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Young primed to be one ofNFL’s best ever ^ Texas quarterback has skill to dominate game like he did in college It is amazing how the drafts prospects of former Texas quarterback Vince Vmi ncr hovp D changed since the final seconds of the national championship game in the Kose Bowl iuuu against USC GREED • this past Graduate January. Student in Having Sports and followed the ‘"tertainment Trojans all manaVmeM season long, I thought they were one of the strongest college football teams I had ever seen. Vince Young single handedly took over the title game in Pasadena, in Southern Cal’s backyard, against the defending nstinnsl rhamninnc Tt wac one of the most memorable performances in college football history. Young threw and ran his way to a dramatic fourth quarter victory, leading Texas to its first national championship since 1970. He only lost two games as a starter for the Longhorns. So why is it that so many experts are questioning his potential future as an NFL star? After having stolen the show in the Rose Bowl on the same field as two Heisman Trophy winners, many draft analysts have Young being taken as low as 10th in the draft and being the third quarterback r.. selected. The first major slight on Young’s reputation was when the results of his Wonderlic IQ test were leaked to the media. The test, which is supposed to be confidential, is administered at the NFL draft combine. Young reportedly scored somewhere between a six and a 16. Any score below a 20 is considered alarming by NFL scouts, for the quarterback position. The motivation behind the leaking of the score suggests that there is someone out there that wants to damage Young’s reputation. Others have questioned Young’s throwing motion and whether he has the oKiliti; fn pvpp! ac a Arnn J X back passer in the NFL, having taken most of his snaps in college from the shotgun formation. The most shocking development in all of the draft speculation is that Vanderbilt’s former quarterback Jay Cutler has become a trendy pick to be a star NFL quarterback. This is despite the fact that Cutler struggled to complete passes against the Navy Midshipman defense, having lost to them for two consecutive years. Matt Leinart is considered by many of the experts to be the prototypical NFL quarterback. He is praised for both his intellect and his ability to read defenses. So here’s a prediction: Vince Young will be one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks to ever play the game. He won’t simply read defenses; he will terrorize them, by air or on foot. Young is far and away a better passer than the Atlanta Falcon’s Mike Vick, and he runs just as well. Vick is the same quarterback that was drafted No. 1 overall, despite the fact that his passing numbers in college were unimpressive. Young has already shown he has the mental fortitude to take control of big-game situations. That puts him far ahead of Donovan McNabb, the guy who choked so bad in the Super Bowl that you could almost see the pee running down his leg during the Eagle’s fourth quarter collapse against the Patriots. Alex Smith was the No. 1 pick of last year’s draft. No one questioned this pick, even though Smith was virtually an option quarterback in college. The fact that people doubt Young’s ability as a quarterback may actually be a blessing in disguise. Remember, these were the same gurus that thought Ryan Leaf should have been picked ahead of Peyton Manning in 1997’s draft. And Dan Marino was actually the sixth quarterback drafted in 1983. Marino faced the same questions about his character and ability that Young is now experiencing. Vince Young is an athlete that comes along once in a lifetime. He has all of the tools to excel at the quarterback position. Jay Cutler or Vince Young? It really doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. DUKE • EODTIUUEDFROflllO with the investigation has said the woman appeared to be intoxicated. Defense lawyers, however, have said time stamped photographs taken by the players show that the accuser was drunk and already had suffered some injuries when she arrived at the house for the party. The recording is consistent with “what I have seen of the photo evidence before,” attorney Kerry Sutton said. Those photos, she said, showed that she was “way beyond where you would put somebody behind the wheel of a car.” The description of the _>„_i:_1 __ V T U111U11 sj 111 VVtlVUl VAU111 — which Nifong has said is his basis for believing a rape occurred — does not mention her being drunk. It states only that the woman’s injuries and behavior were consistent with having been raped, sexually assaulted and having suffered a traumatic experience. . The woman has told police she and another stripper hired to dance at the party arrived at 11.30 p.m. March 13. The pair reportedly left the house a short time later, fearing for their safety. The accuser told police the two were coaxed back into the house with an apology, at which point they were separated. That’s when she said that she was dragged into a bathroom and raped, beaten and choked for a half hour. At 12:53 a.m., police received a 911 call from a woman complaining that white men gathered outside the home where the party took place had ii i i >ii uancu nci laciai muii>. The defense has said it believes the second dancer at the jiarty made that -call. The 911 call from the grocery store security guard was placed at 1:22 a.m. In it, the caller says, “Um, the problem is ... it’s a lady in somebody else’s car, and she will not get out of their car. She’s like, she’s like intoxicated, drunk or something. She’s, I mean, she won’t get out of the car, period. “ A police spokeswoman did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the radio traffic. The case has focused intense national scrutiny on Duke and the lacrosse players and has sparked protests on the elite private university’s campus and elsewhere in Durham. Last week, the school canceled the highly ranked team’s season' and coach Mike Pressler resigned after the release of a vulgar and graphic e-mail sent by a team member shortly after the alleged assault. Several of the defense attorneys say they expect the district attorney to ask a grand jury on Monday to issue charges in conneption with the allegations. “Rest up on Sunday,” Sutton said. There has been no official word, however, on whether Nifong intends to present the allegations Monday. His next opportunity would come two weeks later. AP writer Allen G. Breed contributed to this report. BASEBALL • COnTinUCO PROffl 10 walks and 37 strikeouts so far this season. Ole Miss infielder Justin Henry has had a good year so far with a .370 batting average and 15 RBI. Sophomore infielder Zack Cozart has a .323 batting average and 37 RBI this season; he had the game winning home run against Mississippi State this week. USC’s lineup and pitching staff have struggled some in recent games. USC’s relief pitchers had trouble against Clemson on Wednesday, and Tanner spoke at length about the improvements his team needed with pitching and batting. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@givm.sc. edu YAVAJlnHHHH — Gamecocks Connection! Your source for Gamecocks news alerts right on your wireless pnone! Get up-to-the-minute news about the Gamecocks, from the Gamecocks, on your wireless phone. Log on to www.vtext.com and select "Coaches Corner!" Subject to Customer Agreement and Calling Plan. $35 activation fee may apply. $175 early termination fee applies. Requires credit approval. Subject to taxes, charges and other restrictions. See verizonwiretess.com/t3estnetwork for network claim details. Digital phone required. 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