Back in 2006, Vince Young was drafted 3rd overall and Matt Leinart 10th overall and the debate began who would have the better career. They had squared off in a memorable Rose Bowl and it only led to greater speculation about the pair. Three seasons later that certainly has taken a sour turn.
I bring this up now because when I was waiting for the 49ers-Packers Wildcard game last night, the studio show was discussing the two of them and if they would be able to turn their careers around. This is even more relevant in light of the re-signings of Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner. I decided to finally go with this post after seeing an article at ESPN about Vince Young looking to regain his starting QB job.
I wanted to throw out the question of who would end up having a better career from this point forward. Vince Young has so many tools but has had some mental issues get in the way. The QB in front of him, Collins, is not long for this world and it wouldn't surprise me to see VY win back the starting job this summer.
Matt Leinart has great physical tools and some insane weapons in Arizona. Of course, he also has a newly re-signed Kurt Warner sitting in front of him. Given the investment by the Cardinals, I think it will take a lot for Leinart to get the starting job as long as Warner is around.
Both guys will likely get a starting shot at some point, but it may be a while. Given the amount of bench time, will either or both guys turn out a solid career? Or will both end up being more or less busts? It's hard to predict that sort of thing, but that's the fun of just having a discussion about it. My vote goes for Leinart because even coming out of college I was not a fan of Vince Young's sidearm throwing style. Assuming Fitzgerald and Boldin stay around, and Leinart actually wants to be a good QB (instead of just a party animal), I'd expect more out of him. Thoughts?