Happy Friday the 13th
Here's my column from Friday's Star:
Happy Friday the 13th. Usually, I’m not the black cat fearing, ladder-avoiding type, but I’ve never been a huge fan of Fridays that fall on this date.
I got a speeding ticket on a Friday the 13th and I’m sure some other bad stuff happened to me on those days as well.The main thing that haunts me is the temptation to reference it in my stories and headlines the next day’s paper.Not this year, though. I promise.
Moving right along, here are a few of the things I’m thinking about:
I’VE HEARD chatter that Vince Young, after his command performance in Texas’ Rose Bowl win over USC (which I predicted) is the second coming of Michael Vick.
I disagree. Compare their numbers on similar teams at similar ages. When Vick was a redshirt sophomore, he was 20 years old. He was 87-for-161 passing for 1,234 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 617 rushing yards and eight more scores for the Hokies in his final season.
Young at age 20 split time with Chance Mock as a freshman in 2003, and his numbers were very similar (84-for-143, 1,115, six scores, seven interceptions with 998 rushing yards and 11 more TDs).
So what’s that mean? Young stayed in school a year longer than Vick, and while he’s probably not as fast, he’s more accurate and better equipped to read a defense in this stage of his career than Vick was.And he’s tougher, too.
So, no, he’s not the next Vick. He’s the first Vince Young.
AFTER HEAPING laurels on Mr Young, I still think that Reggie Bush is the best player available in April’s NFL Draft.
I know what you’re saying. He’s too small, never carried it more than 23 times in a game and so on.
Here’s the deal. He was sharing the load with a fellow Heisman winner at quarterback in Matt Leinart and a fellow future NFL draftee at running back in LenDale White.
With all that firepower around him, he still piled up 1,740 yards rushing and 16 scores on a whopping 8.7 yards per carry. He also caught 37 passes and returned kicks for the Trojans.
Think Warrick Dunn, but faster and with better open-field moves.He’s the real deal, so much so that I’m trying to trade up in one of my fantasy football leagues to get him.
BY THE WAY, the Shelby boys’ basketball team is pretty good. It’s easy to tell that that group of players has spent a lot of time together on the court when you watch them pass the basketball and work on defense.
A lack of a true post player is a concern, but if the Golden Lions shoot well and keep the pace to their liking — somewhere between hyperactive and ludicrous speed — they can beat anybody.
With a little luck, maybe they can add another state title to the school’s trophy case.
Now which shoulder do we throw that salt over again?
Contact Randy Capps at randy_capps@link.freedom.com
Happy Friday the 13th. Usually, I’m not the black cat fearing, ladder-avoiding type, but I’ve never been a huge fan of Fridays that fall on this date.
I got a speeding ticket on a Friday the 13th and I’m sure some other bad stuff happened to me on those days as well.The main thing that haunts me is the temptation to reference it in my stories and headlines the next day’s paper.Not this year, though. I promise.
Moving right along, here are a few of the things I’m thinking about:
I’VE HEARD chatter that Vince Young, after his command performance in Texas’ Rose Bowl win over USC (which I predicted) is the second coming of Michael Vick.
I disagree. Compare their numbers on similar teams at similar ages. When Vick was a redshirt sophomore, he was 20 years old. He was 87-for-161 passing for 1,234 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 617 rushing yards and eight more scores for the Hokies in his final season.
Young at age 20 split time with Chance Mock as a freshman in 2003, and his numbers were very similar (84-for-143, 1,115, six scores, seven interceptions with 998 rushing yards and 11 more TDs).
So what’s that mean? Young stayed in school a year longer than Vick, and while he’s probably not as fast, he’s more accurate and better equipped to read a defense in this stage of his career than Vick was.And he’s tougher, too.
So, no, he’s not the next Vick. He’s the first Vince Young.
AFTER HEAPING laurels on Mr Young, I still think that Reggie Bush is the best player available in April’s NFL Draft.
I know what you’re saying. He’s too small, never carried it more than 23 times in a game and so on.
Here’s the deal. He was sharing the load with a fellow Heisman winner at quarterback in Matt Leinart and a fellow future NFL draftee at running back in LenDale White.
With all that firepower around him, he still piled up 1,740 yards rushing and 16 scores on a whopping 8.7 yards per carry. He also caught 37 passes and returned kicks for the Trojans.
Think Warrick Dunn, but faster and with better open-field moves.He’s the real deal, so much so that I’m trying to trade up in one of my fantasy football leagues to get him.
BY THE WAY, the Shelby boys’ basketball team is pretty good. It’s easy to tell that that group of players has spent a lot of time together on the court when you watch them pass the basketball and work on defense.
A lack of a true post player is a concern, but if the Golden Lions shoot well and keep the pace to their liking — somewhere between hyperactive and ludicrous speed — they can beat anybody.
With a little luck, maybe they can add another state title to the school’s trophy case.
Now which shoulder do we throw that salt over again?
Contact Randy Capps at randy_capps@link.freedom.com
posted by Randy Capps at 10:10 PM
2 Comments:
Reggie Bush reminds me more of Bryan Westbrook than Dunn.
Can the Crest hoops team get it together to make another run?
If Malachi gets healthy, Spikes rounds back into game shape and Wright can stay on the floor, then I think they'll be a tough out.
That said, it's much tougher to make a run in 4A than it is in 3A, and unless Ashbrook starts losing, Crest will be fortunate to even make the playoffs under the new wildcard format since they'd be the second place team in 4A in that split league they're in.
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