Who you have been wrong about?

Maurice Clarett

 

Didn't the Charlotte Hornets draft Kobe and then trade him to the Lakers? So, theoretically, you could say that somebody did make a huge mistake.

Can't help you on your second graph though.

 

I dunno....I was kind of hoping Maurice Clarett would do a 180 after his tussle with NFL while he was at Ohio State.

Then he held up the couple in an alley behind a Columbus nightclub with a gun. Last time I behave optimistically.....

(And how bright was this couple for walking down a dark alley at night, anyway???)

 

I was wrong when I thought that Merril Hoge would ever admit he was wrong

Friday, 12/15/06

ESPN's Hoge not yet a fan of Young
Recent play hasn't changed his mind

By JIM WYATT
Staff Writer


As the rest of the football world praises the progress of Titans rookie quarterback Vince Young, one man remains especially skeptical, and he's not afraid to say so.

ESPN's Merril Hoge has been an outspoken critic of Young even before the Titans drafted the former University of Texas star in April.




Hoge is not budging, at least not based on what he's seen from Young's first 10 NFL starts.

"You have to keep things in perspective,'' Hoge said. "For people to say he is where he needs to be, that's dead wrong. He has a long ways to go. I will never bury the guy and say he has no way to get it done, but I am not going to change my opinion based on what I have seen so far.

"From what I have seen on tape, he still doesn't understand coverages. That doesn't mean in the next two, three years he won't get to that point, but it is still a 50-50 shot in my opinion.

"People who say he is the second coming … To say now it is just a matter of putting the football in his hands and let him win is just ludicrous.''

Young is 6-4 as a starter. He's led the Titans to four wins in a row — over the Eagles, Giants, Colts and Texans — with three in comeback fashion. Earlier this season he became the first NFL rookie to lead his team to two 14-point comebacks.

Bad overshadowing good

Hoge, a former Steelers fullback who's been an NFL analyst with ESPN since 1995, said he's watched every snap of every Titans game this season.

He said he's seen more of the Young who threw three interceptions in a 37-7 loss to the Jaguars on Nov. 5 than the Young who ran 39 yards for a TD in overtime to beat the Texans last week.

"Let's be honest, the Houston Texans, are they a juggernaut? When (the Titans) beat the Giants, (New York) had six starters out. And the Colts, based on what Jacksonville did to them last week, I don't think that was that great of a performance based on that,'' Hoge said of Jacksonville's 44-17 win over Indianapolis after Tennessee beat Indianapolis 20-17.

"Now if I saw a tape of where he was dissecting defenses in all aspects from the pocket and running the football, I would have no other choice but to say, 'You know what? I am dead wrong.' But there's too many things he does not do on a consistent basis.

"You can't have games like Philadelphia (8-of-22 passing) and Jacksonville and say he has mastered this league. That Philadelphia game might have been the poorest performance I have seen by a quarterback all year.''

Hoge thinks Titans' coaches have done a good job allowing Young to "play to his strengths and hide his weaknesses.''

Young: No need to feud

Young is used to critics.

"Everybody had their own opinion,'' Young said. "If they say Vince can't do this or can't do that, I don't feed into that.

"I don't really care because the people that know me — my teammates, the people at Texas, the people that really know me — know I can be successful at the next level. (Analysts) are basically doing their job and I think I am doing my job. I am not hating those guys, I am not trying to start no conflict with those guys, I am just going to continue trying to play hard each week and showing them what I can do.''

Linebacker Keith Bulluck said critical analysts like Hoge only serve to motivate Young.

"I am sure he gives Ben Roethlisberger all the praise in the world, him being a former Steeler,'' Bulluck said. "But you know what? Critics are always going to be there. People are always going to be negative towards him and all he is doing is trying to make this team win and be positive.''

Under fire at ESPN

Some in the ESPN family have given Hoge grief about his opinions of Young. Fellow NFL analyst Sean Salisbury said he's been riding Hoge for weeks.

"Those that didn't like him as a player and say they still don't like him as a player, are just stubborn and don't want to admit they're wrong,'' Salisbury said. "We all should admit we're wrong when we are.''

Hoge acknowledged Young has made some nice runs, and gives him credit for finding ways to win games, but said to check back in three years.

"It's just too early to make a final judgment on any rookie right now, especially him,'' Hoge said. "Just like I said around the draft, it is a three-year process for him and it is a monumental learning curve with the ability to understand coverages. He's just been very inconsistent and has a lot of things still to learn.''

 

I thought he'd be dead by now, too.

 

Yao Ming.

Paying China for a guy who probably was the second coming of Shawn Bradley. What's more, he might have military or other obligations in China. I mean, how good could this guy be? why did Houston draft him?