Former NFL quarterback Vince Young took a shot at Buccaneers backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
In news that probably wouldn’t get any traction come August, Vince Young told Sports Illustrated that he’s frustrated he’s no longer in the NFL while someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick is. The Buccaneers recently signed the former Jets quarterback to a one year, $3-million dollar deal.
Young, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2011 on the infamous Philadelphia “Dream Team”, spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop about his unceremonious exit from the NFL and singled out Fitzpatrick to get his point across;
"“I’d see a quarterback and be like, Dude is garbage, and I’m over here in the kitchen cooking turkey necks!?I hate to name-drop, but [Ryan] Fitzpatrick is still playing!? He leads the league in interceptions, and he’s still f—— getting paid? I mean, what the f— is going on?”"
Now, here’s the thing – Vince Young was not a very good quarterback in the NFL. He never played a full sixteen games, only had more touchdowns than interceptions twice, and was an overall disappointment after an amazing National Championship run with the Texas Longhorns.
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Maybe Young isn’t exactly in a position to call out NFL quarterbacks.
Here’s the thing about backups in the NFL – it’s more than just the ability to play the position. When you’re a backup, you’re already not good enough to start in the league so you have to bring something else to the table. You have to do things for the starter that will help them out. Most importantly, you have to be able to break down film and assist in prepping the starter for the upcoming game.
I find it very hard to believe that Vince Young could do that better than Ryan Fitzpatrick.
There’s a reason Josh McCown is still in the NFL despite not being able to play the position at a high level. He’s great at recognizing things the defense does and relaying that information. No, he doesn’t have the skill to take advantage of it on the field, but McCown is a smart guy. Think Jason Garrett while he was a backup for the Cowboys. He’s a far better coach than he ever was a player. I believe the same will be true for McCown.
Fitzpatrick isn’t the most skilled player. He has incredible arm strength but he’s very much “boom or bust” in his play. That doesn’t mean – with his eleven years NFL experience – he can’t help Jameis see things on film to help out, especially given his knowledge of the AFC East which the Buccaneers will take on this season.
So no, Vince Young, no one feels sorry for you that you aren’t in the league. At least, not as far as fans are concerned. There was an interesting development on Instagram regarding Young’s comments and a teammate of Fitzpatrick’s though;
— James Yarcho (@JYarcho_BUCS) June 28, 2017
Yep, take a look. Robert Ayers “liked” this Instagram post by ESPN that is essentially taking a shot at his own teammate. Now, maybe he’s friends with Young and wants him back in the league and it isn’t necessarily a shot at Fitzpatrick. Ultimately, it does raise an eyebrow or two when you’re liking a quote that’s is calling out your own teammate.
Vince Young has been done in the NFL for six years now and there’s no end in sight. At the end of the day he couldn’t cut it at the highest level and obviously brought nothing else to the table to justify being signed in a backup role.
Next: Predicting Chris Godwin's Role With The Bucs
Are there unemployed quarterbacks who are better than some of the backups in the NFL? Yes, but that’s a whole different debate. This is simply about Vince Young. And no, he’s not good enough.