Harvey: Romo has a twin, and they have 'it'
San Antonio Express-News
One is tall, the other short.
One signed a Reebok contract this past year for an annual fee of $600,000. The other got a deal last spring for $20,000, and then because someone guessed he might actually play someday.
One is known for a notorious Wonderlic score. The other tested higher than any quarterback at his combine.
And one was drafted third overall, the other went undrafted.
Yet Vince Young and Tony Romo are twins. Both, with odd throwing motions, will start at quarterback in Texas this Sunday, and both have an edge that has changed the mentality of their teams.
"Some guys just have 'it,'" said Gil Brandt, the longtime personnel guru, "whatever 'it' is."
"It" isn't easy to see. And some are like Charley Casserly, the Texans general manager when Houston passed on Young. Casserly denies "it" exists even when "it" stares back at him.
Casserly appears as an insider on CBS' pre-game show, which says something about TV. The ones who make the biggest mistakes are put on the air to make some more.
So, 11 days ago, Casserly shared his wisdom by listing his top 10 quarterbacks with 40 starts or less. Alex Smith made the list, as did Jason Campbell and Rex Grossman.
But not Young? No wonder Casserly didn't push for Young in Houston. If he doesn't like Young now, how little did he think of him then?
A few thousand fans will head to Reliant Stadium this weekend to voice their disagreement. No Texans ticket since their debut in 2002 has been as hot, and the crowd isn't queuing up to see Mario Williams.
At least Casserly didn't whiff everything on his list. His No. 6 was Romo, and this evaluation came before Romo went to New York and beat No. 3, Eli Manning.
Some might even rank Romo higher, since he's behind two quarterbacks — Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich — who have struggled this season. Still, Casserly puts Romo ahead of five first-round picks, including Young.
Could anyone imagine such a thing being said just two months ago?
Brandt says, to be fair, it's hard to see "it." He says scouts talk to players to get a feel for their personalities, and they talk to those who know them. "But we don't know what they will do when adversity strikes," Brandt said, "and we don't know how they react once they get some money."
They don't know if the work ethic increases, as Brandt said it did for Roger Staubach, but there were clues with both Young and Romo. Both, to use a basketball term, are gym rats.
Young and Romo even use the same phrase, "a love of the game," to describe their passion for football. The love was likely as obvious during Texas games as it was during Eastern Illinois games.
Brandt said he'd seen the signs before in Romo. Brandt would go to a high-school game in Dallas, and there Romo would be, hanging with the guys, just wanting to be at a game.
Now Brandt sees "it" on the field, and how the personalities of Young and Romo impact everyone around them. Brandt says they are "magnetic," with the right blend of confidence and teamwork and fun.
If scouts somehow had seen this Romo in 2003, Brandt says, "He would have been at the top of the first round."
Drew Brees, Dallas' opponent Sunday, would have also gone higher than the second round, as would Joe Montana in the third and Tom Brady in the sixth. But GMs missed on all because they focused on data and appearances.
The Texans have no excuses.
They should have seen what is inside of Young. Besides, they already knew what has been lacking in David Carr.
Brandt identifies Carr as he does Denver's Jay Cutler, though the two are clearly different. Carr has started more than 70 games, and Cutler is just beginning.
Still, they are quarterbacks with seemingly all the skills, yet are still missing something else. "Cutler is the prototype," Brandt said, "in practice."
But in games? As tension builds and teammates look for someone to follow?
That's when Young and Romo show "it."
One is tall, the other short.
One signed a Reebok contract this past year for an annual fee of $600,000. The other got a deal last spring for $20,000, and then because someone guessed he might actually play someday.
One is known for a notorious Wonderlic score. The other tested higher than any quarterback at his combine.
And one was drafted third overall, the other went undrafted.
Yet Vince Young and Tony Romo are twins. Both, with odd throwing motions, will start at quarterback in Texas this Sunday, and both have an edge that has changed the mentality of their teams.
"Some guys just have 'it,'" said Gil Brandt, the longtime personnel guru, "whatever 'it' is."
"It" isn't easy to see. And some are like Charley Casserly, the Texans general manager when Houston passed on Young. Casserly denies "it" exists even when "it" stares back at him.
Casserly appears as an insider on CBS' pre-game show, which says something about TV. The ones who make the biggest mistakes are put on the air to make some more.
So, 11 days ago, Casserly shared his wisdom by listing his top 10 quarterbacks with 40 starts or less. Alex Smith made the list, as did Jason Campbell and Rex Grossman.
But not Young? No wonder Casserly didn't push for Young in Houston. If he doesn't like Young now, how little did he think of him then?
A few thousand fans will head to Reliant Stadium this weekend to voice their disagreement. No Texans ticket since their debut in 2002 has been as hot, and the crowd isn't queuing up to see Mario Williams.
At least Casserly didn't whiff everything on his list. His No. 6 was Romo, and this evaluation came before Romo went to New York and beat No. 3, Eli Manning.
Some might even rank Romo higher, since he's behind two quarterbacks — Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich — who have struggled this season. Still, Casserly puts Romo ahead of five first-round picks, including Young.
Could anyone imagine such a thing being said just two months ago?
Brandt says, to be fair, it's hard to see "it." He says scouts talk to players to get a feel for their personalities, and they talk to those who know them. "But we don't know what they will do when adversity strikes," Brandt said, "and we don't know how they react once they get some money."
They don't know if the work ethic increases, as Brandt said it did for Roger Staubach, but there were clues with both Young and Romo. Both, to use a basketball term, are gym rats.
Young and Romo even use the same phrase, "a love of the game," to describe their passion for football. The love was likely as obvious during Texas games as it was during Eastern Illinois games.
Brandt said he'd seen the signs before in Romo. Brandt would go to a high-school game in Dallas, and there Romo would be, hanging with the guys, just wanting to be at a game.
Now Brandt sees "it" on the field, and how the personalities of Young and Romo impact everyone around them. Brandt says they are "magnetic," with the right blend of confidence and teamwork and fun.
If scouts somehow had seen this Romo in 2003, Brandt says, "He would have been at the top of the first round."
Drew Brees, Dallas' opponent Sunday, would have also gone higher than the second round, as would Joe Montana in the third and Tom Brady in the sixth. But GMs missed on all because they focused on data and appearances.
The Texans have no excuses.
They should have seen what is inside of Young. Besides, they already knew what has been lacking in David Carr.
Brandt identifies Carr as he does Denver's Jay Cutler, though the two are clearly different. Carr has started more than 70 games, and Cutler is just beginning.
Still, they are quarterbacks with seemingly all the skills, yet are still missing something else. "Cutler is the prototype," Brandt said, "in practice."
But in games? As tension builds and teammates look for someone to follow?
That's when Young and Romo show "it."
posted by The Gryphon at 6:20 PM
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