The Wonderlic Test is Really Accurate.

The New Orleans Saints had a great season last year, and the Houston Texans appear to be a team finally headed in the right direction. Still, you have to think it can't be easy to watch Vince Young play for the Titans. Yes, the man proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be mentally handicapped has shockingly ended up being a competent quarterback. I'm not sure who could have anticipated that he'd rise above his disability. After all, this is the first time in his career he's proven doubters wrong and become a success.

In all seriousness, watching VY shred defenses and improve with every game makes the media's assessment of players appear even more haphazard than usual. This is a guy who has succeeded on every level; he's shown leadership, determination, and an absolutely terrifying sense of internal calm under pressure. On Monday night in New Orleans, he made some early mistakes. But, he played under control, and by the the time the 4th quarter rolled around, the game belonged to him. The defining play of the game had to be a 3rd and short. The defense blitzed and he bounced outside, stepping across the 1st down marker, and then back again to avoid a hit. A Saints corner, obviously frustrated, grabbed onto his jersey and rode him out of bounds. Vince returned the courtesy by smacking him in the mouth and staring him down on the way back to the huddle.

By contrast, His Exalted Holiness St. Reggie Bush is struggling. His success in the NFL was all but guaranteed by everybody with a microphone or a keyboard. But, his free form playing style seems to be holding him back, and the bruising back that allowed him his success last season is now gone for the year. His former teammate, LenDale White, described by pundits pre-draft as "fat" and "risky" was clearly enjoying playing alongside Vince Young, and strangely seems to run well despite that fact that he doesn't dance around to avoid tackles. Which is weird: I mean, the guy never scored a touchdown at USC, right? That's the Titans: the team that has no right to succeed but seems to do so anyway. Who would've thought that a national champion QB, a proven bruiser of a running back, and a coach who's been to the Super Bowl could do well. They're like that disabled kid who shot all those three pointers. What was he, artistic or something?

Vince Young Continues to Spite Merril Hoge

Living in Houston isn't easy. It's a swamp. And, no, that isn't meant to be some catty comment about the humidity: it really is a swamp. There's a giant cauldron of bog water and feces directly in the center of the city. Beyond this obvious problem, Houston doesn't exactly have much to be proud of. It's infamous as the home of Enron, the fattest county in America, that place where there are two Starbucks across the street from each other, and the birthplace of Paul Wall. Still, people who make it theirs show a lot of pride. As stinky and ridiculous as Houston can be, they embrace it.


Would you embrace this man?

Well, there's this guy you may have heard of who grew up in the area. He played some college ball, did pretty well, and was hoping to come back and play for their team. That's despite the fact they'd never had a winning season as a franchise. It didn't matter that they'd been more famous for being inept and getting their quarterback sacked. Vince Young wanted to be the hometown hero. His belief in himself and his game was so absolute that he knew if he could get the opportunity, he wouldn't disappoint. And, he hasn't. He's defied the critics and the statistics junkies, and continues to win ball games. But not for Houston...

The Texans got a good long look at what they passed on as it ran right by them for a 39 yard game-winning TD. Houston did not play badly. David Carr was efficient, and Ron Dayne was a workhorse when they used him. But, Vince Young was better. He made a couple bad plays: one interception where he threw the ball sitting down to try to avoid a sack. But, when it counted, VY is a winner. The Titans knew that when they gave him the ball down the stretch, they could count on him to get it done. And he did. I have little doubt that Houston will get headed in the right direction eventually. Until then, the hometown kid who wanted to be their go-to guy will be torturing them twice a season.

Vince Young Wins Ballgames

I use this photo to keep me warm during this cold, cold winter.

A couple months ago, Vince Young's NFL career had been all but declared D.O.A. People loudly questioned every aspect of his game. How loudly? I think I'd be better off letting this gem by Merril Hoge speak for itself:

Vince Young clearly is not ready to step on the field in the National Football League. He did nothing during the preseason to prove that he can play, but here he is, (with) a coaching staff trying to implement gimmick college stuff to play in the NFL. When they asked him to drop back in a true pro-style look, he had no clue where to throw the football.

I appreciate that sports journalism is, by its nature, capricious. However, Vince got a rough ride. Everything from his throwing style, his speed, his decision making, and even his intelligence has been questioned. It's not unusual for college QB to take over a year to adjust to the speed and intricacies of the pro game. But every shortcoming was a reason to declare him a bust.

It doesn't seem like there's going to be much more of that talk. After last week's insane 21 point comeback, and yesterday's win against a team many consider to be the class of the AFC, the NFL is figuring out what Vince Young can do. He wins games. I'm not attempting to argue that he's not lacking some polish. His throwing style can be hair-raising, and he'll probably take a hard lick sooner or later that will convince him to run less. But, first and foremost, he's a winner. Whatever it takes, he figures out how to get it done. And as Norm Chow's system comes together and surrounds him with good players, he's only going to get better.