Everyone has written about the fiasco that unfolded in Nashville involving Vince Young. However, no one has written about it with the clarity and perspective that Jason Whitlock has. His latest column compares the reaction Vince Young had to his first taste of real adversity versus how Donovan McNabb has dealt with real adversity throughout his career. Whitlock points out that the position is not about being black or white but about the makeup of the person.
Says Whitlock: “It’s not about color. It’s about fitting the profile of someone who can handle all that goes along with being an NFL quarterback. If I’m an owner, I spend my quarterback dollars on young men who were raised by strong fathers. It wouldn’t be an infallible system, but on average I bet I’d hit more winners than if I turned over the leadership of my team to a kid who isn’t used to having a strong male authority figure.”
Whitlock thought in 2006 that Young didn't have the goods to be an NFL QB;
"I told you before the 2006 draft that Vince Young was primed for NFL failure. He entered the league with an attitude, mindset and supporting cast totally unprepared to survive the pressure, challenge and responsibility that goes along with the most prestigious and difficult job in all of sports.
“The position requires thick skin and genuine self-confidence. If you need four or five male groupies with you at all times, a half million dollars of jewelry around your neck and wrists and a dozen tattoos to feel confident, then maybe you should play wide receiver or start rapping.”
Whitlock also compliments Donovan McNabb for how he has gone about being a great NFL QB, black or white.
"No one revolutionizes the starting quarterback position. The position revolutionizes the person playing it. Just ask Donovan McNabb. He figured it out and changed his game. Over the objection of idiots, McNabb developed his skills as a pocket passer. He concentrated on becoming a student of the game. If he can stay healthy over the next three or four years, McNabb will surpass Warren Moon as the best black quarterback ever to play the game.
Unfortunately, there are still people, especially black people, who don't appreciate McNabb. They think he let "us" down by de-emphasizing his athleticism, and they criticize him for being cozy with his organization the way Peyton Manning is with the Colts and Brady is with the Patriots.
McNabb doesn't get to enjoy the luxury of being a company man the way other franchise QBs in their prime do.
But McNabb has never threatened to quit or asked out of a game because the Philly fans were too rough. McNabb understands that in some instances the scrutiny of a black quarterback might be a tad more intense than that of a white one. He also understands that the best way to combat it isn't whining. It's performance. It's work ethic. It's professionalism."
Unfortunately, there are still people, especially black people, who don't appreciate McNabb. They think he let "us" down by de-emphasizing his athleticism, and they criticize him for being cozy with his organization the way Peyton Manning is with the Colts and Brady is with the Patriots.
McNabb doesn't get to enjoy the luxury of being a company man the way other franchise QBs in their prime do.
But McNabb has never threatened to quit or asked out of a game because the Philly fans were too rough. McNabb understands that in some instances the scrutiny of a black quarterback might be a tad more intense than that of a white one. He also understands that the best way to combat it isn't whining. It's performance. It's work ethic. It's professionalism."
Not everyone is the fan of Whitlock that I am but I think he is spot on about Young and McNabb. Young has a chance to come back and be a great QB, but he needs to listen to guys like Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb. Guys who have been through it with fans and media, who faced 10 times the adversity Young has, guys who didn't let injuries, hateful fans or having to become passers and not runners stand in their way to becoming great QBs. But I doubt Young will follow their advice, as Young said to 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley last year;
"Can't nobody tell me nothing"
4 comments:
well then maybe he will listen to em cowboy. he needs a wake up call for sure, maybe this is his.....we won't know till he takes his first step, will we?
i don't subscribe to the race thing in the QB position or any position in sports, cuz i've heard it all before. i don't care if they are chinese, if they play & want to do the job, go for it.
remember i'm from philly, and one of the RARE few that has never EVER booed mcnabb. to be honest i hated TO even when everyone else around me said he was the "answer" i knew something was wrong with that "boy" in his mind set.
i don't get that impression with vince & i don't even know him, like i know my QB. only what i've read & learned from YOU....he needs someone to take that 1st step out & bitch slap him back to reality, more power to whitlock if it is him.
the ONLY person that can save vince, is vince......but it's clear to me he needs a helping hand.
i'm going to email u something regarding this, maybe u've already seen it dunno, i proofed it before i took my nappy today. check your email boogie head!!
I saw it and heard it babe.
It's bad, real bad. We're watching a trainwreck and we can't look away.
exactly. not to tarnish this post but remember the "heather locklear" 911 incident not so long ago, they always say everything is fine, when in actuality is isn't. we won't know until........
and just maybe this therapist did a good thing, some don't alert others & blow it off. this one was seems to have been genuine enough to pick up the phone & make the call, props to them.
like i said i hope he gets the help he needs & continues his career, smashes the faces in of a few critics & media outlets and shows them, what he's all about......a QB that picked himself up when he hit rock bottom.
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