quarterback position, but if you're going to change something, please get it right.

Upon Michael Vick’s entrance into the NFL, I despised him immediately. This hatred is primarily because he radically changed the role of the quarterback position and did it terribly wrong. The role of scrambling quarterbacks reached its height when Vick entered the league. One would assume that Vick would be quite a challenge because defenses would never know whether Vick would pass or take off running down the field for twenty yards. But NO! Vick spends each progressing year hurt or gaining somewhat decent numbers (I’m talking about throwing numbers, not rushing - After all, what’s the point of rushing for 200 yards if you still lose the game?!) And still sportscasters praise his unique style of play and predict good things for him. Sportscasters need to set their alarm clocks because it’s time to wake up and realize Vick is no good and will never win a Super Bowl. As I watch Vick play, I don’t even think he knows what he’s going to do half the time. I understand his receivers are less than mediocre, but if you overthrow them half the time or set them up where they are going to get pummeled right after the catch I wouldn't be able to catch the ball either. Vick is too inconsistent, inaccurate with his throws, and makes poor decisions because he is always in a hurry to take off running with the ball. Basically, the Falcons will never win a championship until Vick becomes a running back or learns to pass. But enough about Vick. Let’s move towards the future of scrambling quarterbacks.

After watching Vince Young play in college, I somehow magically accepted the notion of scrambling quarterbacks. I sat their after the Rose Bowl and said to myself, “Mike, you know, scrambling quarterbacks are fun to watch...when they get it right. Oh yeah and...get a haircut you bum.” I knew Vince Young had the potential to dominate in the NFL and sure enough if the Titans would have started him from the beginning of the season they would have had a much higher winning percentage and would have owned at least the Wild Card. But let us not dwell on what would have been. After all, Young will be around next year and as a Colts fan that scares me. Vince Young impacted the Titans like no other quarterback I’ve seen in awhile. He not only brings excitement to the game with his well-balanced and executed mix of rushing and passing, but the most important thing is HE WINS. Hell, he not only wins, he comes back from 4th quarter defecates where most people would have turned their televisions off and soaked in a bathtub (Giants anyone?...and I like bubbles in my bath). I almost feel sorry for Vick, who has spent 6 years trying to fit into the role of a scrambling quarterback while almost instantly, Vince Young enters the league and is successfully doing what Vick tried to perfect during his six year span. To end this argument about which scrambling quarterback is better, I'll pose a question: Who would you rather rely on when your team is on their own 10 and down by four points with two minutes left in the game?