Vince Ricky: The Fall of the Sure Thing

I feel the same way about Roy Williams too. But yeah VY and Ricky… sigh

I am unable to speak objectively on the careers of either of these guys. I am the enabling parent who can’t see any fault in their children when it comes to either one.

I get why its important to the players to succeed at the next level (straight cash homey), but a Longhorn’s success – or lack thereof – in the NFL, has never diminished my opinion of their skills or appreciation of what they did in the Burnt Orange and White.

Facts: Vince Young is a two-time Pro Bowler, has improved his passer rating in every full season, had a 98.6 passer rating at the age of 27, has a 30-17 regular season record as a starting QB for a team whose other starters have a 15-18 record over the same time span, and his only new-fangled QBR that was calculated rated 12th out of a three year span (meaning #12 out of 96 team seasons in the NFL) while his superior 2010 season wasn’t even calculated. His 27-year-old QB Rating is 9th all-time for 27yo players with at least 100 pass attempts.

The biggest negatives about his career are soap opera type issues. On the field he has delivered. He may fail, but he sure as hell hasn’t done it yet.

Oh, and Ricky Williams will probably go over 10,000 career rushing yards this year.

If things work out in Philly for Vince he should get a shot at being the man on a team next year. He can prove Jeff Fisher wrong and get paid well to showcase his talent. He needs to go the right team with a good offensive philosophy and some decent receivers for a change. The NFL is very risk avererse league so until he proves otherwise he has the Tennesee baggage. Fair play to him.

I clearly have no interest in these two.

Oh wait…I actually love them more than any other athletes ever? Oh yeah, I forgot.

I defend them to the last, and I always will. But their pro careers have been no day at the beach.

Still…

Vince Young. Forever. Unconditionally.

And Ricky, too.

To me, the one thing I’d say they’ve both had in common, and I’ve learned that like the fool says in Tombstone, “That don’t go around here, lawdog.”…The NFL does not like it much when you buck authority. That doesn’t get tolerated too well.

Oh wait, unless you’re James Harrison, and everything about you screams TOUGH GUY (who gets oiled up for pansy magazine shoots with firearms; more like COMPENSATION).

Ricky and Vince both broke the number one rule of Fight Club, and that is: There is no non-conformity in this dojo.

In Ricky’s case, it’s what made me love him in the first place.

Athletic success at the highest level is a fickle mistress. You’ll never convince me Tom Brady ever would’ve been any more than a good quarterback in a different circumstance.

Circumstance hasn’t been entirely kind to Ricky or Vince, though they’ve done their parts to not swim with the stream.

And Huckleberry…word.

I wish someone would show what Vince’s Total QBR was for last year. ESPN doesn’t show it anywhere because they only did “starters”, and they counted Jeff Bridges as the Titans for last year.

Hopefully, the Eagles and Ravens will meet in the Super Bowl this year, two games after Vick goes out for the season.

Andrew Brandt recently mentioned that Ricky had his paperwork to enter the draft after his junior year ready to file, but changed his mind at the last minute. So glad he stuck around.

The biggest mistake Ricky ever made was getting Master P to be his agent.

Where’s the Christian Scott article?

Both of these guys met my expectations on the field. As Huck pointed out, they did fine. And they probably met my expectations off the field as well. Ricky is Ricky, his weirdness is part of his charm. VY getting drafted by the Titans was always going to work out the way it did, both with the clashing with Fisher and with going to a few pro bowls.

As far as VY’s contract, this is a fantastic deal for him. $6M per year to be a back up for a Super Bowl favorite? Of course this was meant as a one year deal stop gap before moving on to a longer term starter deal next year.

VY’s per pass stats over the ages 26-27 compare favorably with some of the greatest QBs of all time. He may not make the promised land, but he’s overlooking the Jordan (wait, that’s when Moses died?). Given a stable situation, I think he’s ready run wild.

And Ricky? He only has the most NFL rushing yards for a Longhorn- better than everyone’s favorite sausage maker. Even though maybe he just wanted to chill and smoke pot, I’ve always respected Ricky’s quirks- only in sports would being more than a football player be a bad thing.

These 2 were Mack’s most important recruits.

As an individual contributor, I like Ricky’s chances this year more than Vince’s. He’s 34, but hasn’t taken the pounding over the past few seasons like he did early in his career. Splitting time last year with the Dolphins, he had 159 carries. He had more (241 in 2009), but about the same (160) in 2008. As a power runner behind fullback Vontae Leach and a good pass catcher, there’s a lot of upside.

I’m not as optimistic about Vince. I hope for the best, and concede his excellent passer ratings, but he’s there as insurance against Vick going down. In a perfect season for the Eagles, Young hardly sees the field. Can someone who’s always been the man accept this specific role as a backup? It’s not like with the Titans, where he should have been playing ahead of Collins.

In a perfect season for the Eagles, Young hardly sees the field.

True enough, but he’s there because Reid realizes the “perfect season” is unlikely. And if/when Vick goes down for a game or three, Vince will take the field with the best offensive talent he’s ever seen as a pro.

Huckleberry mentioned his on-field achievements. But don’t forget the context of how he got those passing stats. Who was his best receiver ever? Britt last year, by a wide margin. Britt’s probably a #3 receiver in Philly’s offense. After Britt, who was VY’s second-best receiver? Maybe Drew Bennett??? I believe Vince will be prepared if he gets his chance, and if he starts 3 games or so, Reid will probably have a much tougher decision on his hands than he did with Vick-Kolb last year…

Article made me shed a tear.

@Bevobackside : Ricky wasn’t a Mack Brown get, but he was a Mack Brown keep. Someone noted that he was planning to go to the draft and I heard same.

I still remember what I think was one of Mack’s first conferences announcing that Ricky was staying and then declaring the recruiting season a success. Ricky was the only damn thing that Mackovic ever did worth a damn for Texas.

Would love to see them both have more success in the league, somehow I think Ricky defines success differently than most.

Regarding Huck’s post, I think there’s a distinction that needs to be made. Neither Vince nor Ricky are failures. They’ve done more than most in this league. However, they haven’t lived up their billing as future superstars and sure-fire Hall of Famers. And therein lies the disappointment.

Vince – live completely in the moment. Forget the past accomplishments and the expectations of the the future and just be one with the Tao – as you were that night in the Rose Bowl where there was no focus on the stats, but just the immediate result of the present play. Live in the moment. It is where the fog disappears, the clarity is unrivaled and the path is obvious. It is where your power resides and is unequaled. (okay, so I have had a little too much Zen and pinot noir, but it doesn’t mean it’s not true.)

Earl. The Greatest.

There was a good article on Vince today in the Houston Chronicle; the first time I have seen a mainstream journalist mention that (1) VY played well in Tennessee, and damn well last season, and (2) he suffered from a lack of support from his coach. Sorry don’t know how to do the link thing:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7689249.html

Anyone who doesn’t believe in Vince is an atheist.

Amen, Meekrob!

And RF – thanks for that link. Great article. I don’t think Vince has been hearing quotes like these from his coaches the last few years…

“It’s a clean slate here,” Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “I told him the smartest choice he ever made was coming here.”

“The first thing you see is that he is a highly talented young man, just a really impressive quarterback,” Mornhinweg said.

“We have a certain expectation for the quarterback spot and I think we do a good job of teaching the quarterback spot here, but ultimately it’s going to be on Vince Young getting it done on the field,” Mornhinweg said. “Ultimately that’s his responsibility. I study all the quarterbacks, and I like him.”

“If a man with his ability has the right mentality, he’s going to flourish. Most guys crave that style and the way that we operate. He’s got a great mentality right now and a bright, bright future.”

Just get ready for your opportunity, Vince! Every success will be another dagger to the heart of Jeff Fisher’s inflated coaching reputation.

Michael Vick is not physically capable of completing a 16 game schedule.
 
Vince will get his chance and it might be as the back up who comes in and goes 4-1 while the injured starter recuperates for the playoffs. The Eagles are a Super Bowl level team and Vince will likely play a role in whether that happens.
 
As for Ricky, his last years in the NFL have been a vindication for him and he’ll retire with 10,000+ career rushing yards and about 80 TDs. Not too shabby for a guy that lost (and threw away) three seasons in his prime.

ESPN “Breaking News” report, circa. April/May 2012:

This just in…New _ head coach Marty Morninhweg has announced that the team will sign Vince Young as their new starting QB, inking a 5-year, XX-million dollar long-term deal. Morninhweg said that, after their time together with Philadelphia, it was a no-brainer.

Also, I mentioned this to friends before, but one thing I dearly love about the move to Philadelphia (though there are plenty of downsides) is that Philadelphia has EVERY reason to build Vince up all year.

Gone should be the days when his own team is (dumbly) trashing him. No matter what the reality, the party line out of Philadelphia from now until next spring should be nothing but roses and sunshine. Vince is great. So much better than we expected. His passing is severely underrated. He’s picked up the offense incredibly quickly, and he’s basically been a dream to coach.

Philly has every motivation to do that.

And, just for grins, let’s go with “New Dolphins head coach Marty Morninhweg…”

Yes, that suits me nicely.

Philly is a deep ball, deep drop passing offense that ask the QB to make accurate throws downfield while using their feet to buy time and move the pocket intermixed with a short screen game where the QB has to throw with touch, timing and anticipation to LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek and Philly’s little WRs where they can do something with it.
 
Gee. Who does that fit?
 
The most underrated aspect of Vince Young’s game is a great, loft-soft deep ball and the ability to lead a guy with a catchable ball at the numbers in the short game. He was threading the needle to mediocre tight ends in Tennessee for years.