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Alex Smith vs. Vince Young

I was poking around Deadspin this evening catching up on mockery and humor in sports and came across a most interesting piece of work at a site called End Zone Buzz.  It is certainly an interesting take on a hot-button issue here.  I wish I had thought of looking into this first, but credit goes to Kyle Smith of End Zone Buzz for this discussion comparing Vince Young to our very own Alex Smith.  I won't copy the entire article but will highlight some of the high points and I definitely encourage you to check out the entire article.

Basically, while Vince Young has praised heaped upon him and Alex Smith is considered a big, fat bust by many people, they're not all that far apart statistically over their brief careers.

Completion Percentage
Vince Young: 56.5%
Alex Smith: 54.4%

Yards
VY: 4,231
AS: 4,679

Touchdown Passes
VY: 19
AS: 19

Interceptions
VY: 29
AS: 31

Passer Rating
VY: 66.8
AS: 63.5

Rushing Yards/Rushing TDs
VY: 895/10
AS: 339/2

The most interesting comment (which of course must be taken in the context of the situations) regards a fun little comparison of Smith to John Madden's favorite quarterback EVER:

Still, Smith got appreciably better in his second year, throwing 16 TD passes and 16 interceptions, completing 58 percent of his passes and ending up with a QB rating of 74.8. Strictly for comparison's sake, in his second year as a starter, Packers QB Brett Favre threw 19 TD's, 24 INT's, completed 60.9% of his passes and had a QB rating of 72.2. In his second season, Young has regressed, with 7 TD passes, 16 interceptions and a passer rating of 66.9.

Nobody's suggesting Alex Smith will be Brett Favre or that Vince Young is a bust. It's just curious that when you look a the two situations with a discerning eye, 550 rushing yards seem to be the difference between bust and Pro Bowler.

As Kyle said, we can't just say Smith will be a superstar, Vince Young will suck and that's that.  However, it is certainly something worth considering.  I certainly don't think Alex Smith will be turning into Brett Favre, and as I've said before, I think he has a good chance of being a very solid but not spectacular quarterback in this league.  In comparing VY and Smith, there are a multitude of factors to consider, including the running game VY brings to the table and a veteran coach in Jeff Fisher.

So, check out the article when you get a chance.