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Originally Posted by Dr. Phile
Matt "I still think we're the better team" Leinart has been overrated from the start. Why else would he not go pro earlier in his career? So he could go out a (sore) loser?
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The main reason he did not go Pro after his junior year is that he was (1) injured and needed elbow surgery and (2) suffering from a mid-season hernia which was never disclosed in the public until after the season was over. (You can read about point 2 in the ESPN interview he did in which he stated is was in such bad shape that on the day of the USC-UCLA game, he literally could not get out of bed. If you watched that game, he was criticized in the first half for missing receivers in the windy Rose Bowl. Yet, some how he managed to win that game, and then go on and demolish Oklahoma making them look 'like a pop warner team' to quote the ESPN analyst this weekend.)
Matt decided that given both these issues, he would not be able to perform in the NFL combine. Ultimately it probably cost him $10mm in signing bonus but in the longer run, he got to do something almost no college QB gets--pro training in college. Matt only had one class this past year (ballroom dancing), and all he did it study film. Pete Carroll allowed to audible 40%+ of the offensive plays (think Manning) and this guy is probably the best prepared (mentally) QB to go into the NFL in a long time.
Only time will tell if his arm is strong enough. But I strongly believe this guys is a winner (37-2 career in college) and possess the intellect necessary to analyze the situation and make a good call that is necessary in the NFL. Vince Young is a dummy, and his intellect will be exposed in the NFL. (And don't expect him to have a field day running like he did against USC in the Rose Bowl and USC's very young and injured defense.) I know a few former NFL QBs and they all say the same thing--the transition from college to pro is the hardest at the QB level. You are expected to analyze about 8 issues in under 1 second to make the proper throwing decision. College QBs really on first read and then immediate option (in the case of Vince, run. . . .)
Vince will be a bust. . . .