The moment Graham Harrell was cut, I have to admit that I was surprised.
Not because Harrell was no longer a member of the Packers. But because the word from 1265 Lombardi Ave. was that Vince Young would compete for the No. 2 job.
The moment I heard that, I nearly choked on my ice water.
Anybody that has watched a morsel of the waning moments of Packers preseason games the last two years knows that B.J. Coleman is nowhere near a backup job. I’m not saying that may never happen, but after being drafted No. 243 in 2012 and spending last season on the practice squad, Coleman needs a lot of seasoning.
I know that Mike McCarthy is one of those coaches that want to make players earn everything. And trust me, that’s a great thing. You never want to make players get too comfortable.
But, barring an eleventh-hour trade that would send Colt McCoy to the Packers, a guy that Ted Thompson pondered about bringing to Green Bay, Young is the backup.
Young is a much better option than Harrell, but can he digest the playbook quick enough? If Rodgers gets nicked up with an early-season slate of the 49ers, Redskins and dramatically improved Bengals, what will the offense look like?
I don’t doubt Young’s ability to make something out of nothing with tremendous improvisational skills. His long, wiry body makes it easier for him to avoid would-be tacklers.
But how often will he make something out of something? That’s the question. When will Young be able to perform when he’s supposed to?
For the Packers sake, let’s hope they don’t have to find out.
——————Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn
——————
4 responses to “Cross Your Fingers Vince Young Never Has to Play for the Packers”
Wow! What a terrible article. Yeah, let’s all cross our fingers that a guy who was won over 60% of his NFL starts never has to play because he has no chance of winning.
You’re living in the past, Jeff. As Cory pointed out, Young hasn’t done anything meaningful in years. Having said that, I’d still keep him over Harrell, as the Packers have done.
Jeff,
He hasn’t started a game since 2011, a year that saw him throw nine interceptions and four touchdowns.
His decision making has been spotty his entire career, he was able to gloss over that in his first four years because of overwhelming physical talent.
Some of that talent is still there, but as a 30-year-old man, he cannot rely on his spry legs to get him out of trouble every time.
Let’s also remember that when he went 4-4 as a starter in 2010, Chris Johnson was fourth in the NFL in rushing with 1,364 yards and a Pro Bowl appearance. He needs to win with a backfield like that.
Cory,
If you had watched all of Vince’s NFL games, you would have noticed that he’s entirely capable.
NFL Rookie of the Year, two Pro Bowl appearances while playing for a coach who never wanted him or liked him.
In Philadelphia he was a target for the team’s failure. Then he left and the team got far worse.
In fact, every team Vince has left has gotten worse, including the Bills who cut him last preseason then proceeded to have one of their worst seasons in decades.
Vince will never be highly accurate, he’ll never be as good as Rodgers, but he is a solid winner.
And citing 2011 interception/TD numbers is also somewhat misleading. Several potential touchdown passes were dropped and a couple good passes were intercepted. … The fact is that Philly team was a total mess before, during and after Vince took over for the injured Vick.
If the coaches in GB are smart, Vince should be able to play better than he’s ever played in the NFL. … But let’s hope Aaron good health, nevertheless.