Vince Young is a Saskatchewan Roughrider.
The Riders announced the signing of the former Texas star today.
Young, 33, is making his football comeback in the CFL, having last played in a regular-season game in 2011 with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
“He certainly can make all the throws, he’s got a tremendous arm,” said Chris Jones, the Riders’ coach/GM. “But I think it’s much more than just his physical tools.
“He brings a lot of intangibles that winners bring.”
Young joins a Saskatchewan that finished last in the West Division last year with a 5-13 record. The Riders have been looking for a starter since trading veteran Darian Durant’s rights to the Montreal Alouettes in January.
READ MORE: Meet Vince Young: Saskatchewan Roughriders newest QB
Young will battle veteran Kevin Glenn, 37, Canadian Brandon Bridge and Americans G.J. Kinne, Jake Waters and Bryan Bennett for
the starting job.
“I know we’ve got a lot of good quarterbacks on the roster so I’m here to compete,” Young said. “The main thing is I want to tell my teammates that it’s not all about Vince.
“I don’t want them to think I’m coming here big-headed…it’s all about the team, it’s all about the city and whatever we can do to win.”
Young said he’s remained active in retirement, playing flag football, breaking down game film with Longhorns quarterbacks and coaching his son’s youth squad.
Young added he started his off-season conditioning program last month.
However, his biggest challenge isn’t simply chipping away therust. It’s trying to do so while venturing into a completely different game.
Canadian football is not only played on a longer, wider field but also features one less down and one more player on the field. And while in the NFL only one offensive player can be moving when the ball is snapped, unlimited motion is allowed in the CFL, sometimes creating organized chaos.
Canadian football is predominately an aerial game requiring pinpoint accuracy from the quarterback. Every CFL starter last year completed at least 65 per cent of his passes and overall league quarterbacks completed 68.3 per cent of the roughly 5,900 passes thrown.
At Texas, Young was a 61.8 per cent passer but sported a 57.9 per cent mark over his NFL career. He threw more interceptions (51) than
touchdowns (46) despite posting a 30-17 record as a starter.
“It’s certainly a different game,” said Chris Jones, Saskatchewan’s head coach/GM. “It’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment but again we’ve got mini-camp and (training) camp and I’m fully confident that he can make that adjustment.”
The six-foot-five, 232-pound Young compiled a 30-2 record as Texas’ starting quarterback, leading the school to the 2005 NCAA title.
He was taken in the first round, third overall, in the 2006 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans and that year was league’s offensive rookie of the year and named to the Pro Bowl.
Young spent five seasons with the Titans before being released July 28, 2011.
He signed with Philadelphia shortly afterwards and spent the 2011 campaign with the Eagles before being let go.
Young spent time with Buffalo, Green Bay and Cleveland before retiring June 14, 2014.
“I’ve got to put in the work and get in the film room and transfer the film work and mental stuff to the football field,” he said. “It’s not my first rodeo …I’ve played this game, I know football.
Young also said he’s not using the CFL as a springboard back to the NFL.
“My focus is being the best teammate I can be, the best guy in the community here,” he said. “I’m thinking about trying to win games and trying to win a Grey Cup.”
With files from Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
Comments